NFL Player News

The Bears placed Ismail (undisclosed) on the practice-squad injured list Wednesday, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Ismail signed with Chicago as a member of the practice squad Nov. 24. The Samford product is now dealing with an undisclosed issue that will sideline him at least four weeks. The Bears signed tight end Thomas Gordon to their practice squad Tuesday to take Ismail's spot.

The Lions elevated Ricci from the practice squad to the active roster Wednesday.

It's the third and final time that the Lions can elevate Ricci from the practice squad this season. He'll be available to play against the Vikings on Christmas Day, when he's expected to contribute on special teams while serving in a depth role at tight end behind Shane Zylstra and Anthony Firkser.

Adkins (knee) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Chiefs.

A knee injury prevented Adkins from participating in any of the walkthrough practices during Week 17 prep, and he won't be on the Broncos' active roster for Christmas Day. Evan Engram and Adam Trautman are the only two tight ends on the active roster heading into Thursday's game. Adkins' next opportunity to play is Week 18 against the Chargers.

Dippre (illness) did not practice Wednesday.

The undrafted free agent is working through an illness, but he'll have two more chances to log a full practice and avoid an injury designation for Sunday's game against the Jets. Dippre signed to the Patriots' active roster in mid-November but has yet to appear in a regular-season game.

Taylor (neck) didn't practice Wednesday, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Taylor has missed two straight games, and a DNP on Wednesday isn't a good sign as Sunday's contest against New England approaches. If he remains sidelined this weekend, Jeremy Ruckert, Stone Smartt and Jelani Woods would handle the Jets' Week 17 TE duties, as they did in the team's Week 16 loss to New Orleans, a game in which Smartt was the busiest of the trio, catching all five of his targets for 34 yards.

Schultz (knee) practiced fully Wednesday.

Schultz was deemed limited Tuesday, but the tight end's return to a full session a day later sets him up to be available for Saturday's game against the Chargers. Schultz has scored in each of his last two games, a span in which he has caught 13 of his 14 targets for 111 yards, a pace that keeps him firmly on the fantasy radar at the TE position in Week 17.

Grandy (chest) did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

Grandy left the second half of last Sunday's win over the Dolphins due to an injury to his left collarbone. The tight end will have two more chances to attempt to upgrade his practice participation to attempt to dodge an injury designation ahead of Sunday's game against the Cardinals. If Grandy cannot upgrade his participation, he will likely be ruled out ahead of Sunday's game.

Briningstool (hamstring) has been ruled out ahead of Thursday night's game against the Broncos.

Briningstool logs his second week of full practice, which will not culminate in a game. The undrafted free agent out of Clemson quickly found a home on the Chiefs roster but has been burdened by a hamstring injury most of the season. With the Chiefs' playoff hopes gone, the team may be overly cautious with young players they have 2026 hopes for, meaning Briningstool may not see action in Week 18 either and will have to wait until 2026 to make his NFL debut.

Fant (ankle) was a limited practice participant Wednesday.

Fant sustained an ankle injury during the Bengals' Week 15 loss to the Ravens. He was unable to play against the Dolphins in Week 16, but his ability to practice Wednesday -- albeit in a limited capacity -- indicates that he is progressing in his recovery. Fant would likely avoid an injury tag for Sunday's game against the Cardinals if he were to practice fully by Friday.

Hockenson (shoulder) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Detroit.

Hockenson was held out of practice all week due to a shoulder injury that he likely picked up against the Giants on Sunday, and the injury has been deemed severe enough for the veteran tight end to be sidelined for Christmas Day. Josh Oliver, Ben Yurosek and Ben Sims will step into larger roles in Week 17, though their fantasy floors will be far lower given that Max Brosmer is under center for the Vikings due to J.J. McCarthy (hand) being ruled out. Hockenson's next and final opportunity to play this season is Week 18 against the Packers on Sunday, Jan. 4.