NFL Player News

Tampa Bay signed Wells to a reserve/future contract Tuesday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.

Wells spent the majority of the 2022 campaign on Tampa Bay's practice squad, but he was never elevated to the active roster. With his new contract, he'll have a chance to compete for a larger role throughout the offseason.

Kolar played in two games as a rookie and recorded four receptions for 49 yards on six targets.

The fourth-round selection out of Iowa State had his rookie season thrown off kilter by a sports hernia that required surgery during the preseason. He did not see his first game action until Week 17 but managed to make an impact in the regular season finale against the Bengals with four grabs for 49 yards. Fair or not, Kolar will be compared to fellow rookie tight end Isaiah Likely as they were drafted in the same round and both are competing to be the top tight end behind Mark Andrews. Kolar gets an incomplete grade for his rookie season due to the injury while Likely became a reliable part of the offense. If the offense does not change in 2023, Kolar could take over the role occupied by Josh Oliver provided Oliver is not retained. A less tight end-reliant system could put Kolar in a squeeze for playing time, however.

Fortson (elbow) was designated to return from injured reserve and will practice Tuesday, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Fortson missed the final three regular-season games due to a subluxated elbow, but he'll return to practice this week and have a shot to play in Saturday's divisional-round matchup against Jacksonville. Across 13 appearances, the backup tight end caught nine of 13 targets for 108 yards and two scores, but he played more on special teams (181 snaps) than he did on offense (175).

Bell caught his only target for three yards during the Week 18 victory versus the Raiders.

Bell spent most of the 2022 campaign on injured reserve due to a hip flexor injury that required surgery. He didn't rejoin the action until Week 16 and played minimal offensive snaps over the final three weeks. Despite that, the veteran backup tight end compiled a pair of catches for 20 yards and his first career touchdown. Bell is late enough in his career that he's clearly not going to turn into a significant receiving threat, so he can be left on waiver wires everywhere heading into 2023. Bell is also a free agent heading into next season, so he'll aim to find a home somewhere as a backup again.

Gray gathered in their only target for 14 yards during the Week 18 win against the Raiders.

Gray tallied just one catch in each of the final three games of the regular season and no more than three in any single game while reaching pay dirt just once through the air and once on the ground. Gray at least finished 2022 with an offensive snap count percentage (52.7) north of 50 for the first time in his young career and may be aligned as the top in-house option to take over at tight end once Travis Kelce retires. Until then, and assuming the team doesn't upgrade the tight end depth by other means, Gray is largely irrelevant from a fantasy perspective aside from some deep dynasty formats.

Oliver caught 14 of 25 targets for 126 yards and two touchdowns in 2022.

Oliver saw a role increase in his second year with Baltimore as he played nearly 500 snaps and recorded his first season with double-digit receptions despite the team bringing in two tight ends in the fourth round of the draft. Rookie Charlie Kolar being injured for much of the season helped Oliver carve out a bigger role, and he established himself as a useful blocker in Baltimore's run-heavy scheme. He's due to hit free agency this offseason, and with Mark Andrews already in the fold along with Baltimore's investments at tight end in the draft, it's possible he will be playing elsewhere in 2023.

Tomlinson caught nine of 13 targets for 79 yards and two touchdowns while playing all 17 games of the 2022 season.

Known mostly for his skills as a blocker, Tomlinson operated in a depth role at tight end and saw just 13 targets across 17 games. With that said, he was surprisingly tied for second on the Broncos with two receiving touchdowns. The veteran played at least 50 percent of offensive snaps just once during the 2022 campaign, as rookie Greg Dulcich eventually stepped up as the leader of Denver's tight end corps for most of the season. Tomlinson is set to be a free agent this offseason, so the 30-year-old will likely audition for a spot on the roster with a new coaching staff in the coming months. Nonetheless, Tomlinson's skills as a blocker will likely help him secure his next contract, even if the Broncos decide to move on.

Moreau closed out his 2022 campaign with 33 catches for 420 yards and two touchdowns on 54 targets in 15 games.

Moreau was credited with 14 starts and he filled in as the Raiders' No. 1 tight end when Darren Waller was sidelined for eight straight contests due to injury, but Moreau found the end zone just twice all year and never recorded more than 55 receiving yards in a single game. The 2019 fourth-rounder's rookie contract expires and he becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason, so Moreau could land elsewhere in 2023.

Schultz secured seven of eight targets for 95 yards and two touchdowns in the Cowboys' 31-14 wild-card win over the Buccaneers on Monday night.

The veteran tight end was the Cowboys leader in receptions, receiving yards and targets while also finding the end zone from 22 and 11 yards out in first and second quarters. Schultz was a consistent target down the stretch for Dak Prescott with at least four catches in seven of his last 11 regular-season games, and given Monday night's numbers, he could play a prominent role once again in Sunday's divisional-round road matchup against the tough 49ers defense.

Hendershot (groin) returned to Monday's wild-card game against the Buccaneers, Michael Gehlken of The Dallas Morning News reports

Hendershot was forced out with a hip injury sustained at some point during the first quarter. However, the rookie tight end was able to quickly return for Dallas' first offensive series of the second quarter. Hendershot should continue to play a majority of special-teams snaps while providing depth behind top tight ends Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson.