NFL Player News

Bryant had one target over 13 snaps in Sunday's 22-17 playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Bryant had zero catches and one target over Cleveland's two playoff games. The rookie shared a role with veteran David Njoku all season behind starter Austin Hooper, but Bryant had much less usage than Njoku (30 snaps) in the loss. He finished the regular season with more targets (38), catches (24), yards (238) and touchdowns (three) than Njoku (29-19-213-2), but both players were firmly behind Hooper. All three tight ends are under contract in 2021; however, there's not much space for Bryant to grow his 2020 output.

Njoku caught four of five targets for 59 yards in Sunday's 22-17 playoff loss to the Chiefs.

Njoku rarely got this kind of usage during the regular season when Cleveland's top three tight ends were available, so his activity against Kansas City was a surprise. He caught 19 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns over 13 games, well off a breakout 2018 when he had 56-239-4. Njoku has one year remaining on his contract, but he yearns for a bigger role like he had 2018. Austin Hooper is the clear leader at the position for Cleveland, so Njoku will have to accept a similar role in 2021, sharing snaps with Harrison Bryant behind Hooper in an offense that uses multiple tight ends often.

Kelce caught eight of 11 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 22-17 win over the Browns in the AFC divisional round.

Kelce scored from 20 yards out early in the second quarter as the Chiefs controlled the game early, but the momentum shifted after quarterback Patrick Mahomes suffered a concussion in the third quarter. The tight end continued to be effective with Chad Henne under center, making catches of five and 24 yards. Even if Mahomes is unable to play against the Bills in next week's AFC Championship Game, Kelce should still thrive against a Buffalo defense that has struggled to defend tight ends all season.

Hill (knee) is listed as inactive Sunday against the Buccaneers, Amie Just of The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

This week, Hill didn't practice until Friday, when he put in a limited session. However, it wasn't enough for the Saints to clear the QB and gadget player to suit up in the divisional round. As a result, Jameis Winston will serve as the backup quarterback to Drew Brees on Sunday.

Carlson (groin) will play in Sunday's AFC divisional round against the Chiefs.

Austin Hooper, Harrison Bryant and David Njoku are all healthy for Sunday's playoff game, so Carlson will mainly contribute on special teams.

Njoku (hamstring) is listed as active Sunday at Kansas City, Andrew Gribble of the Browns' official site reports.

Njoku managed just one limited practice this week (Friday), but it was enough to allow him to play through a hamstring injury. The Browns will roll with Austin Hooper for a majority of the offensive snaps Sunday, with Njoku and rookie fourth-round pick Harrison Bryant the options to take the field in two-TE sets. Njoku put up a measly 19-213-2 line on 29 targets during 13 regular-season appearances.

Njoku (hamstring), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's divisional-round game against the Chiefs, is expected to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Confirmation on Njoku's availability is expected to arrive around 1:35 p.m. ET, when the Browns are slated to release their inactive list 90 minutes in advance of the game's kickoff. The Browns have consistently made use of three tight ends this season, but Njoku and Harrison Bryant both took a back seat to No. 1 option Austin Hooper in the wild-card win over the Steelers. Hooper played 90 percent of the offensive snaps in the victory and tallied seven receptions for 46 yards and a touchdown on 11 targets, while Bryant and Njoku combined for one target and played 33 and 31 percent of the snaps, respectively.

Hill (knee), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's divisional-round game against the Buccaneers, isn't expected to play, Ian Rapoport and Jane Slater of NFL Network report.

The Saints will presumably re-evaluate Hill in a workout early Sunday before ruling on his status ahead of the 6:40 p.m. ET kickoff, but the 30-year-old looks to be trending in the wrong direction after he managed only one limited practice this week while battling the knee injury. In addition to Hill, the Saints are also expected to be without the services of No. 2 running back Latavius Murray (quadriceps), so Drew Brees and Alvin Kamara would both seem less likely to lose out on scoring opportunities in the red zone.

Andrews caught four of 11 targets for 28 yards during Saturday's 17-3 divisional-round loss to the Bills.

It was an inefficient night for Andrews, with his 36.4 percent catch rate establishing a new season-worst for games in which he's garnered at least four targets. His 11 looks in the passing game set a new season best for the third-year tight end. But Andrews' most vital opportunity, a contested target by the back pylon of the end zone with 2:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, fell incomplete after ricocheting off his fingertips. He ends the year with 58 catches for 701 yards and seven TDs over 14 regular-season appearances, adding eight receptions for 69 yards over a pair of playoff games. The 25-year-old is under contract with Baltimore for one more season at a cap hit of $1.1 million.

Bell (neck) caught 11 of 15 targets for 110 yards over 16 games for the Cowboys in 2020.

After Blake Jarwin (knee) was lost for the season in Week 1, Dalton Schultz moved into the No. 1 tight end spot for Dallas, but Bell remained purely a blocker for the most part. Even so, the 110 receiving yards was the veteran TE's best total since he was a rookie with the 49ers in 2015. A free agent once again, Bell could find himself playing for his sixth team in six years in 2021.