NFL Player News

The Panthers waived Sutton on Sunday, Myles Simmons of the team's official site reports.

Sutton signed with the Panthers as an undrafted free agent out of Fresno State in April, but he didn't last long in training camp. The 23-year-old caught just nine passes for 154 yards over his final two collegiate seasons, so he'll likely need to prove his run-blocking abilities to make an NFL roster. However, his frame (6-foot-6, 226 pounds) could inhibit his chances at tight end.

Fant has added muscle and is embracing offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur's new offense, which the sophomore tight end describes as more nuanced and able to exploit mismatches, Troy Renck of Denver 7 News reports.

Much has been made of what new weaponry -- Melvin Gordon, Jerry Jeudy, and KJ Hamler -- can do for the Broncos offense and Drew Lock's first full season. But, with a year of development, Fant should have every opportunity to be the second major threat in the passing game behind Courtland Sutton. Fant finished second on the team in receiving yards (562), targets (66) and touchdowns (three) as a rookie. However, he faded down the stretch and -- despite a monster 113-yard performance against Houston in Week 14 -- saw his targets per game drop sharply once Lock entered the fold Week 13 (4.7 versus 2.8). Shurmur has experience with athletic tight ends from his time with Evan Engram in New York, and with improved chemistry with Lock, there's reason to be optimistic about Fant's sophomore campaign.

Helm was waived by the 49ers on Saturday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.

Helm wasn't considered much of a receiving threat at tight end, and with George Kittle locked up for the foreseeable future, it's clear depth at the position is a bit less of a priority. It's possible Helm could ultimately wind up on the team's practice squad down the road.

Offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been impressed with how Knox and tight ends coach Rob Boras have worked together so far in training camp. "Dawson has done a really good job," Daboll told Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site this week. So Rob [Boras] does a good job meeting extra with them. He's a young player still, really young. Hopefully we get more out of him this year. I know he's working hard to do that."

Knox will be competing with veteran Tyler Kroft for looks in the Buffalo offense. Knox, a second-year player, has the better athletic skills and more upside, so we'll see if he can keep chugging along the learning curve and take the top job to himself instead of having to share it with Kroft.

The Chiefs and Kelce agreed to terms of a four-year extension Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

The exact parameters of the deal haven't been revealed, but Rapoport notes the deal is worth between $14 and $15 million per year. With Kelce signed through the 2025 season, Patrick Mahomes has his top targets -- also, Tyreek Hill -- on hand to work with for the next three campaigns.

The Chiefs and Kelce are closing in on a four-year extension to keep the tight end in Kansas City through the 2025 season, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.

Parameters of the new contract aren't known, but the imminent agreement comes on the heels of 49ers tight end George Kittle signing a five-year, $75 million deal earlier Thursday. Notably, Kelce turns 31 in October, meaning he'll be 36 if he's able to play out the entire contract. In the end, it's worth it for the Chiefs to lock up one of its top two pass catchers -- the other being Tyreek Hill -- to give Patrick Mahomes the necessary firepower for more Super Bowl runs. Kelce himself has had at least 80 catches, 1,000 yards and four touchdowns in each of the past four seasons.

Kittle and the 49ers have reached agreement on a five-year, $75 million extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, Kittle reported for the start of training camp with confidence his agent would work out a deal. This easily sets the record for a tight end contract, but it doesn't come close to the top of the market for wide receivers, which would've been a reasonable goal for a player who is known for his strong blocking and also is coming off back-to-back seasons with more than 75 receiving yards per game. In fantasy terms, Kittle remains locked in as a top-two tight end, perhaps ready to challenge Travis Kelce for the No. 1 spot. The 26-year-old could even see extra targets early in the season while Deebo Samuel (foot) works his way back from June surgery.

Bell could line up at H-back at times this season, Rob Phillips of DallasCowboys.com reports.

With Jamize Olawale having opted out of the season, the Cowboys don't have an experienced fullback on the roster, but new head coach Mike McCarthy suggested he could use a blocking tight end in the backfield instead. "The fullback position and tight end position is something that I've always kind of lumped together when you're building your schematic menu [of the roster]," McCarthy said. "Because that's the adjustment you have to make in game weeks, so that's no different than our thinking right now as far as we're into training camp. The ability to play multiple positions, both at the fullback and tight end position, will give us what we need schematically." Bell does have backfield experience which could come in handy in that scenario -- he was an option quarterback in college before converting to tight end in the pros -- but he's still unlikely to get enough touches to have fantasy value, having caught no more than eight passes in any of the last four seasons.

Miami has been awarded Wieting off waivers.

Wieting signed with the Browns as an undrafted free agent in April. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound tight end was primarily used as a run blocker during his collegiate career at Iowa. He figures to have an uphill climb in terms of making the Dolphins' final roster, but he will now look to make an impression at camp.

Engram is ready for training camp after a "very strong and very aggressive rehab" from surgery to repair a Lisfranc sprain in his left foot, Matt Lombardo of The Newark Star-Ledger reports. "Each and every day I was just trying to find ways to get better," Engram said Monday.

Engram has been saddled with injuries during his three-year career, with 2019 serving as the low point. Appearing in just eight games, he still managed to tally 44 catches (on 68 targets) for 467 yards and three touchdowns. Following his December surgery, Engram progressed to on-field work at full speed by June and seemingly is set to participate in practice later this week.