NFL Player News

Hooper is slated to sign a one-year, $6 million deal with the Titans, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Hooper is coming off a 2021 season in which he logged 38 catches (on 61 targets) for 345 yards and three TDs in 16 games for the Browns. The 27-year-old put those numbers up in the context of working in a time-share that involved David Njoku and Harrison Bryant, to a lesser degree. With the Titans, he'll have Geoff Swaim to contend with for targets, but we nonetheless expect Hooper -- a 2016 third-rounder -- to see an uptick in looks this coming season, and with that, a corresponding increase in fantasy utility.

Smythe signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Dolphins on Friday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

Smythe appeared in all 17 games for the Dolphins in 2021 and caught 34 of 41 targets for 357 yards and zero touchdowns. He figures to once again operate as the second tight end behind Mike Gesicki in 2022.

Kansas City tendered Fortson (Achilles), an exclusive rights free agent, Friday, Herbie Teope of The Kansas City Star reports.

Fortson caught five passes for 47 yards and two touchdowns across six games during the 2021 campaign before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury during the Chiefs' Week 6 win over Washington. He's expected to be ready by the start of the 2022 season, so he'll have a chance to build off his solid start in 2021.

Uzomah will compete for playing time with fellow tight end Tyler Conklin, whom the Jets officially signed to a contract Friday.

Uzomah and Conklin both topped the tight end depth charts for their respective teams in 2021, with the former racking up 493 yards and five touchdowns with the Bengals and the latter totaling 593 yards and three touchdowns with the Vikings. There should be plenty of snaps to go around for both of the Jets' new tight ends in 2022, as offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur likes to run a lot of 12 personnel with two tight ends on the field simultaneously. LaFleur's shift away from such formations in the second half of last season can be attributed to New York's lack of healthy talent at tight end, which the team hopes to have addressed with the signings of Uzomah and Conklin.

Hurst is signing a one-year contract with the Bengals, EnterSports Management reports.

Hurst will help replace C.J. Uzomah, who signed with the Jets earlier in the week. The Bengals also have Drew Sample, a 2019 second-round pick, while Hurst himself was a 2018 first-rounder. Neither has emerged as a consistent pass-catching threat in the NFL, but Hurst has shown some flashes, including a 30-349-2 receiving line on only 39 targets in 2019 with the Ravens, followed by a 56-571-6 line on 88 targets in 2020 for the Falcons. He then dropped to 26-221-3 in 13 games last year, working behind standout rookie Kyle Pitts in a subpar offense. If nothing else, Hurst should get more red-zone looks in Cincinnati, playing with Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Co.

Carlson (knee) became an unrestricted free agent Wednesday after the Browns opted not to tender him a contract for 2022, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Carlson sat out the 2021 campaign after requiring season-ending knee surgery in late August. He appeared in all 16 games during 2020 and caught one pass for 11 yards.

The Giants and Seals-Jones (concussion) agreed to a contract Wednesday, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports.

Seals-Jones is joining the fifth organization of his career and a team in great need at his position after Evan Engram left for Jacksonville, Kyle Rudolph and Kaden Smith (knee) were cut in recent weeks, and Levine Toilolo (Achilles) hit free agency. Seals-Jones flashed at times last season for Washington when Logan Thomas (knee) was sidelined, gathering in 30 of 49 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. With the Giants, Seals-Jones will serve as the team's unquestioned top tight end due to the competition combining for three career catches, all which came from Chris Myarick last season.

The Jets and Conklin agreed to terms on a contract Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

In 2021 with Minnesota, Conklin benefited from the loss of Irv Smith for the season due to a torn meniscus in late August, breaking out with a 61-593-3 receiving line on 87 targets in 17 games. With his new squad, Conklin joins C.J. Uzomah to form a remodeled tight end room. Conklin likely will play second fiddle to Uzomah, and passes from second-year signal-caller Zach Wilson may be difficult to come by in an offense that includes wide receivers Corey Davis (groin), Elijah Moore (quadriceps/illness) and Braxton Berrios.

Mundt (knee) signed a contract with the Vikings on Wednesday.

Mundt appeared in six games with the Rams in 2021, serving mostly as a depth tight end while hauling in his lone target for nine yards. He sustained a torn ACL in mid-October, so he'll likely be sidelined for the entirety of the Vikings' offseason program. Mundt could be ready to go at some point in training camp, but for the moment, his availability for the start of the 2022 campaign is muddled.

The Browns are slated to release Hooper on Wednesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Rumors had been percolating about Hooper's release, especially after the team used a franchise tag on fellow tight end David Njoku. Though a report last week suggested the Browns would keep Hooper, the team now sounds likely to move on from the veteran two seasons in to his four-year, $42 million contract. The 27-year-old caught 84 passes for 780 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 regular-season games with Cleveland the past two seasons.