Sanders (ankle) was a full participant in Thursday's practice.

With an uncapped session under his belt, Sanders looks on track to make his return to action Sunday against the Cowboys, after a right high-ankle sprain had kept him out of commission for each of the Panthers' last two contests. Assuming he gets the green light to play this weekend, Sanders should step back in as Carolina's top tight end, which would result in a reduced snap share for Tommy Tremble.

Kincaid (undisclosed) is wearing a non-contact jersey at Thursday's practice, Katherine Fitzgerald of The Buffalo News reports.

Kincaid appears to be dealing with an injury ahead of Monday's road matchup against the Falcons. At the latest, Thursday's official injury report will reveal both the nature of Kincaid's issue and his practice level. The third-year pro has scored three times across five-regular season appearances so far, and he surpassed 100 receiving yards Week 5 versus the Patriots, performances which have inspired confidence in his status as a weekly fantasy starter. If Kincaid were to miss any time, Dawson Knox would step into the No. 1 role at tight end.

Waller (hip/rest) is participating in Thursday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

Waller sat out practice Wednesday, though it seems he's simply continuing to have his reps managed. The veteran tight end ramped up his playing time Week 5, handling 58 percent of offensive snaps, and despite playing a part-time role across his two appearances thus far, he's managed to produce an impactful 8-105-3 receiving line on nine targets. With Tyreek Hill (knee) out for the year, Waller seems to have solidified himself as one of the focal points of Miami's offense, joining WR Jaylen Waddle and RB De'Von Achane. Waller will work to gain clearance for Week 6 and keep up his momentum at home against the Chargers on Sunday.

Parkinson (concussion) logged a limited practice session Wednesday, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official sitereports.

Parkinson is in the league's concussion protocol after suffering a head injury in Thursday's loss to the 49ers. Though Parkinson will need to be officially cleared, coach Sean McVay said that he expects the tight end to be available in Week 6 against Jacksonville.

Waller (rest/hip) was listed as a non-participant in Wednesday's practice, David Furones of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

It sounds like it was more of a rest day than anything else for the veteran tight end, who missed all of training camp and the preseason with the hip injury. After playing 27 percent of the offensive snaps in his Week 4 debut, Waller's playing time skyrocketed to 58 percent in Week 5. Through two games, Waller has a productive 8-105-3 receiving line on nine targets and has put himself in the fantasy TE1 conversation moving forward due to Tyreek Hill (knee) being done for the season.

Jacksonville signed Ismail to its practice squad Wednesday.

After the Jaguars sent regular starting tight end Brenton Strange to their injured reserve list with a quadriceps injury Tuesday, it made some sense for them to add some organizational depth at that position. Ismail spent most of the 2024 season on Baltimore's practice squad after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent out of Samford.

Dissly (knee) isn't listed on the Chargers' Week 6 injury report.

Dissly is thus set to return for Sunday's game at Miami after missing each of the past three contests. Rookie tight end Oronde Gadsden took advantage initially, but he saw just one target in the Week 5 loss to Washington despite handling a season-high 61 percent route share. That number likely will drop with Dissly back in the lineup, although it's also possible Dissly mostly takes the snaps that went to Tyler Conklin and Tucker Fisk in recent weeks. Either way, it'll be some form of rotation, with long odds for any one TE to draw more than a handful of targets.

Sample did not participate in Wednesday's practice due to an ankle injury, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Sample played 41 snaps (27 on offense, 14 on special teams) and logged one catch for minus-one yard during the Bengals' 37-24 loss to the Lions in Week 5. He has come out of that contest worse for wear with an ankle injury, and he'll have two more opportunities to return to practice and avoid an injury designation heading into Sunday's contest against the Packers at Lambeau Field. Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy would be in line to step up as the TE3 behind Mike Gesicki and Noah Fant if Sample is not cleared to play against Green Bay.

Higbee (hip) isn't practicing Wednesday, Stu Jackson of the Rams' official site reports.

Higbee missed last Thursday's loss to the 49ers, opening up more playing time for Davis Allen and Colby Parkinson -- a duo that combined for three targets while each handling route shares below 50 percent. Rookie tight end Terrance Ferguson had a 21-yard reception in the game, but he played just two other snaps.

Johnson (ankle) practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Johnson also tended to an ankle injury last week, but he was able to suit up for this past Sunday's win against the Giants and logged a typical 85 percent snap share on his way to two catches (on four targets) for 17 yards. He'll have a pair of practices to get back to full this week or else risk entering the weekend with a designation for Sunday's game versus the Patriots.