NFL Player News

The Dolphins continue to lock up their draft picks, reports the Miami Herald.

The team signed wide receiver Matt Hazel , a sixth-round pick, Friday to a four-year deal worth an estimated $2.3 million. The team also announced the signing of linebacker Jordan Tripp , a deal that was consummated Thursday.

Hazel, Tripp and tight end Arthur Lynch have now signed with the team.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees is confident tight end Jimmy Graham, who is holding out while unsigned under the franchise tag, will get a new deal soon, reports ESPN.

"We've been in contact," Brees said. "Just checking on him, making sure he's doing all right and he's not getting frustrated, you know, disappointed or taking things personal. It's easy to do that, especially as a young player. You look at your contributions to the team, and [think], 'Here I am, drafted in the third round, been pretty much playing for minimum here over the last four years. And now this is my opportunity to get compensated based on my production.' It's what every young player hopes that they have the opportunity to go through or get is that second contract. And I know he wants to be a Saint for the rest of his career. I know I want him to be a Saint for the rest of my career. Hopefully we can go at it for another five, six, seven years together and then go out champions together. But I'm confident it will all get worked out when it's supposed to."

Lions tight end Joseph Fauria understands why the team drafted Eric Ebron with a first-round pick. He just wants a chance to compete with him for the starting job, the Detroit Free Press reports.

Seemingly lost in the shuffle among the tight end depth chart in Tampa Bay is Timothy Wright, who saw his team bring in Brandon Myers via free agency and Austin Seferian-Jenkins via the draft. But Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith sees the value in Wright. 

"Tim is a guy I should have talked about more because he's another guy that does something well it seems like every day," Smith said according to the official team website. "Nowadays, with the emergence of the passing game and you've got to be able to pass to win ... the matchups ... tight end versus safety, tight end versus linebacker, we have a good matchup with Tim Wright. He of course can do things in-line, but he can split out, he can run all of the passing tree, he's natural moving out and running routes too. I'm very pleased with him and all he's done since Day One."

The website believes things are "going pretty well" for Wright, who scored five touchdowns when pressed into action last season. 

Colts tight end Dwayne Allen participated in the team's offseason minicamp drills this week, the Indianapolis Star reported. Allen believes he needs the workouts to get back in shape after a hip injury cost him much of last season.

"It takes that everyday grind to really come back," said Allen. "I've really had to teach myself how to run again. Once I got back going after the first couple of days, it was getting back into my timing with the quarterback. But it's going well. It's getting better and it's about not getting discouraged when you have a setback."

The Cardinals signed three draft picks to four-year contracts: fourth-round quarterback Logan Thomas (Virginia Tech), fifth-round defensive lineman Ed Stinson (Alabama) and sixth-round receiver Walt Powell (Murray State).

The Jets took a long look at rookie tight Jace Amaro in minicamp over the weekend, targeting him often in his debut workout as a pro, reports the New York Post.

“It’s like [offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg] thinks we’ve got a new toy and we’re trying to feature him,” coach Rex Ryan said.

Amaro, a 6-5, 265-pounder out of Texas Tech, set the NCAA's all-time single season record for receiving yards by a tight end with 1,352, on 106 catches. He's aiming to catch 100 passes a year in the NFL.

"The goal is to win the Rookie of the Year [award] and be the best offensive player you can be, and if you don’t have that mindset, then you’re not really in this for the right reasons,” Amaro told the paper.

"I would like to be a tight end who catches 100 balls a year. That might be five years from now or it might be 10 [years], but that’s the goal for me."

The Texans waived running backs Ray Graham and Chad Spann, tight end Phillip Supernaw, receiver Rico Richardson, safety Steven Terrell and cornerback Loyce Means.

The drafting of Eric Ebron crushed any hope Joseph Fauria had of being a dangerous Fantasy option week in and week out in the Lions' new offense, which is based on what the Saints have been doing and includes a lot of tight end elements. Fauria did have seven touchdowns over 18 catches at 11.5 yards per grab last season and could still make some noise in the red zone but Ebron figures to dominate the playing time. Fauria no longer is worth taking in a typical Fantasy draft.

With the retirement of Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons are undergoing a change in philosophy about their tight end position, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. General manager Thomas Dimitroff said there weren't a lot of athletic pass-catching tight ends available in the draft, and the team will be more traditional in its 2014 approach.

Look for Atlanta's tight ends to line up on the line of scrimmage and block more. The team wants to be more physical up front.

"There’ll be a change in the type of tight end we’ll have on our roster," coach Mike Smith told the paper. "We’ll have a ‘Y’ tight end, where he’ll be an inline player (lined up tight to the formation). They won’t be moving around nearly as much as what we call an ‘F.’ Tony Gonzalez was more of an ‘F’ tight end than a ‘Y’ tight end."

Levine Toilolo, who had 11 catches as a rookie last year, and blocking tight end Bear Pascoe sit atop the depth chart.