NFL Player News

Ertz brought in seven of nine targets for 67 yards and a touchdown during the Eagles' 41-33 win over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII on Sunday.

Ertz drew even with Torrey Smith for second on the team in targets, but it was his final catch of the night that proved to be the difference-maker. The 27-year-old made a circus grab and crossed the goal line with 2:21 remaining, but the ground lodged the ball loose as he landed. However, it ended up in Ertz's hands again off the carom without ever touching the ground, and instant replay review led to a determination that the tight end was acting as a runner when he lost and subsequently regained control. The touchdown gave the Eagles a 38-33 lead that they'd extend to 41-33 in short order with the aid of a Tom Brady fumble on the next possession. The heroics capped off a third straight successful campaign for the fifth-year pro, one that saw him haul in 74 of 110 targets for 824 yards and a career-high eight touchdowns. Despite carrying a cap hit of nearly $10 million in 2018, Ertz naturally figures to play a pivotal role in the team's attempted defense of its first Super Bowl title.

The Browns signed Cajuste to a reserve/future contract Wednesday.

Cajuste, who went undrafted out of Stanford in 2016, wasn't affiliated with any team in 2017 after spending time with both the 49ers and Packers during his rookie season. However, he's a capable blocker who doubled as a serviceable receiver during his college days and has a chance to stick with the Browns if he can prove himself on special teams this offseason.

Swaim recently underwent minor surgery on his right knee, Mickey Spagnola of the Cowboys' official site reports.

This procedure is likely linked to the knee injury Swaim sustained in November. Entering the last year of his rookie contract, Swaim is expected to be healthy in time for offseason workouts this spring.

Gathers is nursing jaw and neck injuries in addition to concussion symptoms, William Allen of the Cowboys' official site reports.

Gathers absorbed a helmet-to-helmet hit during training camp last summer and, by all accounts, still hasn't cleared concussion protocol. However, it's now evident the tight end is dealing with more than a typical concussion, which helps explain why his recovery has taken as long as it has. It's still too early to know when he could be back on the field, but there's optimism he'll be able to participate in OTAs and minicamp in some capacity this spring with the hope to be fully ready to play when training camp rolls around in late July.

Carter was claimed off waivers by the Giants on Tuesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports.

Carter will reunite with former Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, who was named the Giants new head coach Tuesday. Carter only played in three games for the Vikings during the regular season and failed to record a statistic in the process. He'll now join a tight end room led by Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison.

Tomlinson caught eight of 11 targets for 121 yards and one touchdown during the 2017 season.

Tomlinson was primarily used as a run blocker during his 14 appearances this season, and with Austin Seferian-Jenkins an unrestricted free agent, it seems pretty likely that the Jets will try to bring the former, a restricted free agent, back. Nevertheless, even if he moves up the depth chart ahead of the 2018 season, there's little reason to believe he'll become a usable asset in most fantasy formats.

Hollister finished the 2017 regular season with four catches on 10 targets for 42 yards in 15 games.

Hollister, who signed with the Patriots as an undrafted free agent, is under contract with the team through the 2019 season. Looking ahead, he figures to remain with the team as a reserve option behind Rob Gronkowski, but the team could bring in some added tight end depth this offseason. In such a scenario, the 24-year-old Hollister would face competition for depth chart slotting.

Allen finished the 2017 regular season with 10 catches on 22 targets for 86 yards and a TD.

Signed by the Patriots this past offseason to provide the team with both valuable insurance for, as well as a complementary option to, oft-injured tight end Rob Gronkowski, Allen seemed likely to make a fantasy splash at some point in 2017. However, with Gronkowski avoiding any major in-season injuries, Allen never came close to the sort of production, especially around the red zone, that he did during his stint with the Colts. The 27-year-old is under contract with the Patriots through the 2019 season, but Allen could end up being cut by the team for salary-cap purposes in the absence of a contract restructuring.

Ertz caught all eight of his targets for 93 yards in Sunday's 38-7 NFC championship win over the Vikings.

Ertz led his team in both catches and receiving yards, consistently causing matchup nightmares for the talented Vikings defense. Quarterback NIck Foles was brilliant when targeting Ertz and Alshon Jeffery, as the pair of big-bodied weapons caught all 13 balls thrown their way for a combined 178 yards and two touchdowns. Even if the Patriots get Rob Gronkowski back from a concussion, Ertz could easily finish as the top receiving tight end for either side in the Super Bowl.

Hill did not register in the box score in Sunday's 29-24 NFC divisional-round defeat to the Vikings, but he played 19 special-teams snaps and narrowly missed blocking a punt in the second half.

A standout dual-threat quarterback at BYU, Hill went undrafted in last April before signing as a free agent with the Packers. Despite an impressive preseason, Green Bay waived Hill, who was claimed off waivers by the Saints in September. The rookie quarterback spent most of the season on the practice squad before causing considerable buzz in his NFL debut in a Week 13 win over the Panthers -- a game in which he recorded two tackles and came close to blocking a pair of Carolina punts as part of the Saints' special-teams unit. While Hill continued to play on special teams (he finished the regular season with four tackles in five games), it's been reported that head coach Sean Payton believes that Hill could be the eventual successor to quarterback Drew Brees, who is a free agent this offseason. Hill's ascension to starting quarterback is unlikely to occur in 2018 -- considering Brees is expected to re-sign with the Saints this offseason -- but the team could let unrestricted free agent Chase Daniel walk this offseason, which could pave the way for Hill to bump up a notch on the depth chart. Although Hill's checkered medical history includes four season-ending injuries in college, he has intriguing potential as a dual-threat quarterback if he were ever to get an extended look in the NFL at any point.