NFL Player News

Bowers signed a one-year contract with the Raiders on Monday.

Bowers joined the Raiders in 2020 as an undrafted free agent out of Penn State. After spending that season on the practice squad, he made his NFL debut in 2021 in Week 5 against the Bears. Appearing in a total of five contests, Bowers accumulated 39 offensive snaps but never saw a target. He'll work to carve out a bigger role with the Raiders in 2022.

Wilcox signed a one-year deal with the Bengals on Friday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic reports.

Wilcox appeared in 15 games for the Bengals last year, but the majority of his snaps came on special teams. Across 81 offensive snaps, the 25-year-old tight end caught three of five targets for 16 yards. He figures to garner a similar role in 2022, as Cincinnati's tight-end room remains essentially the same after swapping C.J. Uzomah -- who signed with the Jets this offseason -- for Hayden Hurst.

Parham faces additional competition at tight end in 2022 after the Chargers opted to sign Gerald Everett in March, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Not only does Everett project to be the team's No. 1 tight end this season, head coach Brandon Staley suggested the team is still interested in adding another one to the mix. While nominal third-stringer Stephen Anderson signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals earlier this offseason, it's possible Parham might find himself in a full-fledged battle for the No. 2 role, much less a starting spot, after he spent the majority of the offseason to date as the team's lone quality option at the position.

Holtz signed a contract with the Saints on Tuesday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

After posting seven catches for 91 yards in 2019, Holtz failed to catch a pass in 2020 or 2021. If he makes the initial 53-man roster, the undrafted tight end out of Pittsburgh will likely serve primarily as a blocker once again in 2022.

Eubanks signed with the Bengals on Tuesday.

The undrafted free agent out of Michigan spent his rookie campaign splitting time between the Eagles and Lions' practice squads, but he never made his NFL debut. Cincinnati replaced C.J. Uzomah, who signed with the Jets this offseason, by signing Hayden Hurst and also have Drew Sample, a 2019 second-round pick, so Eubanks figures to serve as a depth option if he makes the initial 53-man roster.

Horstead signed a one-year contract as an exclusive-rights free agent with the Bears on Tuesday, Brendan Sugrue of USA Today reports.

Horsted was tendered by Chicago back in March, and he will now officially return to the team. The depth tight end mostly contributed on special teams last season, handling just six offensive snaps in seven appearances.

Njoku and the Browns are engaged in active talks on a contract extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Cleveland has already applied the franchise tag to Njoku, giving both sides until July 15 to agree to terms on a multi-year deal. If a long-term agreement can't be reached, Njoku will play out the 2022 campaign on a $10.8 million salary. With Austin Hooper no longer on the roster and Deshaun Watson now atop the Browns' quarterback depth chart, Njoku could be facing a legitimate breakout opportunity. Cleveland stands to add more pass catchers as the offseason continues, potentially in April's draft, but the 2017 first-rounder will still have a clear path to a notable role on offense.

With Jack Doyle having retired, Granson is in a position to see an expanded role in the Colts' passing game this coming season, JJ Stankevitz of the team's official site reports.

In his first NFL season, the 2021 fourth-rounder was limited to 11 catches (on 15 targets) for 106 yards in 17 games, but GM Chris Ballard believes that Granson has "big upside." While the SMU product still has sturdy blocker Mo Alie-Cox to contend with for targets and the team may add further tight end depth in advance of Week 1, Granson potentially could emerge as a fantasy sleeper at his position should the 6-foot-2, 242-pounder develop a productive rapport with Matt Ryan, the Colts' new signal-caller.

The Packers consider Tonyan (knee) to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from a left ACL tear, Zach Kruse of USA Today reports.

General manager Brian Gutekunst said the team doesn't "have a real timetable" on Tonyan's recovery, but it appears that the top tight end could have a shot to retake the field early in the 2022 campaign, potentially even by Week 1. Tonyan re-signed with the Packers on a one-year contract mid-March, just following the team's trade of Davante Adams to the Raiders. Considering the void left by Adams on offense, Tonyan figures to handle a key role in the passing game even if Green Bay makes notable additions to the wide receiver room as the offseason continues.

General manager Brad Holmes confirmed Tuesday that the Lions will pick up the fifth-year option on Hockenson's (thumb) contract, Justin Rogers of The Detroit News reports.

Expect the Lions to formally make the decision before the May 2 deadline, though it's possible that Hockenson could agree to a long-term deal before then. In any case, the Lions don't seem to have any concern that the tight end's season-ending thumb injury will affect his availability for offseason workouts this spring and summer.