NFL Player News

After tight end Zach Sudfeld cleared waivers Wednesday, the Jets placed him on injured reserve, the team announced.

Sudfeld suffered a knee injury during practice last week. In 16 games last season, Sudfeld caught five passes for 85 yards.

Buccaneers tightend Timothy Wright is excited to be back in Tampa and is ready to take on a contributing role with the team, per The Tampa Tribune.

Wright, who started his career with the Bucs before being traded to the Patriots last year, is glad to be back where his career started two seasons ago.

“I’m pretty happy about (the opportunity) to step in and contribute right away,” Wright said.

Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said the move to bring back Wright, who caught five touchdowns as a rookie for the team, makes the Bucs a better team.

“It was an easy decision to make on Tim,” Bucs coach Lovie Smith said. “We liked Tim (last year). We decided to go in a different direction, but now we’re a stronger football team with Tim on our team. It’s good to have him back.”

Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar has at least been consistent with his pass-catching production in his first two NFL seasons. He totaled nine receptions in both of them.

Considering his limited opportunities, backup status to still-effective Jason Witten and battle to be offensively relevant among many weapons, he couldn't have expected much more. So he is hoping to become a better blocker, a skill the Cowboys feel he needs to improve.

Escobar did see more action in 2014 with 263 snaps, compared to 207 the previous year. He began his NFL career at 245 pounds, but is now up to 255 and hopes to land at 260 before the regular season begins.

"Every year I feel like I make strides, just understanding the game, being more comfortable playing in the NFL," he told the Dallas Morning News. "Every year I feel like I've been taking steps in the right direction."

The Jets have announced that tight end Zach Sudfeld has torn his ACL, motivating the team to sign fellow tight end Steve Maneri, per Newsday.

The team was worried that tests would reveal a serious injury for Sudfeld, who caught 10 passes for 148 yards over the last two seasons combined.

The Buccaneers have claimed tight end Tim Wright off waivers, according to Sporting News. He wasn't out of work long - he was waived by New England on Thursday.

Wright is returning to familiar territory. He played in every game for Tampa Bay in 2013 before doing the same with the Patriots last year. But he was far more productive with the former. He caught 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns for the Buccaneers. He snagged six in the end zone for New England, but that represented nearly one-fourth of his total receptions.

Seahawks newcomer Jimmy Graham has proven himself as a pass-catcher in the NFL. Now he must prove himself as a blocker on a team that features the ground game.

Teammate Michael Bennett remains unsure if that will happen. He once called Graham "one of the softest players" in the sport. He has not backed off that statement. He even added since Graham arrived that he would need to block more in Seattle.

No sweat, says Graham.

"Listen, man, I'm 270 pounds," he told 710 ESPN Seattle. "I can block anybody I want to. It's all about want-to. We'll see come this first Sunday."

Graham didn't block extensively with New Orleans. He was also not healthy. He dealt with injuries to his shoulder and foot in 2013 that hindered his ability in that area. But Pro Football Focus graded him middle-of-the-pack in blocking among tight ends in 2014.

Jets tight end Zach Sudfeld and cornerback Darrin Walls were held out of Thursday's OTA session because of injuries, the team announced.

Sudfeld is dealing with a knee injury and coach Todd Bowles said Sudfeld is undergoing tests on the knee and he said it may be more than a minor injury, reports ESPNNewYork.com.

Meanwhile, a toe injury prevented Walls from participating Thursday.

The Patriots parted ways with tight end Timothy Wright on Thursday, the team announced. 

In 2014, Wright had 26 catches for 259 yards and six touchdowns.

The Cardinals have announced that second-year tight end Troy Niklas will undergo minor surgery Thursday on the ankle that proved bothersome last season.

Niklas, who caught three passes for 38 yards in 2014, is expected to be ready for training camp.

Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas struggled with inconsistency at practice again on Tuesday. Thomas continues to get some snaps at third-string quarterback, but he's a long way from winning that job. 

"Still a work in progress,” coach Bruce Arians said, per ESPN. “He makes some of those wild throws still and you just scratch your head sometimes."