NFL Player News

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.

The Colts are expected to trade Allen to the Patriots, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports.

It's unclear what the Patriots will give up in the anticipated deal, but assuming the move is completed, we'd expect that it paves the way for the departure of Martellus Bennett via free agency. Allen is coming off a 2016 season in which he caught 35 passes for 406 yards and six TDs in 14 games for Indy. With the Patriots he'd provide the team with both valuable insurance for, as well as a complementary option to, oft-injured tight end Rob Gronkowski.

Duarte signed an exclusive rights contract with the Dolphins on Wednesday, Omar Kelly of the Florida Sun-Sentinel reports.

Duarte didn't appear in any games as an undrafted rookie with the Dolphins in 2016, though he was on the active roster for a few weeks. He'll look to make the opening week roster and see some on-field action in 2017.

New head coach Anthony Lynn said he plans to use Henry and Antonio Gates together, but the frequency with which the team uses two-tight end formations will depend on the opponent, Chargers.com reports.

The 22-year-old Henry flashed tremendous upside as a rookie, turning his 53 targets into 36 catches for 478 yards (13.3 YPR, 9.0 YPT) and eight touchdowns. Meanwhile, Gates had 53 catches for 548 yards and seven touchdowns on 92 targets (10.3 YPR, 6.0 YPT), largely relying on red-zone volume for his production. Henry has a real shot to overtake Gates as the team's No. 1 tight end in 2017, offering a far higher ceiling than his aging counterpart. Either way, both players figure to be significantly involved in the Philip Rivers-led passing attack.

Supernaw will not receive a restricted free agent tender from the Titans, Jason Wolf of the Tennessean reports.

Not receiving a tender means that Supernaw will become an unrestricted free agent on Thursday. He had four receptions for 62 yards last season, both of which were career highs for the six-year veteran. Wherever he signs, he shouldn't be looked to for much fantasy value.