NFL Player News

Smith won't receive a franchise tag, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Smith and Hunter Henry profile as the top free-agent TEs this offseason, likely targeting deals around $10 million per season. Smith is a reliable blocker and receiver who excels after the catch, though his route tree in Tennessee largely focused on the flats and short crossing routes. A change of scenery might come with the opportunity to expand his role as a pass catcher.

The Chargers won't use their franchise tag on Henry, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.

Doing so would have resulted in a cap hit for Henry that would have been close to $13 million. Popper notes that the Chargers still figure to be looking to re-sign the tight end to a long-term deal, but unless that happens in short order Henry will be able to explore other options once free agency opens next week.

Andrews and the Ravens have had preliminary discussions about a contract extension, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com reports.

Four of the Ravens' starters on offense come from the 2018 draft class, with Andrews (third round) joined by QB Lamar Jackson (first), OT Orlando Brown (third) and C/G Bradley Bozeman (sixth). Jackson is obviously the priority among that group, but his status as a first-round pick gives the Ravens a fifth-year contract option. Andrews, Brown and Bozeman, on the other hand, can all become free agents during the 2022 offseason. Brown wants to be traded to a team that will permanently move him from right tackle to left tackle, so it won't be any surprise if Andrews is the first guy to get an extension. The tight end isn't a great blocker and has committed more than his fair share of drops the past two years, but he's also one of the top playmakers at his position, sitting on 2,105 receiving yards and 20 TDs through 45 regular-season games.

Dwelley signed a one-year extension with San Francisco on Friday.

Following three solid seasons in San Francisco to start his career, Dwelley has demonstrated enough to earn an extension. The 26-year-old filled the No. 2 tight end role behind George Kittle in 2020 and played significant snaps during the latter's eight absences, catching 19 of his 24 targets for 245 yards and a touchdown.

The Browns tendered Carlson as an exclusive rights free agent Friday, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.

Carlson entered the offseason as an exclusive rights free agent and will now stay in Cleveland. Through his two seasons with the team, the tight end has caught six of his nine targets for 62 yards and one touchdown.

Chicago re-signed Holtz on Wednesday.

Holtz was an exclusive rights free agent, but he'll remain with Chicago for at least one more season. He suited up for all 16 regular-season games in 2020, seeing the majority of his reps on special teams. He drew only one target across his 87 offensive snaps.

Okwuegbunam (knee) said Thursday that he anticipates being healthy for the tentative start of training camp with "no issues," Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

Okwuegbunam flashed through four appearances as a rookie prior to suffering a season-ending ACL tear, securing 11 of 15 targets for 121 yards and a score while battling for work behind Noah Fant. The 22-year-old, now roughly 12 weeks removed from knee surgery, said he's on track to resume jogging before the end of February. The NFL's offseason schedule is currently still murky, but Okwuegbunam at least appears on track for the tentative start of training camp, barring any postponements of complications.

Mack signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions on Thursday.

The 23-year-old was cut by the Chiefs in May and didn't see the field in 2020. Mack spent time on the Saints' and Steelers' practice squad in 2019 and is still looking to make his NFL debut.

The Eagles are reportedly considering trading or cutting Ertz this offseason, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

This is hardly a surprising announcement considering the Eagles' difficult cap situation and the emergence of a viable replacement in Dallas Goedert. Ertz has just one year remaining on his contract and dramatically declined in 2020 while dealing with a litany of injuries, recording career lows in just about every major statistical category. The 30-year-old could be packaged in the much rumored trade involving Carson Wentz, though such a deal would likely only work for a team flush with cap space.

Sternberger caught 12 passes for 114 yards and a touchdown over 12 regular-season games with the Packers in 2020.

Sternberger played about 30 percent of the snaps on a per-game basis for the first three quarters of the season, but he went out with a head injury in early December, and he was a healthy scratch the rest of the way after clearing the concussion protocol in early January. He hasn't quite given the Packers the production they were looking for when they selected him in the third round in 2019, but he has also dealt with injuries in both his seasons as a pro. The Packers will likely give Sternberger another shot to show what he can do in 2021, but the team has quality depth at his position, so he may need to compete for a roster spot in training camp.