NFL Player News

Allen (knee) does not carry an injury designation for Sunday's divisional-round playoff game against the Chargers, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Allen will play through a minor knee injury versus the Chargers. Expect the veteran tight end to take rotational snaps behind Rob Gronkowski, and see most of his usage as a blocker.

Thomas finished the 2018 season with 12 catches on 17 targets for 77 yards and no touchdowns across 12 games.

Top tight end Charles Clay had a disappointing, injury-plagued season, but even when given the chance for increased reps, Thomas didn't do much with the opportunity afforded to him. He caught seven balls for 40 yards in a Week 9 loss to the Bears, but managed only five catches combined over his other 11 games. Even when Clay was phased out late in the season, Jason Croom passed Thomas up in the pecking order. Thomas, a former quarterback at Virginia Tech, offers some versatility and appears to be liked by the coaching staff, but he'll be ticketed for a reserve role at best in 2019 as the Bills presumably look to revamp a position group that has largely disappointed in recent years.

Thomas finished the 2018 season with 36 catches on 49 targets for 333 yards and two touchdowns in 16 games.

The crests and troughs in Thomas' production were directly linked to the availability (or lack thereof) of top tight end Greg Olsen (foot), who was sidelined for seven games during the season. In Olsen's stead, Thomas capitalized on his increased opportunities, particularly in the final quarter of his rookie campaign. During the last four weeks, the fourth-round pick hauled in 20 of 27 targets for 200 yards and two touchdowns, topping 60 yards in two of those outings. While Olsen is expected to return in 2019, Thomas' strong finish not only makes him an attractive insurance policy but someone who should continue to garner more looks in two-tight end formations.

Allen (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.

Allen continues to nurse a minor knee injury, and will attempt to play through the issue during Sunday's divisional-round contest against the Chargers. If he's able to go, Allen will take rotational snaps behind top tight end Rob Gronkowski.

The Steelers signed Rader to a reserve/future contract Wednesday.

After going undrafted out of Youngstown State last April, Rader latched on with Green Bay for the 2018 preseason but failed to crack the 53-man roster once the regular season arrived. The 23-year-old will take part in Pittsburgh's offseason program with the hope of landing a depth role at tight end in 2019.

The Patriots placed Hollister (hamstring) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Hollister won't suit up for any of New England's playoff games, as his season officially comes to an end. The second-year tight end caught four catches for 52 yards, essentially matching his production from his rookie year.

The Chargers have activated Henry (knee) from the team's PUP list.

Prior to suffering a torn ACL back in May, Henry was viewed as an ascending talent at the tight end position. Now that he's back in the mix, he'll look to regain that momentum, but it's unclear how much work he'll see in Sunday's divisional-round playoff game against the Patriots. With coach Anthony Lynn already having indicated that Henry will be on some sort of pitch count in his return to game action, the 24-year-old pass catcher is a speculative play in fantasy playoff contests.

Ertz caught five of seven targets for 52 yards in Sunday's 16-15 wild-card-round win over Chicago.

Ertz still wasn't his usual dominant self, but this was a major step forward after he produced only 15 yards in the regular-season finale. Quarterback Nick Foles spreads the ball around more than Carson Wentz (back) did, so Ertz isn't seeing the same boatload of targets that he was before Wentz went down, but the talented tight end should still be a big part of Philadelphia's divisional-round gameplan in what will likely be a higher-scoring affair against the Saints.

Vannett hauled in one of two targets for five yards in Saturday's wild-card loss to the Cowboys.

Vannett has served as a check-down asset for quarterback Russell Wilson for much of this season, and his lone catch was in similar fashion. This season's output for Vannett surpasses that of the tight end's first two campaigns, as he compiled 29 catches for 269 yards and three touchdowns. He'll turn 26 years old in March and enter the final year of his contract in 2019, when he'll compete with both Ed Dickson and Will Dissly -- the latter had a promising start to his rookie year before injuring his kneecap -- for a No. 1 tight end role.

Though Henry (knee) won't play Sunday against the Ravens, he would likely be activated from the Chargers' PUP list should the team advance to the divisional round of the playoffs, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Henry, who tore his ACL back in May, has bounced back remarkably well from what seemed destined to sideline him for the entirety of the 2018 campaign (postseason included), but should the Chargers get past the Ravens on Sunday, it appears as though he'll be activated Monday. In the event that occurs, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com suggests that the tight end would be on a "pitch count," but Henry's return to the mix would be a welcome one, in any case. In 14 games during the 2017 season, the 24-year-old displayed promise as a pass catcher, hauling in 45 passes for 579 yards and four TDs.