NFL Player News

Wright (hip) was a full participant in practice Wednesday.

As expected, Wright looks on track to be ready to go for Sunday's wild-card game versus the Rams. Meanwhile, top tight end Sam LaPorta (knee) didn't participate in practice Wednesday and is uncertain to be available for the playoff opener, making it increasingly likely that Wright finds himself in a starting role this weekend.

Higbee (shoulder) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Higbee wasn't able to practice at all last week after sustaining a dislocated left shoulder Week 17 against the Giants, so his return to drills this week marks the first noticeable progress in his recovery. His status will continued to be monitored Thursday and Friday to see if he has a chance to return to action for Sunday's wild-card contest in Detroit. If Higbee is sidelined this weekend or limited in any fashion, Davis Allen and Brycen Hopkins are the candidates to fill at tight end for the Rams.

LaPorta (knee) isn't practicing Wednesday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

LaPorta isn't expected to practice much this week, if at all, after suffering a knee hyperextension and bone bruise during Detroit's Week 18 win over Minnesota. The Lions hope to have LaPorta available for the wild-card game against the Rams on Sunday, but even head coach Dan Campbell didn't sound too optimistic about that happening earlier this week, noting Monday that it's probably an "outside shot" that LaPorta plays.

Granson caught his lone target for 23 yards in Saturday's 23-19 loss to the Texans.

Granson finished the season in quiet fashion, catching just one pass for the third time in the Colts' last four contests. In 15 appearances this season, the 25-year-old tight end recorded just 30 receptions for 368 yards and one touchdown. The Colts spread out the snaps and targets liberally among their tight ends in 2024, capping Granson's potential to produce consistently meaningful numbers for fantasy purposes. Entering the final year of his contract in 2024, Granson will hope to establish a more prominent role in the Colts' offensive plans, though he could face another threat to his playing time in Jelani Woods (hamstring), who saw plenty of involvement as a rookie in 2022 before having his entire 2023 campaign wiped out by injury.

Dissly caught all three of his targets for 46 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 21-20 win over the Cardinals. He finished the season with 17 receptions (22 targets) for 172 yards and a touchdown through 16 games in 2023.

Dissly had the worst statistical season of his career, as he failed to find the end zone until Week 18 and never caught more than three balls in a game. The Washington product has one year left on his contract with a cap hit of $10.1 million.

Pederson signed a reserve/future contract with the Jaguars on Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

Pederson spent the entirety of the season with the team's practice squad and failed to record any stats in the three games in which he appeared. The tight end will now have another shot to earn a spot on Jacksonville's initial 53-man roster ahead of the 2024 campaign.

Thomas caught 55 of 79 targets for 496 yards and four touchdowns in 2023.

Thomas suffered an Achilles tear in 2021 and then had only 323 yards and one touchdown in 14 games last season. He bounced back some as a 32-year-old, missing just one game and ultimately posting a receiving line pretty similar to teammate Jahan Dotson's. Many expected QB Sam Howell to really focus on getting the ball to Dotson and Terry McLaurin, but the target distribution ended up being fairly wide in Year 1 under OC Eric Bieniemy (who remains with the team for now, although that could change once a new head coach is named). Thomas has one year left on his contract and is scheduled to make a non-guaranteed $5.34 million base salary plus a $500,000 roster bonus due on the third day (March 15) of the league year, making him a prime candidate to be cut. If he does return to Washington, it'll likely involve an extension or pay cut to lower his $8.3 million cap hit.

Otton secured two of three targets for 30 yards in the Buccaneers' 9-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

While Otton's numbers look unremarkable on the surface, they were actually noteworthy when considered in the context of how quiet a day it was for the Buccaneers' air attack and the fact Otton had failed to clear 16 receiving yards in four of the previous five contests. Otton now will look to make an impact in Monday night's wild-card matchup against the Eagles after producing a 4-58-0 line on seven targets in a wild-card loss to the Cowboys last season as a rookie.

Smartt caught two of his three targets for 14 yards in the 13-12 loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.

Smartt played 294 offensive snaps in 2023, often filling in for Donald Parham as the team's No. 2 tight end when the big-bodied target was injured. The second-year undrafted free agent hasn't done much in the NFL to date, and it's possibly Smartt's roster spot could be in jeopardy next season as the Chargers undergo a complete transformation in the front office and coaching staff.

Waller brought in five of six targets for 45 yards in Sunday's 27-10 win over Philadelphia.

Waller played just over half of New York's offensive snaps in the contest and finished tied for the team lead in receptions. That led to the fourth-highest yardage mark among Giants pass catchers on an unusually productive day for the team through the air. Waller missed five games in the middle of the campaign due to a hamstring injury, but he was reasonably productive when healthy despite New York's offensive struggles, and he finished the season with 52 catches (on 74 targets) for 552 yards and a touchdown over 12 contests. Waller is under contract through 2026 and should return next season as the Giants' primary tight end and one of the team's biggest threats in the passing game.