NFL Player News

Thomas signed a contract with the Lions on Thursday.

Thomas comes back to the Lions after spending two years with the Bills, who signed the former Virginia Tech quarterback off Detroit's practice squad in November 2016. He presumably will spend this offseason trying to push Michael Roberts for the No. 2 job at tight end behind Jesse James, though it's possible the Lions could add more competition via the upcoming draft that has a strong class at the position.

Tomlinson re-signed with the Jets on Tuesday, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports.

Tomlinson started 24 games the past two seasons but caught just 16 passes on 764 snaps. He figures to reprise his role as a run blocker while Chris Herndon handles most of the receiving work.

Paulsen re-signed Saturday with the Falcons on a one-year deal.

It's a bit odd to see the Falcons bring back Paulsen given the team recently signed former Titans tight end Luke Stocker, who profiles similarly as a blocking-first option. Still, the veteran tight end was reliable in his first stint in Atlanta, playing in 362 offensive snaps across 15 games. The nature of both Paulsen's and Stocker's contracts would suggest that, should one outplay the other during training camp, the Falcons could opt to cut ties prematurely.

Njoku acknowledged there will be more competition for targets with Odell Beckham joining the Browns, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "It's competition," Njoku said Wednesday. "Whoever's open gets the ball. We're a team, so we've got to see it as such. But at the at end of the day, we've got to compete."

Beckham and backup tight end Demetrius Harris will join a roster with five holdovers -- Njoku, Duke Johnson, Jarvis Landry, Antonio Callaway and Rashard Higgins -- that caught 39 or more passes for the Browns last season. Add in running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt (suspension) and it's impossible to find another team with comparable depth at the skill positions. It will be tough for Njoku to take a big step forward from last year's mark of 88 targets (5.5 per game), but the situation is at least conducive to improved efficiency and a plethora of touchdowns to go around.

Swaim (wrist) is signing with the Jaguars, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports.

Coming off a season-ending wrist injury, Swaim couldn't have found a better location in terms of opportunity for playing time. The Jaguars figure to add more bodies in the coming weeks, but their current depth chart at tight end consists of nothing more than Swaim, Ben Koyack (hand) and Pharoah McKever -- a group that's combined for 59 career receptions and two touchdowns. Even with the favorable situation, Swaim hasn't displayed enough pass-catching potential to warrant consideration in standard fantasy formats. He had a cast removed from his wrist in early January and should be fine for the start of the Jaguars' offseason program in mid-April.

James said he doesn't think he'll be used in Detroit the same way he was used in Pittsburgh, Michael Rothstein of ESPN reports. "I feel like I'm going to be a key part of this offense," the tight end told Kyle Meinke of MLive.

In between a forgettable rookie campaign and last year's role reduction, James logged over 850 offensive snaps for Pittsburgh in both 2015 and 2016. Even at this peak of his tenure, James was little more than a complementary piece in an offense that ran through wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell. That shouldn't be the case anymore in Detroit, as James will slot in as the clear No. 1 tight end in an offense that doesn't have a bonafide superstar. However, before getting excited about James' sleeper appeal in fantasy formats, it should be noted the Lions targeted tight ends the second-fewest times in the NFL last season, and this year's draft class is absolutely loaded at tight end.

The Packers re-signed Lewis on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Lewis joined the Packers in the midst of the offseason program last May and proceeded to play a bit role in the offense. The majority of his 11.9 snaps per game were spent as a blocker, with minimal impact (three catches for 39 yards on four targets) as a pass catcher. The Packers could still address their tight-end ranks through the draft and/or free agency, but Lewis tentatively slots back in as the No. 2 option behind Jimmy Graham.

The Bills declined to tender Thomas a contract for 2019, making him an unrestricted free agent, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

Thomas split time between special teams and offense last season, notching 12 receptions for 77 yards without a touchdown across 12 games. He did most of his damage during a Week 9 loss to the Bears, posting seven catches for 40 yards in that contest. Now free to go wherever he pleases, Thomas will look to secure a depth role at tight end in advance of OTAs.

The Bills have agreed to terms with Kroft (foot), Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Per the report, Kroft's deal is for three years and worth $18.75 million. The 26-year-old was limited to four catches for 36 yards in five games this past season, but considering the terms of the 2015 third-rounder's deal, the Bills are banking on Kroft recovering fully from the foot injury that derailed his fourth year with the Bengals. When Kroft played a full slate in 2017, he hauled in 42 passes for 404 yards and seven TDs. He'll now slot in as Buffalo's top pass-catching option at tight end.

The Lions are slated to sign James, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The 2015 fifth-rounder caught 30 passes for 423 yards and two TDs for the Steelers in 2018. James will now slot in as the Lions' top pass-catching tight end, an assignment that should lead to a degree of fantasy relevance for the 6-foot-7, 261-pounder this coming season.