NFL Player News

Lohner is expected to miss two weeks after undergoing a lower-body procedure, Mike Klis of 9News Denver reports.

Klis adds that Lohner's procedure was a routine cleanup and that he'll be fully ready for training camp. The second-year tight end spent his rookie season on the Broncos' practice squad and signed a reserve/future contract with the team in January. Lohner was lauded by Denver coach Sean Payton as a standout performer while participating in rookie minicamp this May, and he'll look to impress again when he's healthy this offseason.

Klein was sidelined at the Texans' OTAs during the week after tweaking his hamstring, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Per Wilson, the injury isn't expected to keep Klein off the practice field for an extended period. The rookie second-round pick, who's competing with Foster Moreau for the No. 2 job behind Dalton Schultz, will have a chance to return to practice at some point during the Texans' mandatory minicamp, which begins Tuesday.

Barner (undisclosed) is expected to be ready for training camp, John Boyle of the Seahawks' official site reports.

The team has been vague on what Barner underwent his pair of surgeries for, but the tight end dealt with hip, elbow, shoulder, knee, ankle and calf injuries in the latter half of last season and into the playoffs. Despite the nagging issues, Barner started all 17 regular-season games, producing a 52-519-6 line on 68 targets. He added another six catches for 67 yards and one touchdown across three playoff contests.

Houston signed Hansen on Thursday.

The rookie tight end out of Connecticut is getting his first chance in the pros with the Texans. Over the course of the past three seasons with the Huskies, Hansen totaled 46 catches for 463 yards and four touchdowns in 40 games.

Pittsburgh waived Metayer on Thursday.

In a corresponding transaction, the Steelers signed veteran tight end Robert Tonyan to a one-year contract. Metayer, meanwhile, is now on track to become a free agent unless he's claimed by another team during the current waiver period.

Pittsburgh signed Tonyan to a one-year contract Thursday, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.

Coming off the heels of a season in which he suited up for 17 games with Kansas City, Tonyan is now joining his fifth different team in as many years. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are returning at tight end for the Steelers, but they released veteran Jonnu Smith back in March, so there's room for Tonyan to potentially snag a spot on the 53-man roster for 2026.

LaPorta (back) participated in Detroit's second open practice of OTAs on Thursday, Tim Twentyman of detroitlions.com reports.

LaPorta didn't participate last week during the first OTA practice that was open to reporters, but it's possible he's been practicing behind closed doors. Now that reporters have spotted LaPorta on the field, it's clear he has at least some level of clearance for football activities, coming back from mid-November surgery on a herniated disc. LaPorta said in January that he expected to have full clearance before the start of training camp in late July.

Kittle (Achilles) said Wednesday that he's "doing great" and is "ahead of schedule" in his rehab, ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner reports.

Kittle, coach Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch have all said Week 1 is the goal, with Kittle noting Wednesday that his surgeon (Dr. Neal ElAttrache) also said it was a realistic goal (back in mid-January when he underwent surgery). While he hasn't been cleared for football activities, Kittle remains a consistent presence at San Francisco's OTAs, doing side work and running with trainers. After Wednesday's practice, Kittle said it was the most he's run since suffering the Achilles' tear Jan. 11. Wagoner notes that the NFL's schedule won't help Kittle's bid to play Week 1, as the 49ers have a long haul to Australia on Sept. 2 ahead of their Sept. 11 matchup with the Rams in Melbourne.

Dulcich said Thursday that he's been building chemistry with QB Malik Willis during OTAs, Omar Kelly of the Miami Herald reports.

Dulcich told reporters that he's been impressed by Willis' vision and arm strength. It's the typical positive chatter for this time of year, but there is real reason to think Dulcich will become one of Willis' preferred pass-catchers, if only because there's so little else on the roster. Miami's other tight ends have combined for 24 receptions in the NFL, making Dulcich (67 catches in 31 games) the clear favorite for passing-down work. Rookie TE Will Kacmarek, a third-round pick, also has a chance to earn a lot of playing time, but he'll likely do far more blocking than route-running. The Dolphins re-signed Dulcich in March on a one-year, $3.25 million contract ($2.9 million guaranteed) after he averaged 2.9 catches for 37.2 yards over the final nine games of 2025.

The Steelers and Washington agreed to terms on a four-year, $42 million extension Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Since Pittsburgh selected him in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Washington has been used regularly in an offense that trots out multiple tight ends on most offensive snaps, ranging from 497 to 543 plays per season. He set or matched career highs across the board in 2025 with a 31-364-1 line on 43 targets across 16 regular-season games, and with Jonnu Smith and Connor Heyward exiting as free agents this offseason, Washington now has only Pat Freiermuth as notable competition for TE reps for the upcoming campaign.