Franks (arm) did not appear on the Falcons' injury report Thursday, Tori McElhaney of the Falcons' official site reports.

Franks appears to be a full go ahead of Week 6 after suffering an arm injury in the team's Week 4 win over the Commanders. The 27-year-old has operated almost exclusively as a special-teams option this season, and he'll likely do so again in the team's matchup with the Bills on Monday Night Football.

Bates (shoulder) was limited in Thursday's practice.

It's a new injury for the Commanders' tight end after he recently dealt with a groin issue that caused him to miss Weeks 3 and 4 before returning to the lineup last Sunday against the Chargers. When healthy, Bates has been playing roughly 50 percent of the offensive snaps, but he has just one catch for nine yards on the season.

Higbee (hip) was a limited practice participant Thursday, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

This marks Higbee's first on-field work since Week 4 prep, a span in which he sat out last Thursday's loss to the 49ers due to a hip injury. He'll have one more opportunity to get back to all activity Friday, or else risk entering the weekend with a designation ahead of Sunday's game at Baltimore. Colby Parkinson (concussion) also was limited Thursday, leaving the Rams with Davis Allen and Terrance Ferguson as their healthy tight ends at the moment.

Waller (hip/rest) was limited at practice Thursday, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waller was deemed a DNP on Wednesday, but his return to a limited session Thursday has him trending toward being available Sunday against the Chargers, and quite possibly without a Week 6 injury designation, as was the case last week after the tight end logged three straight limited listings. With that in mind, it's worth noting that Furones previously relayed via Dolphins TEs coach Jon Embree that Waller is a candidate to continue to see an uptick in playing time after increasing from 16 to 32 snaps between his first and second game back from being sidelined Weeks 1-3.

Loveland (hip) practiced on a limited basis Thursday.

After suffering a hip injury Week 3 against the Cowboys, Loveland managed just one limited practice before the Bears made him inactive Week 4 versus the Raiders. Even with the benefit of a Week 5 bye, the rookie first-round pick still is operating with a cap on his reps, but he'll have two more opportunities to log a full practice ahead of Monday's game at Washington.

Bowers (knee) remained sidelined at practice Thursday, Ryan McFadden of ESPN.com reports.

Bowers, who was sidelined for the first time in his career in last Sunday's 40-6 loss to the Colts, has now missed four straight practices dating back to last week, so what he's able to do during Friday's session will loom large in terms of his chances of playing this weekend against the Titans. If Bowers ends up sitting out a second straight game, Michael Mayer -- who has cleared concussion protocol and practiced fully Wednesday -- would step in as the Raiders' top tight end.

Johnson (ankle) was limited in practice Thursday.

With back-to-back capped sessions under his belt to begin Week 6 prep, Johnson has one more chance to prove the health of his ankle Friday before the Saints potentially tag him with a designation ahead of Sunday's contest against the Patriots. He played through the issue during a Week 5 win versus the Giants and handled a typical 85 percent snap share, but he managed just two catches (on four targets) for 17 yards.

Higbee (hip) is participating in team drills Thursday, Adam Grosbard of the LA Daily News reports.

Higbee didn't practice Wednesday after sitting out last Thursday's loss to the 49ers, so his return Thursday marks a significant step in the right direction, though it remains to be seen whether he'll go down as a full or limited participant. If Higbee gains clearance to suit up Sunday against the Ravens, he would likely reclaim the top spot on a tight end depth chart that also includes Davis Allen, Colby Parkinson (concussion) and Terrance Ferguson.

Sample (ankle) was limited in practice Thursday, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Sample missed practice Wednesday, so his ability to handle limited reps bodes well for the depth tight end's chances of being cleared to suit up on the road against Green Bay on Sunday. Cincinnati's move to trade for a new starting quarterback in the form of veteran Joe Flacco could provide a spark for this passing game, but both Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant rank ahead of Sample on the depth chart, especially as pass-catching options. If Sample can upgrade to full practice reps Friday, he'll likely avoid an injury designation for Week 6.

Kincaid (oblique) was limited at practice Thursday.

Per Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com, Kincaid sported a non-contact jersey during Thursday's session, with the Bills' first practice report of the week revealing that the tight end is working through an oblique issue. Kincaid now has two more chances to upgrade his participation level ahead of Monday night's game against the Falcons. In this past Sunday's 23-20 loss to the Patriots, Kincaid logged a 54 percent snap share while catching all six of his targets for a team-high 108 yards.