NFL Player News

Knox caught 28 of 50 targets for 388 yards and two scores during his rookie campaign.

Knox was picked in the third round as more of a project type and had been expected to serve as the backup to free-agent signee Tyler Kroft, but Kroft struggled with injuries and Knox ended becoming the starter for much of the season. While the Mississippi product struggled a bit with drops, he also showed a knack for big plays and an ability to rumble for yards after the catch. Kroft is healthy again, but Knox offers more upside and (for now) a better rapport with quarterback Josh Allen, so there's a chance he gets to take the starter's job and run with it in 2020.

Firkser recorded 14 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown across 15 games for the Titans in 2019.

Firkser worked behind Jonnu Smith as the team's primary tight end, but he managed to top 200 yards for the second consecutive season. Though he didn't produce overly impressive statistics, he has now converted 33 of his 44 targets into receptions through two seasons as a pro. Firkser will enter the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent, meaning the Titans will only need to offer him a minimum contract to maintain his rights.

Seals-Jones had 14 receptions for 229 yards and four touchdowns over 14 games in 2019.

Seals-Jones had a nose for the end zone, posting a career-high four touchdowns on just 22 targets. He was not on the radar to start the season, but David Njoku's injury opened the door for Cleveland's other tight ends. While Seals-Jones received red-zone targets, he wasn't on the field all that much outside of those situations -- he played no more than 32 percent of the offensive snaps in 12 of his 14 games played. The 24-year-old enters the offseason as a restricted free agent and could benefit if the Browns opt to bring him back. New head coach Kevin Stefanski often deployed multiple tight ends while with the Vikings, according to Scott Patsko of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. For the Browns, a team that did not target its third wideouts much beyond Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, Stefanski could rely more on tight ends in 2020.

Kelce (knee) doesn't have an injury designation for the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 against the 49ers.

During the first week of prep for the big game, the Chiefs continued to cap Kelce's reps, holding him to an LP/DNP/LP practice regimen. Still, his lack of designation Friday indicates the team isn't worried about his availability. While San Francisco's defense has held tight ends to an NFL-best 5.9 yards per target this season (including playoffs), the unit has allowed the 14th-most receptions (80) and ninth-most TDs (nine) to the position. Considering Kelce's stature, he seems like a good bet to prosper in the Super Bowl.

Oliver (back) spent the final six weeks of the season on injured reserve and totaled three catches for 15 yards in four games this season.

The rookie third-round pick missed the preseason and the first six games of the year with a hamstring injury, and he didn't see much involvement in the offense before suffering small fractures in his back Week 11. The starting job at tight end remains up for grabs, so a strong offseason could go a long way towards securing a larger role in 2020.

Kelce (knee) is participating in Friday's practice, Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports.

Kelce was held out of Thursday's session while battling the flu bug that's gone around Kansas City's roster since mid-January. The star tight end was listed as limited Wednesday due to a knee issue, so it remains to be seen whether he still has a cap on his reps. In any case, he'll have another full week of practice to get healthy before the Super Bowl on Feb. 2.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said he was pleased with Graham's contributions to the Packers in 2019, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

Graham had some nice moments, including two solid games in the playoffs, but the overall picture was a 38-447-3 receiving line in 16 regular-season games for a player in the second year of a three-year, $30 million contract. It's hard to make any reasonable argument for the Packers retaining the 33-year-old without some form of pay cut on his $7.45 million base salary (per overthecap.com) for 2020. The team could instead look to external options or 2019 third-round pick Jace Sternberger to fill the pass-catching role at tight end.

Schreck played four snaps on offense across two regular-season contests with the Bengals in 2019.

Schreck spent the first 11 games of the season on Cincinnati's practice squad, and he was confined to a reserve role upon joining the 53-man roster. The Bengals originally drafted Schreck in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft, so he'll likely continue to be viewed as a developmental project heading into 2020.

Smith hauled in 35 of his 44 targets for 439 yards and three touchdowns across 16 games in the 2019 season.

Smith benefitted from another injury-plagued campaign for Delanie Walker (ankle), posting career-best marks in targets, yards and receptions. He also showed a strong rapport with Ryan Tannehill, racking up more than 50 receiving yards in four of the nine games that the quarterback started. However, plenty of questions remain for the fourth-year tight end heading into the 2020 season, particularly the potential return of Walker. Even if Smith were to remain the starting tight end in Tennessee, he may be an inconsistent performer due to the overall lack of passing volume in the Titans offense.

Hurst caught 30 of 39 targets for 349 yards and two touchdowns in 2019.

Hurst showed significant improvement in Year 2 after a rookie year that was impacted by a foot injury. He commanded the fifth-highest target share on the team at 9.2 percent and proved to be a viable target downfield with an 8.6 aDOT and a 76.9 percent catch rate. While those are promising peripheral numbers, the fact that he was behind Nick Boyle in the pecking order for targets, even down the stretch, is not an encouraging sign. It's fair to argue that Baltimore misused Hurst considering that Boyle had worse advanced numbers in terms of aDOT, catch rate and drop rate, but Boyle isn't going anywhere with his new contract. Mark Andrews will remain the primary target at tight end in Baltimore, and there's a chance the offense funnels more targets to the receivers in 2020 if the team overhauls the position as expected. Hurst still has some upside, but it's too crowded of a tight end room to make him worth spending any sort of significant draft capital in standard redraft leagues.