NFL Player News

Sternberger was removed from the reserve/COVID-19 list for Monday's practice, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

The second-year pro was placed on the list at the end of July, missing nearly three weeks of team activities. Even so, Sternberger is the favorite to operate as Green Bay's top pass catcher at tight end, potentially replacing Jimmy Graham. The 2019 third-round pick barely played as a rookie, but he did have 39 offensive snaps and a TD reception in two playoff games.

Seals-Jones was carted off the practice field Monday with an apparent right leg injury, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Signed to a one-year contract in the offseason, Seals-Jones is hoping to replace Blake Bell as the No. 2 tight end in Kansas City. His main competition (Deon Yelder) has been dealing with a groin strain, so the Chiefs likely will sign a tight end at some point this week.

Oliver suffered a broken foot bone Sunday and will undergo surgery, John Shipley of SI.com reports.

It's not clear the exact type of foot fracture Oliver suffered, but the quick surgery announcement implies it was something substantial that could keep him out for an extended period. It's a frustrating development for the athletic but raw tight end, a third-round pick of Jacksonville's from the 2019 draft. The Jaguars have at least two capable veterans on the depth chart in Tyler Eifert and James O'Shaughnessy, but both of them have their own durability concerns. After those two veterans, rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Davis might be next on the depth chart.

The Chiefs claimed Helm off waivers from the 49ers on Sunday, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com reports.

Every other team passed up on acquiring Helm, but the Chiefs opted to add depth to their tight-end room. Helm didn't play a snap in 2019 as an undrafted rookie, and he'll likely seek to be the No. 4 tight end behind Travis Kelce, Ricky Seals-Jones and Deon Yelder (groin).

The Panthers waived Sutton on Sunday, Myles Simmons of the team's official site reports.

Sutton signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in April, but he didn't last long in training camp. The 23-year-old caught just nine passes for 154 yards over his final two collegiate seasons, so he'll likely need to prove his run-blocking abilities to make an NFL roster. However, his frame (6-foot-6, 226 pounds) could inhibit his chances at tight end.

Fant has added muscle and is embracing offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's new offense, which the sophomore tight end describes as more nuanced and able to exploit mismatches, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Much has been made of what new weaponry -- Melvin Gordon, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler -- can do for the Broncos offense and Drew Lock's first full season. But, with a year of development, Fant should have every opportunity to be the second major threat in the passing game behind Courtland Sutton. Fant finished second on the team in receiving yards (562), targets (66) and touchdowns (three) as a rookie. However, he faded down the stretch and -- despite a monster 113-yard performance against Houston in Week 14 -- saw his targets per game drop sharply once Lock entered the fold Week 13 (4.7 versus 2.8). Shurmur has experience with athletic tight ends from his time with Evan Engram in New York, and with improved chemistry with Lock, there's reason to be optimistic about Fant's sophomore campaign.

Helm was waived by the 49ers on Saturday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Helm wasn't considered much of a receiving threat at tight end, and with George Kittle locked up for the foreseeable future, it's clear depth at the position is a bit less of a priority. It's possible Helm could ultimately wind up on the team's practice squad down the road.

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been impressed with how Knox and tight ends coach Rob Boras have worked together so far in training camp. "Dawson has done a really good job," Daboll told Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site this week. So Rob [Boras] does a good job meeting extra with them. He's a young player still, really young. Hopefully we get more out of him this year. I know he's working hard to do that."

Knox will be competing with veteran Tyler Kroft for looks in the Buffalo offense. Knox, a second-year player, has the better athletic skills and more upside, so we'll see if he can keep chugging along the learning curve and take the top job to himself instead of having to share it with Kroft.

The Chiefs and Kelce agreed to terms of a four-year extension Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The exact parameters of the deal haven't been revealed, but Rapoport notes the deal is worth between $14 and $15 million per year. With Kelce signed through the 2025 season, Patrick Mahomes has his top targets -- also, Tyreek Hill -- on hand to work with for the next three campaigns.

The Chiefs and Kelce are closing in on a four-year extension to keep the tight end in Kansas City through the 2025 season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Parameters of the new contract aren't known, but the imminent agreement comes on the heels of 49ers tight end George Kittle signing a five-year, $75 million deal earlier Thursday. Notably, Kelce turns 31 in October, meaning he'll be 36 if he's able to play out the entire contract. In the end, it's worth it for the Chiefs to lock up one of its top two pass catchers -- the other being Tyreek Hill -- to give Patrick Mahomes the necessary firepower for more Super Bowl runs. Kelce himself has had at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards and four touchdowns in each of the past four seasons.