NFL Player News

Ricci (neck) was a full participant in practice Thursday, Darin Gantt of the Panthers' official site reports.

Ricci has been out of action since Week 10, but after he was able to complete a limited practice Wednesday, the 26-year-old upgraded to a full participant Thursday. He should return to his starting fullback role Sunday against the Seahawks.

Offensive coordinator Todd Downing said Thursday that Okonkwo has earned more opportunities, and the Titans have looked at drawing up more ways to get him the football, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Austin Hooper remains the Titans' starting tight end and continues to hold an important role as a blocker and short-yardage target, but Okonkwo, a fourth-round rookie out of Maryland, appears poised to poach more work from both Hooper and Geoff Swaim. For the first time all season in the Week 13 loss to the Eagles, Okonkwo played more snaps (31) than both Hooper (26) and Swaim (20), finishing the day with four receptions for 68 yards on five targets. Okonkwo has now drawn five targets in consecutive games, and the big-play ability he's demonstrated -- he leads all NFL tight ends with three 40-yard receptions this season -- has him in position to see even more involvement in the passing game. The Titans could look to Okonkwo for snaps as a wide receiver, given that the position group is already short on impact contributors and could be further depleted this Sunday against the Jaguars with Treylon Burks in the concussion protocol and uncertain to be available.

Gilliam (ankle) was a non-participant in practice Thursday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

This is the second consecutive DNP for Gilliam as the team preps for a divisional showdown with the Jets on Sunday. The 25-year-old has yet to miss a game this season, so although his offensive snaps are limited, it's unclear what the team would do without the only fullback on its roster. Gilliam will work to return to the practice field Friday, where his status will likely provide a better outlook for his potential availability Week 14.

Okwuegbunam may be active Sunday against the Chiefs for the first time since Week 5, according to head coach Nathanial Hackett, Zac Stevens of the DNVR.com reports.

Okwuegbunam has been a healthy scratch since the Week 6 debut of Greg Dulcich. The former's inability to succeed in a blocking role has left him stuck behind Eric Tomlinson and Eric Saubert on the team's positional depth chart, while Dulcich handles more of a receiving role for the team at tight end. However, with Courtland Sutton (hamstring) considered doubtful for Sunday's game with the Chiefs, Okwuegbunam could find himself active and taking on a wide receiver role in the contest, as the Broncos would be lacking size at the position if Sutton were to sit.

Dissly was a non-participant at Wednesday's practice due to a calf injury, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

Dissly hasn't had any prior practice limitations this season and earns better than 50 percent of the snaps most weeks, resulting in between one and four catches per game through 12 contests. Overall, he has a modest 30-297-3 receiving line on 33 targets. Considering Dissly wasn't able to take part in drills to kick off this week, his status will be watched as the weekend approaches to get a sense of his availability for Sunday's matchup with the Panthers.

Smythe (quad/knee) was limited in Wednesday's practice, Daniel Oyefusi of the Miami Herald reports.

Smythe appears to have picked up both quad and knee injuries during the Dolphins' Week 13 loss to the 49ers, explaining why he opened the week in limited fashion. The 27-year-old tight end has two more chances to practice in full before the team is forced to tag him with an injury designation heading into Sunday night's matchup against the Chargers.

The Chargers designated Parham (hamstring) to return from injured reserve Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.

Wednesday's transaction opens a 21-day window for the Chargers to add Parham back to the active roster, after he missed each of the team's last six games with a hamstring issue. Once it's been medically determined that the 25-year-old is ready for game action, he'll likely compete for rotational snaps with Tre' McKitty and Stone Smartt behind starter Gerald Everett.

Horsted (concussion) has been ruled out for Thursday's game against the Rams, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.

Horsted sustained a concussion during the Raiders' Week 12 matchup in Seattle, and the 25-year-old will ultimately miss his second consecutive contest because of it. Horsted has mainly operated as a special-teams contributor thus far in 2022, so his absence shouldn't greatly alter Las Vegas' game plan Thursday against the Rams.

Njoku (knee) was a limited practice participant Wednesday, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

Njoku missed three of the past six games with two separate knee injuries but reportedly is expected to return from a one-week absence for Sunday's matchup with Cincinnati. Petrak notes that the tight end looked good at Wednesday's practice, though the Browns kept him limited rather than unleashing Njoku as a full participant. That could be coming Thursday or Friday.

Morris (illness) isn't listed on Wednesday's injury report.

Morris was inactive for last Thursday's win over the Patriots due to the illness, but he's had plenty of time to recover and should be good to go for Sunday's matchup against the Jets. Across 10 appearances this season, Morris has caught seven of 10 targets for 70 yards.