NFL Player News

Allen re-signed with the Colts on Monday, picking up a four-year, $29.4 million contract, Josina Anderson of ESPN reports.

Both Allen and fellow Colts tight end Coby Fleener entered the offseason as unrestricted free agents, but Allen was the first, and perhaps only, one to come to terms. Considering the contract includes $12 million for the first year and $5 million more for the second, Allen appears to have won the long-term battle of 2012 draft picks, though Fleener could also re-up on a lesser deal. In any case, Allen will look to harken back to the 2014 season, when he gathered in 29 of 50 passes for 395 yards and eight touchdowns in 13 games.

Lewis and the Jaguars are close to agreement on a new contract, ESPN.com reports.

Lewis is hopeful of getting his new deal ironed out by the time free agency begins Wednesday. A career-long Jaguar after being selected in the first round of the 2006 draft, Lewis caught just 16 passes for 226 yards and no touchdowns last season, but his veteran presence provides good depth behind No. 1 tight end Julius Thomas.

The Giants made a qualifying offer to Donnell (neck) on Thursday, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reports.

Donnell's season was cut short due to an undisclosed neck injury, as he didn't make an appearance after Week 8. At that point, he had backed up a 2014 campaign in which he accrued 63 receptions (on 92 targets) for 623 yards and six touchdowns with 29 more catches for 223 yards and two scores. While his health remains in question, the Giants will have right of first refusal on Donnell, who enters free agency without receiving medical clearance to date.

Graham was released by the Texans on Thursday, Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reports.

The move doesn't come as much of a surprise after Graham fell out of favor over the second half of the 2015 season. The Wisconsin product played in each of the first eight games but was inactive for the final eight after Ryan Griffin came off of the short-term injured reserve list. At 29 years old, Graham still has time to resurrect his once-promising career, but he'll be doing it somewhere other than Houston. In releasing Graham, the Texans save roughly $3.9 million in salary for 2016.

Donnell (neck) has yet to be medically cleared for football activities but his injury is not believed to be career threatening, Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News reports. "He's coming back and hopefully he'll be able to continue to play. We're expecting him to be back, but necks can be tricky, so we'll have to wait and see where that goes. Hopefully he can get healthy and come back and continue his career," said general manager Jerry Reese at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday.

Donnell enjoyed a breakout season in 2014, pulling in 63 grabs for 623 yards and six touchdowns. He didn't quite reach that pace through eight games last season (29 receptions, 223 yards, two touchdowns) before he went down with a neck injury that ultimately landed him on injured reserve. He has yet to be cleared, but Reese's comments offered cautious optimism on the tight end's chances of gaining clearance some time this offseason. If Donnell's neck injury continues to keep him sidelined, however, Will Tye's role in the offense in 2016 could increase.

Graham, who suffered a ruptured patella tendon in Week 12 last season, could return by the end of the training camp, coach Pete Carroll said Thursday.

Carroll said Graham is "ahead of schedule" in his recovery. If Graham does not return until the end of training camp, it's likely he won't be ready for Week 1.

Graham (knee) still has no timetable for a return from the ruptured patella tendon he suffered in Week 12, Seahawks GM John Schneider told ESPN on Wednesday.

Schneider said Graham is rehabilitating the knee down in Miami and is "ready to get after it," but the injury is too severe to know how it will respond at this point. The Seahawks are expected to keep Graham around despite a $9 million cap hit next season, so they obviously expect he will be back soon enough to make an impact, but we'll monitor his rehab throughout the offseason.

James is in line for an expanded role in the Steelers' offense after Heath Miller retired from the NFL on Friday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Miller's announcement opens a void in the offense to be filled by James, Matt Spaeth, Xavier Grimble, and any other tight end obtained in the offseason. Spaeth is primarily known as a blocking specialist, leaving James, a 2015 fifth-round pick, as the prime pass-catching option remaining on the roster. Although James was inactive until Week 9, he logged nearly 17 percent of the offensive snaps in the regular season, which translated to eight catches (on 11 targets) for 56 yards and one touchdown.

Dray had his contract with the Browns terminated on Thursday.

Dray will head into free agency after two seasons with the Browns in which he played in all 32 games. He recorded six receptions for 61 yards last season.

Niklas reeled in all four targets for 33 yards and two touchdowns during the 2015 season.

Serving in a strict reserve role this season, Niklas nonetheless fared much better on the injury front, appearing in every game versus the seven that he was contained to as a rookie in 2014. However, both Darren Fells (restricted) and Jermaine Gresham (unrestricted) are free agents, which may result in a jump up the depth chart. Niklas' pedigree as a second-round pick would warrant such a promotion, but he still must put in the work to deserve an expanded target count.