NFL Player News

Kroft finished his first season with the Bills with just six catches on 14 targets for 71 yards and one touchdown over 11 regular-season games.

Kroft suffered a broken foot in his very first practice with the Bills, then added an ankle injury on top of it as he was close to a return to action. He ended up playing the last 11 games plus the playoff loss, but by then he'd lost any chance to feel comfortable in the offense with everyone else long up to speed. Kroft went over 14 receiving yards just once and had zero or one catches in 11 of his 12 games played, counting the postseason. With rookies Dawson Knox and Tommy Sweeney coming along quicker than many originally thought, there's a small chance Kroft could get cut this offseason if the Bills want to use money elsewhere. More likely, everyone will chalk it up to an injury-marred season and he'll spend the summer competing with Knox for the starter's job in 2020.

Fumagalli caught six of nine passes for 38 yards and a touchdown during the 2019 season.

After missing his entire rookie season with a hernia, Fumagalli appeared sparingly in 11 games in 2019. The 2018 fifth-round pick saw 20 or more offensive snaps in a game just once and was targeted multiple times just twice. He figures to be on the roster bubble heading into 2020 with fullback Andy Janovich likely pushing the promising Andrew Beck over to tight end full time with fellow 2019 rookie Noah Fant. That'll leave Fumagalli, veteran Jeff Heuerman, Jake Butt and Austin Fort -- who impressed during training camp before tearing his ACL in the preseason -- to fight over one or two spots.

Pruitt caught all four of his targets for 28 yards in three postseason games.

The 27-year-old worked as a reserve tight end for Tennessee all season, but he found more involvement in the passing game after the Week 11 bye with Delanie Walker (ankle) injured. Pruitt totaled six catches for 90 yards and one touchdown in 16 games this season. He's headed for free agency in March and is likely to fill a similar role wherever he lands in 2020.

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.