NFL Player News

The Saints elevated Holtz from the practice squad Saturday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Holtz was let go by the Saints on Aug. 30 after failing to make the 53-man roster, but he signed with the team's practice squad Wednesday. He could see some action on special teams if he plays Sunday against the Texans.

Trautman caught one of his targets for four yards in Thursday's 19-8 loss to the Chiefs.

Trautman continued to operate as the Broncos' No. 1 tight end Thursday, playing 69 percent of the team's offensive snaps. Greg Dulcich (hamstring) returned to action for the contest, but after just 11 snaps, he aggravated the hamstring injury that caused him to miss the past four weeks on injured reserve. Despite being Denver's top choice at tight end, Trautman has failed to maintain consistent fantasy relevance. The 26-year-old will likely continue to see the most playing time at the position going forward, especially if Dulcich is forced to miss time again. With that said, Trautman doesn't inspire much confidence as a fantasy option. The Broncos will host the Packers in Week 7.

The Panthers activated Sullivan (hip) from injured reserve Saturday, Darin Gantt of the team's official site reports.

Sullivan has yet to play in 2023, as he landed on IR prior to the start of the regular season with a hip injury. The fourth-year pro was able to practice in full both Thursday and Friday this week, so despite being questionable for Week 6, he should be good to go for Sunday's contest in Miami, where he'd play a depth role. Sullivan's return is timely because Carolina placed fellow tight end Ian Thomas (calf) on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Thomas (calf) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

As a result, Thomas will miss at minimum of four weeks. Primarily a blocking specialist, the sixth-year tight end has just two catches through six weeks and has played only 85 total offensive snaps, far fewer than when he averaged over 600 the past two seasons. Stephen Sullivan (hip) was activated off injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Alie-Cox (concussion) was cleared of his injury designation Saturday and will be available Sunday against the Jaguars.

Alie-Cox won't end up missing any time after clearing the five-step concussion protocol following his exit from last Sunday's win over the Titans with the brain injury. He's seen his playing time slip in 2023 with the likes of Kylen Granson and Drew Ogletree taking on expanded roles in the Colts' tight-end rotation, but the big-bodied Alie-Cox should still be a candidate for looks in the red zone.

Higgins (illness) is considered questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Rams, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Higgins logged a limited workload at Friday's practice after missing the first two days of the week, a reason for optimism that he is trending in the right direction. Still, final confirmation of his status is unlikely to come until the Cardinals release their inactive list 90 minutes prior to Sunday's 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff.

Mitchell (hamstring) will remain sidelined for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.

Mitchell's absence will mark his second straight due to a hamstring injury. Star rookie Sam LaPorta (calf) has been deemed questionable, which leaves Brock Wright and Darrell Daniels as the Lions' only current healthy options at tight end. Mitchell now will focus on a potential Week 7 return at Baltimore.

Parham (wrist) practiced fully Friday.

Parham, who sprained his right wrist in the Chargers' Week 4 win over the Raiders, was limited Wednesday in the team's first practice coming off a bye, but the tight end's upgrade to full participation Friday has him on track to play Monday night against the Cowboys. In that context, Parham will continue to work in tandem with fellow TE Gerald Everett, an arrangement that's resulted in Parham catching six passes (on eight targets) for 33 yards through four games, with three of his catches having gone for touchdowns.

Johnson (calf) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against Houston, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

With Johnson missing a third straight game, the Saints figure to again deploy a TE rotation comprised of Foster Moreau, Jimmy Graham and Taysom Hill. Each of the three ran a route on less than half of Derek Carr's dropbacks in a blowout win over the Patriots last week.

LaPorta (calf) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game in Tampa Bay.

Per Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com, LaPorta said Friday that he expects to play, also noting that his calf injury was probably from last week's game and flared up toward the end of Wednesday's practice. He then sat out Thursday before returning Friday as a limited participant, and fantasy managers should probably treat him as truly questionable ahead of a 4:25 p.m. ET kickoff, despite the tight end's stated optimism.