NFL Player News

Kittle (groin) practiced on a limited basis Thursday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Kittle has been dealing with an adductor strain since Aug. 10 that still may be lingering because he played 12 offensive snaps during the 49ers' preseason finale on Aug. 25. In any case, he's been able to manage back-to-back capped sessions to begin Week 1 prep, and the team may clarify his status for Sunday's game at Pittsburgh upon the release of Friday's injury report.

Kelce (knee) is not slated to play Thursday night against the Lions, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Official confirmation of Kelce's status will arrive once the Chiefs' Week 1 inactives are posted, but in his looming absence, Noah Gray, Blake Bell and Matt Bushman are in line to handle the team's TE duties. Per James Palmer of NFL Network, Kelce pushed to play Thursday, a context that bodes well for his Week 2 status.

Kelce (knee), who is listed as questionable, is expected to sit out Thursday's game against the Lions, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per the report, the tight end still may test out his injured knee in a pregame workout, but his official status will be confirmed either way about 90 minutes prior to Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET starting time. If Kelce ends up inactive for the Week 1 contest, his next chance to play will arrive Sunday, Sept. 17 against the Jaguars.

Philadelphia cut Russell from its practice squad Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The undrafted rookie out of Colorado will now have to look for another opportunity to make an impression with a different team. Russell is old for a rookie at age 25, and only time will tell if he can overcome the late start to catch on at the NFL level.

Andrews (quad) remained limited at Thursday's practice.

Per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, when asked about his quad injury Thursday, Andrews replied, "It's one of those things that's been a little tricky, but I'm feeling better," while adding that he's taking it "day-by-day" as Sunday's season opener against the Texans approaches. Friday's injury report will clarify whether the star tight end heads into the weekend with an injury designation or cleared for Week 1 action.

Ertz (knee) was limited at Thursday's practice, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Ertz continues to work his way back from the ACL and MCL damage that ended his 2022 campaign in Week 10, operating with a cap on his reps during the first two official sessions of Week 1 prep. It's unclear if he'll need to log a full practice in order to be available Sunday at Washington, but Friday's injury report could be telling for his availability in the season opener. If Ertz is limited or sidelined, Trey McBride would be the Cardinals' unquestioned No. 1 tight end, with Geoff Swaim and undrafted rookie Elijah Higgins acting as the team's other options at the position.

Knox (finger) isn't on the Bills' Week 1 injury report.

Safety Micah Hyde (back), who was limited Thursday, is the only Buffalo player listed on the team's initial practice/injury report of the season. Now that Knox is past the finger injury that he dealt with last month, the tight end is in line to work in tandem with first-round rookie Dalton Kincaid. While the arrival of Kincaid figures to impact Knox's volume as the campaign progresses, both players still should have an opportunity to produce in the Bills' Josh Allen-helmed passing offense, which also features WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.

Kansas City plan to elevate Bushman from their practice squad Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The 27-year-old failed to make the Chiefs' original 53-man roster but signed to the team's practice squad just one day after getting waived. With Travis Kelce's availability up in the air, Bushman's looming elevation ensures some depth at tight end ahead of Thursday's game against Detroit.

Cager (ankle) was a limited participant at practice Thursday ahead of Sunday's game versus Dallas, Dan Salomone of the Giants' official site reports.

It's possible the Giants are just playing it safe with Cager, who won the third tight end spot after Chris Myarick went onto IR with a fracture in his hand. If his ankle injury is severe enough to keep him out of his team's opener, that would likely mean more snaps for sophomore fourth-rounder Daniel Bellinger.

The Chiefs will put Kelce (knee), who is officially listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Lions, through a morning workout to determine his status, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Kelce is just two days removed from suffering a hyperextension and a bone bruise in his knee, and it's looking like his status for the regular season-opener may come down to the wire. The Chiefs will officially release an inactive list ahead of Thursday's 8:20 p.m. ET kickoff, at which point fantasy managers will get a final say on whether Kelce will take the field, or whether Noah Gray will get a chance to step in as Patrick Mahomes' top pass-catching tight end. Kelce has been a near guarantee to approach or exceed double-digit targets when healthy, so if he does need to miss time, it would foreshadow a bump in opportunities for all of Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Skyy Moore.