NFL Player News

Parham (undisclosed) missed Tuesday's practice due to injury but was able to participate in individual drills Wednesday, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

The tight end doesn't appear to be battling anything serious, as he described the reason for being sidelined Tuesday as, "working through some stuff from practice last week." Parham is a lock to make the Chargers' initial 53-man roster, so it wouldn't be surprising if he sits out the team's preseason finale Friday against San Francisco.

Andrews missed Wednesday's practice with an unspecified injury, Ryan Mink of the Ravens' official site reports.

Head coach John Harbaugh said there's "nothing serious" going on with Andrews, noting that the tight end is "just dealing with something that we're kind of working through right now." With that in mind, Andrews is looking unlikely to play in Saturday's preseason finale against the Buccaneers, while focusing on readying himself for Week 1.

Sweeney (undisclosed) is under the care of medical professionals in the Giants' training room after experiencing a medical event during Wednesday's practice, Bob Brookover of NJ.com reports. He is stable, alert and conversant.

Sweeney had been working with coaches on a side field when he had a medical episode that required the help of medical professionals. Most importantly, the tight end is in stable condition, but Sweeney's availability moving forward hasn't been clarified.

Coach Sean McVay said Wednesday that the possibility of Long (undisclosed) beginning the 2023 season on the PUP list hasn't been ruled out, Cameron DaSilva of USA Today reports.

The Rams placed Long on the active/PUP with an undisclosed injury late July. The issue has forced him to miss two preseason games and weeks of valuable training camp reps already. McVay said he hopes Long can return soon, but at this point the team may consider keeping him on the PUP list simply so he doesn't take up a spot on the 53-man roster. If Long does start Week 1 on the PUP list, he will be forced to miss at least the first four games of the season.

Kmet departed Wednesday's practice due to an unspecified injury, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Kmet exited the field with the assistance of a cart, though it's possible the tight end was helped to the locker room as a matter of precaution. The 24-year-old recently inked a four-year extension and looks locked into a key role on offense for the Bears, with the potential to emerge as one of Justin Fields' favorite targets in 2023.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell said Wednesday that Hockenson missed practice due to lower-back stiffness, Dane Mizutani of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Hockenson has recovered from the ear infection that hampered him in mid-August, but the lower-back issue could sideline him for Saturday's preseason finale against the Cardinals. The starting tight end still has well over two weeks to recover before Minnesota's Sept. 10 regular-season opener against Tampa Bay, but he may have to shake off some rust if he indeed fails to log a preseason appearance.

Graham (illness) returned to practice Wednesday, John Hendrix of SI.com reports.

Graham had a medical episode Friday but has been cleared to resume practicing. The 36-year-old tight end is battling to make the team, and head coach Dennis Allen said Graham looked good in practice Wednesday. Allen added that Graham did some of the things that he did in the past; Graham was one of the league's most productive tight ends for the Saints during his prime, highlighted by a 16-touchdown season in 2013.

Jordan (hamstring) is not practicing Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Jordan continues to deal with a hamstring injury that has kept him on the sidelines for a large chunk of camp, including both of the team's preseason contests. He'll continue to work to get healthy with the team's season opener just over two weeks away.

Cowboys quarterback Dak Presoctt recently predicted that Ferguson will become a "big-time player in this league" in 2023, Dak Prescott, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports.

The second-year tight end tops the Dallas depth chart heading into the regular season, and while Ferguson will likely face competition from rookie second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker as the year progresses, there's good reason to anticipate a breakout if he hangs onto the starting job. Over the prior three years, Dalton Schultz averaged 66 catches on 94 targets for 666.7 yards and 5.7 touchdowns as the Cowboys' No. 1 tight end, and Ferguson is arguably a better athlete at a similar size.

Schoonmaker indicated after Tuesday's practice that he's no longer feeling any pain in his foot, Jon Machota of The Athletic reports. "It's pretty much back to where it was before [the injury]," Schoonmaker said of his plantar fasciitis. "I'm just doing strengthening stuff. I'm really trying to get the rest of my foot strong around it so that I don't have any issues."

Taken in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft despite his existing foot issue, Schoonmaker is expected to open his rookie season working behind Jake Ferguson at tight end. The rookie could push for a bigger role as the campaign unfolds if he's able to stay 100 percent healthy.