NFL Player News

Jackson underwent successful surgery to repair his torn ACL on Thursday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Jackson tore his ACL during the Eagles' Week 18 loss to the Cowboys and will now shift his focus toward his lengthy recovery process. Since the injury happened so late in the 2021 campaign, it's not yet clear whether he'll be ready for training camp or Week 1 in 2022.

Kittle isn't listed on the 49ers injury report ahead of their NFC Championship Game matchup with the Rams on Sunday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Kittle was limping toward the end of Sunday's divisional-round win over the Packers, but both he and Deebo Samuel (leg) have avoided the injury report for the NFC title game, giving quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo all his key receiving options. The tight end caught four of six targets for 63 yards in the 13-10 win over Green Bay last week, ending a four-game streak with fewer than 30 receiving yards. That includes a 10-yard dud against the Rams in Week 18, though Kittle put up 5-50-1 receiving line on seven targets in the first matchup between the divisional rivals (Week 10).

Smith finished the 2021 regular season with 28 catches (on 45 targets) for 294 yards and a touchdown to go along with nine carries for 40 yards over 16 games.

Smith, who agreed to a four-year, $50 million deal with the Patriots this past March, worked in tandem with fellow free-agent addition Hunter Henry, who inked a three-year, $37.5 million pact. The resulting timeshare tilted in Henry's favor -- he logged a 50-603-9 receiving line -- while Smith's output as a receiver in his first campaign with New England was modest. While an uptick in production is a plausible outcome for Smith in 2022, so long as he and Henry share snaps, the former may continue to see inconsistent volume.

Henry finished the 2021 regular season with 50 catches on 75 targets for 603 yards and a career-high nine touchdowns in 17 games.

For the first time in his career, the 2016 second-round pick played a full slate of games. Henry, who is signed through 2023, joined the Patriots as a splashy free-agent signing last March along with fellow tight end Jonnu Smith. Though the two operated in a timeshare, Henry was far more involved in the passing game in his first campaign with New England. In 2022, Henry and Smith are in line to continue working in tandem, an arrangement that caps Henry's volume when both are available. That said, Henry's nose for the end zone should continue to make him a startable weekly fantasy option in most leagues.

Oliver caught nine of 15 targets for 66 yards in 2021.

An offseason acquisition from the Jaguars, Oliver suited up for 14 games with the Ravens. Mark Andrews came into the year as the alpha among the Ravens' tight ends and only solidified his standing in that regard, which left few opportunities for the rest of the position group when the team went with single tight end sets. Oliver averaged just 4.4 yards per target on his limited opportunities and played the third-most snaps at his position on the team. He is due $1 million in base salary in 2022, the final year of his rookie contract. If Nick Boyle returns to full strength, Oliver will have to battle with Eric Tomlinson for the No. 3 spot on the depth chart.

Morris signed a reserve/future contract with the Bills on Monday.

Morris was in training camp with the Bills and joined the practice squad after being let go at roster cuts in late August. The rookie UDFA out of Bowling Green was elevated to the active roster for one game but didn't make his NFL debut.

McKitty caught six of eight targets for 45 yards across 11 appearances during the 2021 campaign.

McKitty didn't play until after the Chargers' Week 7 bye, but the third-round rookie appeared in every game after that, notching double-digit offensive snaps in all but one contest. However, he didn't really get involved in the passing game until Donald Parham suffered a concussion Week 15. From Weeks 15-18, McKitty drew at least one target in each game and caught five of six targets for 38 yards. With starting tight end Jared Cook set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, McKitty could be in store for a larger role in Year 2.

Granson caught 11 of his 15 targets for 106 yards across 17 appearances during the 2021 campaign.

Granson didn't see a target through the first three weeks of the season, but his involvement in the passing game picked up from Weeks 4-13. During that stretch, he caught 10 passes for 100 yards and recorded at least one target in nine of 10 games, including multiple targets five times. Jack Doyle is expected to be back next year, but Mo Alie-Cox's contract is up this offseason, so the rookie could see increased involvement during Year 2.

Blanton caught both of his targets for 18 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's 30-27 win over Tampa Bay. He played just eight of 71 offensive snaps.

This was the first career touchdown for Blanton, as the backup tight end has played sparingly all season. He's unlikely to see an uptick in playing time as long as fellow tight end Tyler Higbee is healthy, but Blanton could receive a target or two next week against the 49ers.

Kelce caught eight of nine targets for 96 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 42-36 overtime win over Buffalo.

Kelce saved his biggest contributions for last in this one. The tight end's 25-yard catch-and-run in the final seconds of the fourth quarter set up Harrison Butker's game-tying 49-yard field goal as time expired. The Chiefs got the ball first in overtime, and Kelce ended it eight plays later with an eight-yard touchdown catch. He's a key cog in a brilliant Kansas City offense that should maintain its productive ways in the AFC Championship Game against the Bengals.