NFL Player News

Firkser signed with the Titans on Monday, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

Firkser was most recently waived by the Chiefs two weeks ago. The Titans will be the third NFL team the tight end has signed with in two years, making him a long shot to make the final roster.

Orndoff was waived by Cincinnati on Monday, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Orndoff ended 2017 on the Bengals' practice squad and was looking to make the active roster for the team in 2018. If he goes unclaimed, he'll be a free agent able to sign with any team, where he'll look to secure a depth role.

Gathers has recovered from his concussion, Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports.

While Gathers is not eligible to make his return to the field during the Cowboys' rookie minicamp, the second-year tight end is finally cleared of the concussion that plagued his rookie season. Gathers is being viewed as a potential replacement at starting tight end for now-retired Jason Witten given his athletic upside, but the former Baylor basketball star still reportedly has a lot to work on before that becomes a reality. Being cleared of all concussion-like symptoms this early in the offseason will surely help Gathers' chances of making an immediate impact.

Gathers (concussion/jaw) will need to improve his blocking if he's going to get a chance to replace Jason Witten in the Cowboys' offense, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News reports.

The 24-year-old has by far the most upside as a receiver of any tight end on the Dallas roster due to his athleticism -- catching seven passes for 106 yards and two TDs in two preseason games last year -- but Gathers' lack of experience and unrefined skill set was also evident in his overall body of work. The former college basketball player spent the entire 2017 campaign on injured reserve due to concussion and jaw issues, but if he's healthy and can add a little more polish to his physicality, he could emerge as a dangerous target for Dak Prescott in an offense now without both Witten and Dez Bryant.

Swaim (knee) is now the most experienced tight end on the Cowboys' roster following the retirement of Jason Witten, Jon Machota on the Dallas Morning News reports.

That's not saying much -- he's played only 28 games over three seasons in Dallas -- but Swaim is also the only tight end on the depth chart to have caught a pass in a regular-season game, giving him an edge on the current competition as the Cowboys move on from Witten. The 24-year-old is still recuperating from minor knee surgery, but he should be 100 percent by training camp, if not sooner.

Seals-Jones (leg) likely will operate as the Cardinals' starting tight end during offseason workouts, Mike Jurecki of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM

Jermaine Gresham tore his Achilles in Week 17 last season, while Seals-Jones suffered a far less severe leg injury in the same game. The Cardinals nonetheless opted against adding any tight ends in free agency or the draft, displaying an unexpected degree of confidence in Seals-Jones, a former college wideout who stuck with the team as an undrafted rookie last year. He finally earned a meaningful role Week 11, ultimately finishing the season with 12 catches for 201 yards and three touchdowns on 28 targets, despite logging only 133 snaps on offense. Seals-Jones will enter training camp as a clear favorite for playing time on passing downs, with the potential to earn a heavier workload if he proves competent as a run blocker. His participation in offseason workouts and a recent charity golf event suggests that he's made a full recovery from last year's unspecified leg/ankle injury.

Firkser was waived by the Chiefs on Tuesday.

Firkser joined Kansas City on a reserve/future contract in January after spending training camp with the Jets last year. The 22-year-old, who can play both fullback and tight end, will hope to latch on elsewhere.

Henry said he's ready to step up after learning that Antonio Gates won't be back with the Chargers, Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times reports.

The No. 35 pick from the 2016 draft, Henry was one of the most efficient tight ends in the league on a per-target basis while splitting snaps with Gates the past two seasons. The 23-year-old parlayed 117 targets into 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns in 29 games, essentially posting a single-season Rob Gronkowski stat line over the course of two years. With Gates replaced by blocking specialist Virgil Green in the Chargers' tight end room, Henry figures to improve upon last year's marks of 42.7 snaps and 4.5 targets per game. The 37-year-old Gates averaged 31.3 snaps and 3.3 targets in 16 games last season, despite looking like his age had finally caught up to him. Henry would push for high-end TE1 status if he were to maintain his impressive efficiency while taking on a sizable chunk of Gates' old workload. Henry is fully recovered from the kidney laceration that ended his 2017 campaign after Week 15.

Henry (abdomen) is healthy and participating in the Chargers' offseason program, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Henry, who's bouncing back from a lacerated kidney, was seen running routes with the Chargers' first-team offense -- which is a unit that no longer features longtime tight end Antonio Gates, whose contract expired after the 2017 season. While there are still plenty of mouths to feed in the passing game -- namely receiver Keenan Allen, but also Tyrell Williams, Mike Williams, Travis Benjamin and running back Melvin Gordon -- Henry is one of the best young talents at his position who already has proven his worth as a dangerous weapon downfield. As a second-year player in 2017, Henry earned 10.9 percent of quarterback Philip Rivers' passes. During Gates' early years from 2004 to 2008, the legendary tight end commanded 24.8 percent of the available targets. While Henry is unlikely to see that kind of usage given the receiving talent around him, he still has plenty of room to grow and is a great bet to make a significant statistical jump in 2018.

Malleck was cut by the Texans on Monday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Malleck appeared in two games for the Texans last season. With the addition of third-round pick Jordan Akins via this April's draft, Malleck became an expendable asset in Houston.