NFL Player News

Henry (ankle) was present for the media-access portion of Thursday's practice, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Henry didn't practice Wednesday, so the tight end's return to the field Thursday bodes well for his chances of being available for Sunday's game against the Bills. Chances are that Henry will be deemed a limited participant, and if so he likely will need to practice fully Friday in order to avoid a Week 7 injury designation.

Morris (ankle) will not participate at practice Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

Morris couldn't manage to participate in Wednesday's walkthrough either, and at this point he's trending toward sitting out in Week 7. He'll probably need to practice in some capacity Friday to give himself a chance to suit up Sunday at New England.

Higgins (illness) did not appear on Arizona's injury report Wednesday, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Higgins missed the team's Week 6 loss to the Rams while dealing with an illness, but he appears ready to go for Week 7. The tight end has yet to appear in a game this season, but he'll be available for Sunday's matchup with Seattle.

Shenker was signed to the Raiders' practice squad Wednesday.

Shenker will return to Las Vegas after the team cut him from its practice squad Oct. 5. The tight end will look to make an appearance on the team's active roster somewhere down the road.

Freiermuth (hamstring) was a full practice participant Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.

Freiermuth missed the Steelers' Week 5 win over the Ravens with a hamstring injury, but the team's Week 6 bye gave the tight end the time he needed to get back to 100 percent in advance of this Sunday's game against the Rams. In four games this season, Freiermuth has been limited to eight catches on 13 targets for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he's set to re-enter the lineup Week 7, Freiermuth has a chance to pick up the pace in a Pittsburgh passing offense that could also welcome back receiver Diontae Johnson (hamstring), who logged a full practice Wednesday after being designated for return from injured reserve two days earlier.

Goedert was a limited participant at Wednesday's walk-through practice due to a groin injury.

Aside from turning in a 8-117-1 receiving line on nine targets Week 5 at the Rams, Goedert has accounted for just 18 catches (on 27 targets) for 130 yards and no scores in his other five contests this season. With a health concern in tow to kick off Week 7 prep, his status will be one to watch as the weekend approaches to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

Dulcich (hamstring) didn't practice Wednesday, and the Broncos are evaluating whether he needs to be placed on injured reserve, Aric DiLalla of the team's official site reports.

Last Thursday, Dulcich returned from a four-game IR stint due to a hamstring strain but aggravated the injury in a 21-17 loss to Kansas City. The 2022 third-round draft pick is unlikely to suit up Sunday against the Packers, so Adam Trautman should continue to play the bulk of snaps at tight end.

LaPorta (calf) was a limited participant in Wednesday's walk-through practice.

LaPorta's calf flared up in practice last week, forcing an absence Thursday and a limited session Friday. While he entered the weekend as questionable for this past Sunday's game at Tampa Bay, he was able to suit up and played 84 percent of snaps en route to hauling in four of 11 targets for 36 yards. The rookie tight end continues to operate with a cap on his reps as the Lions open Week 7 prep, but he'll at least have two chances to get back to full activity before the team potentially hands him a designation for Sunday's road clash with the Ravens.

Johnson (calf) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against Jacksonville.

Johnson will miss a fourth straight game and still hasn't practiced since injuring his calf during pregame warmups ahead of a Week 4 loss to Tampa Bay. His absence has freed up more snaps and routes for each of Taysom Hill, Foster Moreau and Jimmy Graham, with Hill notably garnering a career-high eight targets in a loss to the Texans this past Sunday.

Durham played six of the Buccaneers' 56 snaps on offense and hauled in his lone target for an eight-yard gain in Sunday's 20-6 loss to the Lions.

Durham was a healthy inactive for the Buccaneers' first four games of the season, but the rookie fifth-round pick out of Purdue got the chance to make his NFL debut Sunday following Tampa Bay's Week 5 bye. The Buccaneers kept him active as their No. 3 tight end over David Wells, with Durham ranking behind starter Cade Otton (54 snaps) and Ko Kieft (14 snaps) in playing time. The coaching staff values Kieft for his blocking skills, and though Durham brings more pass-catching upside to the table, he may not have much of an opportunity to move up to the second position on the depth chart.