NFL Player News

Higbee didn't draw any targets during a 13-3 loss to New England in the Super Bowl.

While he technically got the start, Higbee played fewer snaps (35) than fellow tight end Gerald Everett (44), who also finished the night without any catches. The Rams increased their usage of tight ends in the passing game after Cooper Kupp suffered a torn ACL in November, but neither Higbee nor Everett proved to be a reliable threat. Higbee figures to enter the final year of his rookie contract stuck in a timeshare, potentially losing even more work to Everett in 2019. If forced to pick between the two, Everett is the one with receiving upside.

Everett finished without a catch on one target in a 13-3 loss to New England in the Super Bowl.

Everett played 68 percent of snaps on offense, while fellow tight end Tyler Higbee handled 54 percent and didn't draw any targets. The Rams were fortunate to get increased production from their TE timeshare after wide receiver Cooper Kupp suffered an ACL tear in mid-November, but there's no question it was a major loss to have Kupp's targets redirected to Everett, Higbee and WR Josh Reynolds. There is some potential for Everett, a 2017 second-round pick, to take another step forward in his third pro season. Higbee has one season remaining on his rookie contract, but he simply hasn't displayed much of a ceiling in the passing game.

Derby (foot) finished the 2018 campaign with three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown in four games.

Derby missed most of the season while nursing a foot injury that eventually relegated him to injured reserve in early December. He averaged 31 offensive snaps in his four appearances and opened the season as Miami's top pass-catching option at tight end. The team surely wants 2018 second-round pick Mike Gesicki to seize that role in 2019, but there may still be room for Derby on the roster as a depth tight end and special-teams contributor. The 27-year-old can also weigh other options, as he'll become an unrestricted free agent in March if he doesn't re-sign with the Dolphins first.

The Packers currently plan to keep Graham under contract for 2019, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

A major disappointment in the first season of his three-year, $30 million contract, Graham may get a second chance in Green Bay under the guidance of new head coach Matt LaFleur. It feels like a suboptimal decision from a salary cap standpoint, but the Packers aren't crazy to hope for some degree of improvement if the new scheme can take advantage of their tight end's 6-foot-7 frame while mitigating the impact of his declining athleticism. The team will need to make a final decision by March 15, at which point the 32-year-old is due a $5 million roster bonus. Regardless of this recent report, Graham's spot on the team will be tenuous until that date passes.

Manhertz is re-signing with the Panthers on a two-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The 26-year-old caught two passes on 344 offensive snaps in 2018, highlighted by a 50-yard touchdown reception on a fourth-down pass from running back Christian McCaffrey in Week 15 against New Orleans. With fellow tight ends Greg Olsen (foot) and Ian Thomas both under contract for 2019, it appears Manhertz is headed for another season working as a blocking specialist.

Henry, who returned to game action in the Chargers' Jan. 13 playoff loss to the Patriots, acknowledged that he's still not 100 percent at this stage, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com reports.

The tight end only played 14 snaps on offense in his first contest since suffering a torn ACL back in May, but Henry's mere presence on the field following his impressive recovery timetable bodes well for his chances of regaining top form in advance of the 2019 season. With that in mind, he will continue on his rehab path over the next few months leading up to the start of the Chargers' offseason program April 15. Assuming no setbacks in the process, the 24-year-old will look to build off the promise he displayed as a pass catcher in 2017, when he hauled in 45 passes for 579 yards and four TDs in 14 games.

Ertz (undisclosed) did not play in Sunday's Pro Bowl, Daniel Gallen of PennLive.com reports.

Considering Ertz never missed a game and ultimately logged a career-high 91.6 percent of the snaps in 2018, it's safe to say none of his alleged injuries are severe. The tight end nonetheless told reporters he wasn't playing at 100 percent down the stretch. Ertz declined to specify his injury, so it's possible general wear and tear from an 18-game season led to his absence. In any event, Ertz has plenty of time to rest in advance of a 2019 campaign for which the Eagles will return most key players on offense. He has three seasons remaining on a five-year, $42.5 million extension that now looks like a major bargain for the team.

Hooper recorded the only touchdown for the NFC during Sunday's Pro Bowl, hauling in a 20-yard Dak Prescott touchdown pass in a 26-7 loss to the AFC.

Hooper capped his breakout 2018 campaign with a shutout-preventing touchdown catch around the nine-minute mark of the fourth quarter Sunday. Despite a plethora of options in the Falcons' passing attack, the third-year tight end obliterated previous career highs in targets, receptions and receiving yards by counts of 23, 22 and 134, respectively, this past season. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Hooper's improvement this season was his efficiency, as he hauled in 80.7 percent of his targets, best of all qualified NFL tight ends.

Swaim (knee) produced 26 receptions, 242 receiving yards and one touchdown over nine games in 2018.

Swaim fractured his wrist in a way that required surgery last November and ultimately was planted on injured reserve for the final six games of the season, a period in which second-year backup Blake Jarwin snagged 23 passes for 265 yards and three scores. While Swaim has since had the cast removed from his surgically repaired arm and seems to be nearly full health, the four-year veteran will become an unrestricted free agent in March and may not be as big of a priority for Dallas to re-sign in free agency than Swaim was before Jarwin's emergence.

Graham may be released by the Packers this offseason, Pete Dougherty of The Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

It might seem like an easy decision after Graham was such a disappointment in the first season of a three-year, $30 million contract, but the matter is complicated by a significant dead-money charge as well as the reality that Lance Kendricks, Marcedes Lewis and Randall Cobb are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in March. It's thus possible the 32-year-old gets another shot in Green Bay, where new head coach Matt LaFleur plans to call the plays on offense. It's also quite plausible the Packers decide to move on and start from scratch at the TE position.