NFL Player News

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.

The Vikings signed Truesdell to their practice squad Tuesday.

The 27-year-old tight end previously joined the Vikings for their offseason program and the preseason before being cut loose in September. Truesdell, who has spent time in the Arena Football League and Indoor Football League since turning pro, is still awaiting his NFL debut.

Hooper caught one ball for three yards Saturday in a 15-10 playoff loss to the Eagles.

The Falcons never expected Hooper to live up to the likes of Tony Gonzalez, but it's hard to say that he's lived up to expectations in two years in the league. Hooper did see a sizable increase in both targets and yards, as he finished the year with 49 receptions for 526 yards, but he was again held to only three touchdowns. Some of that is due to the fact the Falcons have a number of offensive weapons, but fantasy owners likely hoped for more this year. Hopefully, he continues to see more work and can find the end zone more frequently in 2018.

The Browns signed Escobar to a reserve/future contract Monday.

A 2013 second-round pick, Escobar is a veteran of 64 career games in his five NFL seasons, though he only made two appearances in 2017, both of which came with Baltimore. The 26-year-old was lauded for his pass-catching skills coming out of college, but his lack of speed and unrefined blocking have limited his on-field opportunities up to this point in his career. He'll do well to win a roster spot with Cleveland as a depth tight end coming out of training camp in 2018.

Traylor finished 2017 with eight catches and 100 yards on 13 targets.

Traylor saw a mid-season promotion to the active roster and the Wisconsin product promptly saw the field for more offensive snaps than longtime starter Virgil Green. He faded down the stretch, but Traylor provides Denver with a flex tight end to develop alongside more traditional Y-tight end Jake Butt and, to a lesser extent, Jeff Heuerman. Traylor could be a No. 2 option at the position next season depending on how the offseason shakes out.

Smith suffered a torn MCL in his right knee in Saturday's divisional-round loss to the Patriots, Paul Kuharsky of 104.5 The Zone Nashville reports.

Smith was carted off the field in the second half after having his right knee rolled up on, but the initial diagnosis could have been far worse. The 22-year-old is likely to undergo surgery in the next couple of weeks, and he could be ready to resume physical activity in as little as six weeks.

Hill (illness) is listed as active for Sunday's NFC divisional-round game against the Vikings.

Hill was unable to practice Friday due to an illness, but he's now healthy enough to suit up Sunday and provide depth at quarterback behind Drew Brees and Chase Daniel.

The Vikings waived Carter on Saturday, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com reports.

Carter was cut to make room for quarterback Sam Bradford (knee), who was activated off injured reserve in advance of Sunday's postseason opener against the Saints. The tight end appeared in three contests for Minnesota during the regular season but wasn't targeted across 28 offensive snaps.

Hill (illness) is listed as questionable for Sunday's NFC divisional-round game in Minnesota.

Hill wasn't available to practice Friday, though he seems likely to recover in time for Sunday's 4:40 PM ET kickoff. However, even if he's ultimately cleared to play, Hill hasn't seen the field since logging one snap in Week 16 and isn't guaranteed to see the field against the Vikings.

Lewis (ankle) practiced fully Thursday.

Lewis, who caught all three of his targets for 17 yards in last weekend's playoff win over the Bills, will be a go Sunday against the Steelers. From a fantasy standpoint, Lewis is pretty touchdown-dependent, given that he topped 50 receiving yards just once over the course of the regular season. The tight end did log five TDs in 16 games, but that mark was boosted by an outlier three-TD output on Sept. 24.