NFL Player News

Uzomah and the Jets agreed Wednesday to a restructure of his contract that converts $4.5 million of his salary for 2023 into a signing bonus, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Uzomah's contract adjustment clears $3.6 million in cap space for the Jets, while it also makes it more difficult for New York to move on from the 30-year-old after this season considering that he's in line to account for more than $12.5 million against the cap in 2024, per Bridget Hyland of The Newark Star-Ledger. Uzomah, who tallied 21 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns across 15 games played in 2022, is once again slated to compete for snaps this year with fellow tight end Tyler Conklin.

The Jaguars have assigned the franchise tag to Engram, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

This was already the expectation, but it's now slated to occur after the sides were unable to come to an agreement on a long-term deal ahead of Tuesday's tagging deadline. They'll now have until mid-July to keep discussing a deal. Engram had a career year in Jacksonville last season with 73 catches for 766 yards and four touchdowns.

Hill restructured his contract Saturday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The move, coupled with a restructuring of linebacker Demario Davis' contract, gives the Saints close to $13 million in cap space. Despite playing in four more games this season, Hill saw almost 100 less offensive snaps than 2021, but he still set a career high in total yards (652), specifically emerging as a dangerous ball carrier to the tune of 6.0 yards per carry (on 96 attempts). The Saints are expected to be in the hunt for one of the top quarterbacks on the open market, meaning Hill likely will continue to operate in his super-utility role moving forward.

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports the Jaguars are expected to assign the franchise tag to Engram.

Jaguars GM Trent Baalke said earlier in the week that Engram was going to be back with the team in 2023, whether it was via the franchise tag or on a long-term deal. The tag gives the Jaguars more time to talk with Engram's camp to hammer out an extension. If Engram plays on the tag, it will pay him a guaranteed $11.345 million.

Dissly (knee) is expected to be ready for the start of training camp, Liz Mathews of USA Today reports.

Coach Pete Carroll said at this week's NFL Scouting Combine that Dissly "damaged a bone on the outside of his knee" but won't need surgery for the issue, and that the tight end should be good to go for training camp. Carroll said that Dissly is "doing really well and making progress," which is positive news considering the unusual nature of his injury. Barring any setbacks, Dissly appears on track for the start of the 2023 campaign.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday that Dissly (knee) won't need surgery and should be ready for the start of 2023, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times reports.

Dissly caught 34 passes for 349 yards and three scores across 15 regular-season games before ending the 2022 campaign on IR due to a knee contusion. He opted to avoid surgery initially, and it appears the issue is healing well on its own. While Carroll saying the tight end will be ready for the 2023 campaign is certainly encouraging, it's still possible Dissly is sidelined or limited throughout offseason work.

Atlanta re-signed Hesse as an exclusive rights free agent Friday.

Hesse played an important blocking role across 17 games with the Falcons in 2022, while also catching nine of 11 targets for 89 yards. The expectation is that Kyle Pitts (knee) will be back to full health well ahead of the 2023 season and operate as the clear lead receiving option in Atlanta's tight end room. Even while Pitts was sidelined in 2022, Hesse never managed to emerge as a viable fantasy option.

Lewis was targeted seven times and caught six passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns over 17 appearances in the 2022 season.

The 38-year-old made little fantasy impact in his 17th season, but he did play at least 41 percent of offensive snaps for a fourth year in a row. Lewis remains a trusty blocker at the tight end position, and if he elects to continue playing, the free agent will likely land a roster spot in Green Bay or elsewhere.

Deguara was targeted 15 times and caught 13 passes for 114 yards over 17 games in the 2022 campaign.

Deguara appeared in every game for the first time in his three-year career, but he finished with roughly half the number of receptions and yards as he did in 2021, and he also failed to find the end zone after doing so twice in the previous season. He will almost certainly be back with Green Bay for a fourth go-around, but chances are he will remain in a complementary role.

Ertz (knee) said Thursday that "the goal is always to be there Week 1" of next season, Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site reports.

Ertz spoke to the media after new coach Jonathan Gannon's introductory news conference, telling those assembled that he'll be three months removed from surgery to repair damage to the ACL and MCL in his left knee as of Saturday. While Ertz added that he won't "go out there early, put the team at risk when I'm 80 percent," he said his goal is an "adaptable" one. The Cardinals aren't slated to report for training camp until late July -- i.e. more than five months in the future -- but considering the leaps made in medical technology, he has a legitimate chance to be available for the season opener in early September.