NFL Player News

The Cardinals signed Seikovits to a reserve/future contract Wednesday.

The international player spent the 2021 season with the Cardinals but never appeared in a game. Seikovits will now have another offseason in Arizona to prove that his Austrian football background can transition into a successful NFL career.

McKeon caught four of six targets for 27 yards and a touchdown across nine games this season.

He missed the first eight weeks of the season due to an ankle injury, but McKeon found a role as a blocker and depth tight end upon his return, and he scored his first career TD on Thanksgiving against the Raiders. The undrafted player has one more year remaining on his current contract, and he could see a larger role in 2022 if Dalton Schultz leaves in free agency.

Hockenson (thumb) recently said he'll be healthy for the start of the Lions' offseason program, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports. "I'm almost there already, and it's only been a few weeks," Hockenson said. "Just a few more left, and I'll be 100 percent by the offseason."

The tight end had surgery on his left thumb in mid-December, thus wrapping up the 2021 season with a 61-583-4 receiving line in 12 games (84 targets, 7.0 per week). Hockenson now enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, though the Lions presumably will exercise his fifth-year team option before the May 2 deadline. He should retain breakout appeal as he enters his age-25 season, especially if the Lions upgrade at other positions this spring. Hockenson is one of the core pieces of Detroit's rebuild and a true three-down tight end.

Higbee caught three of his four targets for 46 yards Monday in the Rams' 34-11 wild-card round victory over the Cardinals.

Higbee has showcased a reliable fantasy floor over the past five games, as he's topped 40 receiving yards in each contest to the tune of 25 receptions for 259 yards and two touchdowns. The two scores came during the Week 18 loss to San Francisco, which was his best showing of the season. He should probably be viewed as a mid-tier option at tight end this weekend against the Buccaneers among the four divisional-round games.

Ertz posted 74 catches on 112 targets for 763 yards and five touchdowns in 17 games between the Eagles and Cardinals during the 2021 campaign.

One day removed from the Eagles' Week 6 loss to the Buccaneers, the only NFL team Ertz had ever played for shipped him to the desert after eight-plus campaigns. At the time of his arrival in Arizona, he only had an 18-189-2 line on 31 targets, so his final numbers represent both a big role in a better passing game and a clear sign his skills haven't eroded. The biggest factor in Ertz's revival was an injury to DeAndre Hopkins, who missed eight of the final 10 games including playoffs with hamstring and knee issues. Kyler Murray turned to Ertz often with Hopkins out, especially during a Week 15-18 stretch in which he earned 43 targets and eventually matched the franchise record for catches by a tight end in a single season with 56. After Sunday's wild-card loss to the Rams, Ertz told Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official site that he "would love to be a part" of the team moving forward, but the unrestricted free agent likely will be fielding multiple offers from other organizations come mid-March.

Togiai signed a reserve/future contract with Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Togiai joined the Eagles' practice squad in mid-October and made his lone appearance of the season in Week 18. He played 22 offseason snaps without receiving a target and has yet to record his first NFL reception through five career games.

The Steelers signed Sternberger to a reserve/future contract Tuesday, Teresa Varley of the team's official website reports.

The tight end joined the Steelers' practice squad in November after being released by the Packers earlier in the season, but he wasn't active for any contests. Sternberger will now return to the Steelers in 2022 and look to carve out a greater role heading into his fourth season in the NFL.

Conklin caught two of four targets for six yards during Week 18's 31-17 win over the Bears.

With Irv Smith (knee) lost for the year before the season began, Conklin came into 2021 with a bigger role than expected. He fared admirably, notching multiple catches in all but one game and finished the 2021 campaign with 61 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns -- all career highs. Conklin is set to be a free agent this offseason, so he may draw some interest from around the league after his career year, which in turn would make it difficult for the Vikings to bring him back.

Johnson caught 13 of 21 targets for 159 yards and four touchdowns over 14 games in 2021.

After converting from wide receiver during the offseason, Johnson was one of three New Orleans tight ends to have a sizable role in 2021. However, Johnson ran a route on over 52 percent of his offensive snaps while Adam Trautman (33.8) and Vannett (36.3) hovered around one third. Moreover, Johnson's four touchdowns were more than Trautman (two) and Vannett (one) combined. While his overall stat line still wasn't very useful for fantasy purposes, Johnson had impressive moments for an undrafted player who changed positions ahead of his second season in the pros. As an exclusive-rights free agent, Johnson should be back in New Orleans in 2022, when he'll again look to push Trautman and Vannett for receiving reps at tight end.

Vannett caught nine of 15 targets for 133 yards and one touchdown over seven games in 2021.

Vannett's preseason knee injury wound up costing him over half of the season. While he caught a few passes in two of the four games Adam Trautman missed down the stretch, the veteran otherwise didn't do much from a receiving standpoint while rotating in behind Trautman. Both players will be back to head the Saints depth chart at tight end in 2022, and Juwan Johnson, who is an exclusive-rights free agent, should be there to join them.