NFL Player News

General manager Mike Mayock hopes Waller can become the Raiders' top receiving threat at tight end, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports.

There was buzz about the Raiders using an early draft pick on a tight end, but they instead waited until the fourth round to select Foster Moreau, who caught 52 passes in 49 games at LSU. The rookie figures to compete with Lee Smith and Derek Carrier (concussion) for inline blocking snaps, while Waller and Luke Willson (concussion) will battle for the pass-catching role. None of the bunch is likely to come anywhere near Jared Cook's 2018 production, but there's at least a hint of upside with Waller, a converted college wideout who ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the 2015 combine. He flashed his potential at the end of last season with six catches for 75 yards on six targets over the final three weeks in December.

Washington signed with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent Monday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.

Washington appeared in five games for Rutgers last season, catching 11 passes for 202 yards. The 6-foot-4, 253-pound tight end likely will be fighting for a roster spot in a special teams role.

The Seahawks have acquired Hollister from the Patriots in exchange for a conditional seventh-round draft pick in 2020, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times reports.

Presumably past the hamstring injury that he dealt with during the postseason, Hollister, who turns 26 in November, gives the Seahawks some added tight end depth with Will Dissly bouncing back from a knee injury. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder has notched just eight catches for 94 yards in 23 NFL games to date, but Hollister does offer a degree of pass-catching upside if he can stay on the field. From New England's perspective, the trade is somewhat surprising, considering the team did not select a tight end (which was viewed as a clear need) in the recent NFL Draft. With that in mind, it's possible the Patriots have another move brewing to address the position in the coming days.

Brown officially signed a contract with the Rams as an undrafted free agent.

Brown signs from FBS Texas State, where he caught 51 passes for 577 yards and five touchdowns in 2018. He was graded as the top tight end last season, according to Pro Football Focus, and caught 76.1 percent of targets. Brown could have a decent shot to make the roster with unproven options on the depth chart ahead of him.

Kroft (foot) will be joined by 2019 draft picks Dawson Knox (No. 96 overall) and Tommy Sweeney (No. 228) at tight end, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News reports.

It's actually a pretty good outcome for Kroft, who signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract in March while rehabbing from season-ending foot surgery. The Bills can get out of the deal without much pain after one season, but they won't have an obvious replacement based on their 2019 draft picks. Knox finished his Ole Miss career with a 39-605-0 receiving line and was largely selected on the basis of workout numbers, while Sweeney's subpar speed caps his pass-catching upside. Jason Croom is the biggest threat to steal targets from Kroft in 2019.

The Chargers are expected to sign Helm as an undrafted free agent.

The Duke product was decent in 2018, catching 26 passes for 271 yards and two touchdowns. Helm will likely battle with fellow undrafted tight end Matt Sokol, among others for a roster spot.

The Rams are expected to sign Blanton as an undrafted free agent, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Blanton played in 22 games over three seasons with the University of Missouri, recording 44 receptions for 476 yards and six touchdowns. The Rams tight-end corps is led by Gerald Everett and Tyler Higbee, so Blanton will look to make the team as a depth option.

Jackson, who went undrafted, signed with the Bills as a free agent immediately following Saturday's seventh round, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Jackson has tremendous upside to match his size (6-foot-7, 249 pounds) and was expected to get drafted in the later rounds as a project quarterback following a nice career at the University of Buffalo. While Josh Allen may have the Bills' top job for the next decade, Jackson will get a chance to compete for a spot on the team in 2019, with Derek Anderson no sure thing as a No. 3 quarterback at this stage of his career. At worst, Jackson makes for the perfect practice squadder. He has a cannon of an arm, but like many big, strong quarterbacks, he'll have to learn to be more accurate as a pro, while his throwing mechanics still need quite a bit of refinement.

The Saints selected Mack in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 231st overall.

The highly regarded high school recruit out of Las Vegas failed to make much of a name for himself at Notre Dame, but Mack (6-foot-4, 249 pounds) posted respectable workout numbers for someone of his size at the combine and he has plenty of room to grow as both a receiver and blocker. The former is likely where he has the most potential at the pro level, though he may have a hard time cracking the Saints' 53-man roster out of training camp on a depth chart that otherwise includes Jared Cook, Josh Hill and Dan Arnold.

The Bills selected Sweeney in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, 228th overall.

There figures to be a competition between Sweeney and fellow rookie Dawson Knox for the backup tight end spot behind Tyler Kroft, while Jason Croom is also in the mix. Sweeney was a four-year contributor at Boston College with 99 career receptions for 1,281 yards and 10 touchdowns. While his production is superior to Knox's, his athleticism lags behind. Sweeney ran just a 4.83 40-yard dash and his broad jump and short shuttles at his pro day were middling as well. It's not a guarantee that he breaks camp on the 53-man roster.