NFL Player News

Likely (ankle) has been downgraded to out and won't play Sunday against the Jaguars.

The return of Mark Andrews from a one-game absence last week has lessened the importance of Likely's status, though the rookie still drew three targets in the Ravens' Week 11 win over the Panthers. Expect Josh Oliver to see more playing time as the Ravens' No. 2 tight end this weekend.

Long (concussion) does not have an injury designation ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Texans.

Long missed Miami's Week 10 contest against Cleveland while in concussion protocol, but he was able to recover during the team's bye in Week 11. He officially cleared the protocol Friday and will return to his rotational role in the offense while also having a significant workload on special teams.

Heyward (illness) was listed as a DNP on the Steelers' injury report Friday, Chris Halicke of DKPittsburghSports.com reports.

Heyward missed his first practice of Week 12 after popping up with an illness Friday. While the severity of this ailment is still unknown, the rookie tight end will have two full days to overcome this issue before Monday's game against the Colts. Heyward's status on Saturday's final injury report should shed more light on his availability against Indianapolis.

Yeboah (calf) has been deemed doubtful to play Sunday against the Bears, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

Yeboah popped up with a calf issue on the Jets' injury report last Friday, leaving him sidelined for the first time this season against the Patriots in Week 7. The tight end then failed to practice at all Week 12, and he appears set to remain out Sunday versus Chicago. As a result, expect Jeremy Ruckert to step up as the Jets' third-string tight end behind Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah.

Granson (illness) missed practice again Friday.

Granson now has just one more chance to return to practice ahead of Monday's game against the Steelers. If the 2021 fourth-round pick is unable to suit up for the contest, Mo Alie-Cox and Jelani Woods would be in line to handle the bulk of the Colts' available snaps at tight end.

Tonyan (illness) won't carry an injury designation for Sunday's game in Philadelphia, Wes Hodkiewicz of the Packers' official site reports.

Tonyan sat out Thursday's practice on account of the illness, but he returned to the field Friday as a full participant to erase any concern about his health. He'll handle his usual duties Sunday as the Packers' starting tight end, but the role hasn't been as fruitful as some might have anticipated heading into the season. Though he's suited up in each of Green Bay's first 11 games, Tonyan has found the end zone only once and is averaging 3.7 catches and 31.1 receiving yards per contest.

Njoku (ankle/knee) doesn't carry an injury designation into Sunday's game against the Buccaneers, Zac Jackson of The Athletic reports.

Even though Njoku wasn't a full practice participant at any point this week, the Browns apparently saw enough from him to conclude that neither his knee nor ankle issue would keep him off the field Sunday. That being said, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski told Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram on Friday that he was undecided if Njoku would see a major increase in his workload after the tight end played just 25 snaps (37 percent) in the Week 11 loss to Buffalo as he made his return from a two-game absence due to a left high-ankle sprain. If Njoku's snap count remains limited to some degree once again, Harrison Bryant -- who logged seven targets and a 75 percent snap share Week 11 -- may be able to maintain a prominent role at tight end.

Likely is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Jaguars with an ankle injury.

Likely appears to have suffered the injury in practice Friday, when he was listed as a limited participant after having not been included on the injury report Wednesday and Thursday. Even if the rookie tight end suits up this weekend, he's unlikely to play a major role barring an injury to starter Mark Andrews.

Thomas, who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against Atlanta, is dealing with an illness in addition to a rib injury, Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL Radio reports.

Thomas was a limited practice participant Wednesday and Thursday before sitting out Friday. HIs absence Friday was due to the ailment and not a setback with the rib injury, with head coach Ron Rivera saying after practice that he expects Thomas to play Sunday against the Falcons. If not, the Commanders will be left with John Bates and Cole Turner as their top tight ends ahead of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

Sullivan (illness) is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Broncos.

Sullivan practiced without limitations Wednesday and Thursday before coming down with an illness and missing practice Friday. There seems to be a bug going around in Carolina's tight end room, as Ian Thomas is also questionable due to an illness, leaving Tommy Tremble as the team's only healthy tight end heading into the weekend.