NFL Player News

McGrath signed his his exclusive rights tender with the Chargers on Thursday.

With Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry seeing the bulk of the Chargers' targets among tight ends, McGrath is primarily used as a blocker. McGrath appeared in all 16 games last season and caught two passes for 25 yards.

The Jaguars may use a high draft pick on a tight end to join Lewis (calf), Ben Koyack and Neal Sterling, the Florida Times-Union reports.

Coming off an injury-shortened season, Lewis moved to the top of the depth chart when Jacksonville traded Julius Thomas to the Dolphins. A tight end group comprised of Lewis, Koyack and Sterling is far from exciting, and it's no secret the upcoming draft is strong at the position. Even if he were to enter the season atop Jacksonville's depth chart, Lewis likely would just be an ancillary piece in the passing game. He'll turn 33 in May, after missing five or more games in three of the past four seasons. The Jaguars may ultimately release Lewis, or else ask him to take a major pay cut as he enters the second season of a three-year, $12 million deal.

Swaim underwent surgery on his foot and is likely out until training camp, Todd Archer of ESPN reports.

Swaim had a screw inserted into his right foot because of an injury suffered during informal workouts. He will likely be held out until the Cowboys head for training camp in late July. Swaim is mostly a blocking tight end for Dallas, as he caught a mere six passes for 69 yards during the 2016 season.

With Lance Kendricks departing for Green Bay in free agency, Higbee could see a lot more targets next season, ESPN.com reports.

A fourth-round selection last year, Higbee played all 16 games as a rookie but only caught 11 of his 28 targets for 85 yards and a touchdown. He possesses the raw athleticism to be more of a downfield threat than Kendricks ever was, but the Rams would still be wise to look at other options via free agency and/or the draft. There is some real upside here, with Higbee currently projecting as the top tight end in an offense that lacks talent out wide. Rams general manager Les Snead said he expects big things from the second-year player, according to ESPN.com. Just as important, new head coach Sean McVay -- who spent last season as the coordinator for a TE-heavy Washington offense -- also expressed optimism that Higbee will be heavily involved.

Kroft (knee, ankle) finished the 2016 season with 10 catches for 92 yards on 12 targets in 14 games.

A 2015 third-round selection, Kroft entered his second NFL training camp as the favorite to fill in for an injured Tyler Eifert early in the season. Kroft then suffered a knee injury that cost him most of camp and the entire preseason, allowing C.J. Uzomah to emerge as the top pass-catching tight end in Eifert's absence. Despite starting 11 games and playing 39 percent of the team's offensive snaps, Kroft was never much of a factor in the Cincinnati passing game. He may have to compete with Uzomah for the No. 2 job in training camp.

Ertz has agreed to a restructured payment of his 2017 base salary, ESPN's Field Yates reports.

Ertz's restructure creates over $2.5 million in cap space for the Eagles this offseason and guarantees him more money in the immediate future. In 14 games last season, Ertz totaled a career-high 78 catches for 816 yards and four touchdowns.

Supernaw re-signed a multi-year deal with the Titans on Friday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Supernaw recorded four receptions for 62 yards last season through 15 games. His contract extension comes on the heels of Anthony Fasano signing with the Dolphins, meaning an expanded role may be in the works for Supernaw next season. Although he isn't the flashiest of tight ends, the 27-year-old has emerged as a solid blocker.

Johnson signed a two-year contract with the Steelers on Thursday.

As a backup tight end in Pittsburgh last season, Johnson played in all 16 games and made five starts. He finished the regular season with seven receptions for 80 yards. He'll figure to be a backup once again in 2017 and shouldn't be expected to have much fantasy value.

Paulsen will sign with the 49ers, CSN Bay Area reports.

Valued primarily for his blocking, Paulsen has 82 receptions in six professional seasons, with only three of those catches coming last year for the Bears. San Francisco seems to be targeting the middle tiers of free agency, also reaching early agreements with QB Brian Hoyer, FB Kyle Juszczyk and WRs Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin.

The Patriots have traded a fourth-round draft pick to the Colts in exchange for Allen and a sixth-round selection, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

In securing the services of Allen, the Patriots have signaled that they are poised to part ways with fellow TE Martellus Bennett. Allen, whose blocking ability has earned the praise of coach Bill Belichick, has three years left on the four-year, $29 million contract that he signed with Indy last March. The 27-year-old profiles as a solid all-around tight end, who will provide the Patriots with a complementary option/insurance policy for oft-injured Rob Gronkowski. Allen himself is no stranger to the injury report, having missed a combined 23 games (including 15 in 2013) over the past four seasons, but when healthy, the 6-foot-3, 265-pounder can do some damage in the red zone. Over the course of 57 NFL contests to date, he's hauled in 19 TDs.