NFL Player News

The Vikings elevated Tonyan from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday.

Tonyan was unable to catch on with the Vikings' 53-man roster at the end of training camp after missing practices and all three preseason games due to back spasms. The 30-year-old tight end opted to stay in Minnesota on the practice squad, and if he's active for Sunday's game against Houston, Tonyan would serve as the No. 3 tight end behind Johnny Mundt and Josh Oliver. As a member of the Packers last season, Tonyan caught 11 passes (on 17 targets) for 112 yards across 17 regular-season games.

Kittle (hamstring) has been downgraded to out and will not play Sunday against the Rams, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

This was the likely outcome given Kittle was listed as doubtful on Friday's injury report. Eric Saubert will get the start at tight end, and Jake Tonges could get more pass-catching opportunities at the position as well.

Hudson (knee) did not practice Saturday and has been ruled out ahead of Monday's game against the Commanders, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Hudson wasn't able to practice all week due to a knee injury, and his next chance at suiting up will be against the Panthers on Sept. 29. Erick All will step up as the No. 3 tight end for the Bengals on Monday behind Mike Gesicki and Drew Sample.

Kalinic was elevated to the Rams' active roster Saturday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Kalinic was elevated for Week 2 versus the Cardinals, against whom he played 14 snaps on special teams. If active for Sunday's game against the 49ers, Kalinic would likely reprise the same role on special teams while also providing depth at tight end after Davis Allen was ruled out for Week 3 due to a back injury.

Gesicki (calf) does not carry an injury designation for Monday's contest against the Commanders, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Gesicki was a full participant in Saturday's practice, clearing the way for the tight end to play Monday. The 28-year-old was a revelation in Week 2, recording seven receptions on nine targets for 91 yards in the loss, but that workload could shift with the return of wide receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), who will be making his season debut Monday.

The Browns elevated Swaim from their practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Swaim wasn't able to catch on with a team during the offseason or training camp while recovering from a calf injury he sustained last December. He signed with the Browns' practice squad Sept. 10, and he'll be elevated for Week 3 against the Giants due to David Njoku (ankle) being ruled out. If active, Swaim will serve as the Browns' No. 3 tight end Sunday behind Jordan Akins and Blake Whiteheart.

Cleveland signed Whiteheart from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday, Kelsey Russo of the Browns' official site reports.

Whiteheart was elevated from the practice squad for Week 2 against the Jaguars, during which he played 22 snaps on offense without drawing a target. With David Njoku (ankle) ruled out for a second straight week, Whiteheart will join the active roster and serve as the No. 2 tight end behind Jordan Akins for Sunday's game against the Giants.

Engram (hamstring) will not play in Monday's game against the Bills, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com reports.

This felt like the unfortunate conclusion for Engram's opportunity to play in Week 3 given the tight end had not practiced at all during the week. Brenton Strange will once again operate as the team's starter and will attempt to build on his career outing from last week when he tallied 65 yards on three catches.

Head coach Doug Pederson suggested Saturday that Engram (hamstring) would not play in Monday's contest against the Bills, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

The Jaguars will list their official final injury report later in the day, but this shouldn't be a surprising development for fantasy managers given Engram has failed to practice at any point this week. Expect Brenton Strange to once again fill in for Engram, if he's inevitably ruled out. Strange, a second-year tight end, tallied 65 yards on three catches as the emergency fill-in last week.

Hudson (knee) was a DNP for Friday's practice, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Hudson has opened the week with back-to-back DNPs, and he'll have one more opportunity Saturday to improve his practice participation ahead of the Bengals' Week 3 matchup against the Commanders. If Hudson is unable to play Monday, then Erick All would slide into the No. 3 tight end spot behind Mike Gesicki (calf) and Drew Sample.