NFL Player News

The Texans signed Lachey to a reserve/future contract Tuesday.

Selected by the Texans in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Lachey spent his entire rookie season on Houston's practice squad after failing to make the 53-man roster at the end of training camp. He was not elevated to the active roster, but he'll be part of the Texans' 90-man roster for the offseason and will be eligible to participate in OTAs in minicamp.

The Bears signed Kalinic to a reserve/future contract Tuesday.

Kalinic joined the Bears' practice squad in late August after failing to make the Falcons' 53-man roster at the end of training camp. He was elevated to Chicago's active roster four times, including in each of the Bears' two playoff games, though he did not record a target. Kalinic will be a part of the Bears' 90-man roster for the offseason and will be eligible to participate in OTAs and minicamp.

The Bears signed Carlson to a reserve/future contract Tuesday.

With a future contract, Carlson will be on the Bears' 90-man roster when the offseason begins Feb. 9 and will be eligible to participate in offseason programs such as OTAs and minicamp. The Princeton product spent the entire 2025 campaign on the Bears' practice squad and appeared in two regular-season games, though he did not record a catch across those two contests.

Kittle said Monday that the right Achilles surgery he underwent last week went as well as possible, and the tight end said he expects to return to action "well before November" during the 2026 season, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Though a more definitive target date for his return won't become apparent until he's further along in the rehab process, Kittle is optimistic that he'll face a shorter recovery timeline than most players because he suffered a clear tear near the soleus muscle. Since that muscle is located higher up on the Achilles and he didn't need surgery on his heel, Kittle said that his surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, termed the procedure as a "best-case scenario." Kittle still appears likely to open training camp on a reserve list while he recovers, but he's not closing the door on being ready to play by Week 1, when he would be approximately eight months removed from surgery.

Lohner reverted to Denver's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Lohner was elevated ahead of the Broncos' divisional-round win against Buffalo on Saturday but ended up being a healthy scratch. He's yet to log an NFL snap, so Lohner seems very unlikely to be asked to contribute during Denver's AFC Championship Game matchup against New England on Sunday.

The Bears reverted Kalinic to their practice squad Monday, per the NFL's transaction log.

Kalinic was elevated ahead of Sunday's divisional-round loss to the Rams and logged 18 snaps, all of which came on special teams. The York University product got into two regular-season games this season, with all 29 of his snaps coming as part of the special-teams unit. The Bears' season is over, so unless he's signed to one of the remaining playoff teams' active rosters (which is very unlikely), Kalinic will now set his sights on trying to earn a roster spot somewhere for the 2026 campaign.

Parkinson secured three of seven targets for 56 yards during Sunday's 20-17 overtime win against the Bears in the divisional round.

Parkinson and Puka Nacua tied as team leaders in terms of receiving yards versus Chicago, in a contest that saw Matthew Stafford be held without a passing touchdown while struggling against cold weather conditions. In three of his last four appearances, Parkinson now has drawn exactly seven targets, though notable receiving opportunities were also allocated to fellow tight ends Terrance Ferguson (five targets) and Tyler Higbee (two targets) in the divisional round. Los Angeles' crowded TE corps remains difficult to predict for fantasy purposes, but Parkinson will remain the favorite to lead Rams tight ends in receiving during the NFC Championship Game against Seattle this coming Sunday.

Hudson and the Bengals agreed to a one-year contract extension Monday.

Hudson played in 15 games for Cincinnati during the 2025 campaign, posting a 19-168-2 receiving line that was a near carbon copy of his 19-154-1 line from 2024, though he saw action in just 11 regular-season contests during that 2024 campaign. His past two seasons have paled in comparison to his 2023 campaign when he recorded 39 catches on 50 targets for 352 yards a touchdown across 12 regular-season games, but the Bengals value his contributions enough to keep in the fold for at least another season. Mike Gesicki will likely remain Cincinnati's No. 1 tight end next year, but Hudson could fill a bigger role if Noah Fant, who is slated to be a free agent, doesn't return.

Hawes was not targeted during Buffalo's 33-30 divisional-round overtime loss to Denver on Saturday.

Hawes went untargeted in the Bills' playoff loss while fellow tight ends Dalton Kincaid (6-83-1) and Dawson Knox (3-32-0) both had multiple grabs. A rookie fifth-round pick, Hawes proved to be an impactful blocker, and while suiting up for all 17 regular-season games, he also managed a respectable 16-187-3 line (19 targets) despite operating as the clear No. 3 option at the position behind Kincaid and Knox. Kincaid is locked in as Buffalo's top pass-catching TE for 2026 and beyond, but Knox carries an exorbitant cap hit next season and will be a candidate to either restructure his deal this offseason or be cut, potentially paving the way for Hawes to handle increased opportunities.

Henry caught one of his two targets for five yards in Sunday's 28-16 divisional-round win over the Texans.

Though Henry logged a 72 percent snap share in the contest, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, the Patriots' top TE recorded his lowest production of the entire 2025 campaign (regular season and postseason included). Looking ahead, Henry profiles as a bounce-back candidate in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Broncos. Henry was held to one catch four times during the regular season, and in each instance he returned to a more prominent/productive role in his next outing.