NFL Player News

Williams was released by the Rams on Thursday, Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Williams signed with the Rams in January, but he found himself the odd man out after the team drafted tight end Gerald Everett with the No. 44 pick in last weekend's draft. The East Carolina product will now look to find his way onto another roster in time for training camp.

Hamm (leg) was released by the 49ers on Tuesday.

The release comes as the result of a failed physical. Hamm played in five games with the 49ers in his rookie season and tallied two receptions for 13 yards in the process. He suffered a leg injury in the team's regular-season finale, which resulted in him missing the team's offseason minicamp prior to the draft.

Bibbs was waived by the Jaguars on Monday, Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports.

Bibbs signed a contract with the Jaguars in January with the hope that he'd be able to compete for a 53-man roster spot in training camp, but with six other tight ends on the depth chart, the front office determined he was an expendable piece. As a rookie last season with the Browns, Bibbs appeared in seven games, hauling in one of his two targets for seven yards.

Derby will be pushed by 2017 fifth-round pick Jake Butt, Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post reports.

Butt is still on the mend from a torn ACL suffered in the Orange Bowl, but Derby -- and the rest of Denver's tight ends -- are on notice as the 2016 Mackey Award winner joins the roster. Of the bunch, Derby arguably has the greatest opportunity to complement, as opposed to be threatened by, Butt. Acquired midway through last season in a trade with New England, the former Arkansas quarterback provides a level of quickness and receiving ability not shared by fellow incumbents Jeff Heuerman and Virgil Green. Derby caught at least four passes in three of five games in Denver before his season was cut short due to a concussion.

Higbee could have a sizable role with new head coach Sean McVay's offense significant involvement of its tight ends, Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register reports.

As the offensive coordinator for Washington the past three years, McVay leaned on Jordan Reed whenever he was healthy, and his backups were also able to provide serviceable fantasy results when Reed was injured. Higbee has the physical tools needed to succeed at the highest level, but the Los Angeles offense will have to prove it can get out of its own way before the second-year tight end lands on the fantasy radar. Additionally, the Rams also added Gerald Everett in the second round of the 2017 draft, so Higbee could be leapfrogged on the depth chart, if he hasn't been already.

The Vikings selected Hodges in the sixth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 201st overall.

This is perhaps the most surprising faller in this year's draft. Hodges is a rare athlete at tight end and, despite a tendency for drops, proved productive as well. Even if the league doubts his skills as a tight end, it's surprising that a team wouldn't take him sooner for special teams play alone -- this is a 6-foot-6, 257-pound player with a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, 39-inch vertical and 134-inch broad jump. Unfortunately, even if he proves his doubters wrong, the Minnesota offense likely won't afford him many targets as long as Kyle Rudolph is around.

With Gary Barnidge being released shortly after Njoku's arrival, the door is open for Njoku to start right away in 2017.

Njoku joins Seth DeValve, Randall Telfer as the team's only tight ends on the roster and immediately becomes the favorite to dominate snaps in 2017. DeValve caught 10 passes for 127 yards and two scores in 2016, while Telfer finished the year with just two receptions. Those lackluster performances, along with a down year from Barnidge, convinced the Browns to upgrade the position, which they absolutely did with Njoku.

The Falcons selected Saubert in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 174th overall.

Saubert, a small school product out of Drake, has some intriguing traits that should translate to the NFL. He checks in at 6-foot-5 with big hands and he posted a strong 121-inch broad jump at the Combine. Like any small school player, there will be a learning curve for Saubert, but he has reliable hands and the frame to hold up in the NFL.

The 49ers selected Kittle in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 146th overall.

This is a great value for the 49ers. Kittle doesn't get much hype -- he's widely regarded as a blocking tight end -- but he's an elite athlete at the position. Indeed, Kittle even has standout athleticism by wide receiver standards. At 6-foot-4, 247 pounds, Kittle boasts 4.52 speed and a 132-inch broad jump. Vance McDonald is the lead tight end in San Francisco, but Kittle could pay off as a dynasty investment in a couple years.

The Titans selected Smith in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, 100th overall.

Another nice pick for Tennessee, and also yet another pick that significantly empowers Marcus Mariota. Smith (6-foot-3, 248 pounds) is arguably a better pass-catching prospect than Gerald Everett, who the Rams picked in the second round. Smith was highly productive at Florida International, especially in his first two years, when he caught 100 passes for 1,098 yards and 10 touchdowns before even turning 20 years old. He was also great at the Combine, running a 4.62-second 40 while posting a 38-inch vertical and 127-inch broad jump. He's the heir apparent to Delanie Walker.