NFL Player News

Rams tight ends coach Shane Waldron said Higbee had a good offseason, Kristen Lago of the team's official website reports. "I think with Higbee going into his third year, he's got a really good grasp, has had a good offseason and worked hard like he always does," Waldron said. "He's really bought in and is doing everything the right way all the time -- provides a good option as a tight end in all three phases of the game, whether the run game, the pass game, and in the pass protection."

Waldron also had good things to say about 2017 second-round pick Gerald Everett, who could challenge for a larger share of the workload in his second season. Rams tight ends accounted for only 49 catches and three touchdowns last season, with Higbee getting most of the snaps thanks to his solid work as a blocker. Everett offers more potential in the passing game, but he may have a tough time beating out Higbee for playing time in an offense based around Todd Gurley and an impressive trio of wideouts. The Rams often used Higbee as an extra blocker on pass plays last season, giving other players more time to get open.

James will need to fend off competition from Vance McDonald, PennLive.com's Jacob Klinger reports.

The Steelers traded for McDonald and his sizable contract last August, hoping to get an eventual upgrade in the passing game. It never materialized in the regular season, but McDonald finally broke out with 10 catches for 112 yards in a playoff loss to Jacksonville. McDonald owns a career mark of 13.5 yards per catch and possesses a clear advantage over James in terms of athleticism, but the former Niner has played only 58 games in five pro seasons, catching no more than 30 passes in a year. James, on the other hand, caught 82 balls over 32 games the past two seasons while averaging just 8.7 yards per catch. McDonald is far more interesting for fantasy purposes, but only if he can finally stay healthy and beat out James for the lead job. Training camp and the preseason should go a long way toward determining the winner.

Arnold is transitioning to tight end in advance of the 2018 campaign, Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate reports.

Entering his second professional season, Arnold has yet to appear in an NFL game after spending the 2017 season on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury. While there's been no indication that the 6-foot-6 Wisconsin-Platteville product is still under any physical limitations, there's also no guarantee that his move to tight end will secure him a roster spot this summer. However, he likely faces better odds at that position than he'd have at wide receiver, where the Saints are loaded.

Kittle focused on strengthening his smaller muscles in the offseason, hoping to avoid the nagging injuries that plagued his rookie campaign, Curtis Pashelka of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

The 2017 fifth-round pick only missed one game, but he dealt with four separate issues throughout the season, while fellow tight end Garrett Celek didn't make an appearance on the injury report until mid-December. The San Francisco front office displayed confidence in the duo this offseason, declining to add any veterans or draft picks at the position. Kittle enters training camp as a clear favorite for the starting job, but he could end up in a timeshare with Celek again if he doesn't show improvement with his hands (five drops) and route running. The second-year pro has already proven to be dangerous with the ball in his hands, earning 281 of his 515 yards (54.6 percent) after the catch as a rookie. Given his physical gifts along with his likely role in what should be a good passing offense, Kittle is rightfully one of the more popular breakout candidates at tight end.

Bell (shoulder) was cleared to participate in team drills during spring workouts, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Bell has split first-team reps with David Morgan while Kyle Rudolph (ankle) has worked his way back into action. However, Bell may end up fighting for a roster spot, as fifth-round rookie Tyler Conklin and undrafted rookies Josiah Price and Tyler Hoppes will also be competing for depth roles at tight end.

Kroft missed mandatory minicamp due to an undisclosed issue but is expected to return healthy for the start of training camp, Geoff Hobson of the Bengals' official site reports.

The Bengals are less confident about the health of Tyler Eifert, who also was held out of minicamp while continuing his rehab from the back surgery he required in 2017. Kroft proved to be a competent replacement for his oft-injured teammate, scoring seven touchdowns and averaging 56 snaps per game after Eifert suffered the season-ending injury Week 2. Kroft's career marks for yards per catch (9.9) and yards per target (7.1) don't compare to Eifert's, but the 2015 third-round pick at least proved useful near the goal line. While still a long shot to ever become one of Andy Dalton's favorite targets between the 20-yard lines, Kroft could reprise last season's red-zone workload and snap count if Eifert can't get healthy or stay on the field.

McGrath signed with the Lions on Thursday.

The terms of McGrath's contract were not disclosed, though the team did waive fellow tight end Wes Saxton in a corresponding move. McGrath spent the last two seasons with the Chargers, where he appeared in 31 games but didn't catch a touchdown while playing largely in the shadow of Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry. The door is open in Detroit for more playing time at the tight end position following the departure of Eric Ebron, though McGrath will still have to compete for snaps with the likes of Luke Willson and Levine Toilolo, leaving little fantasy upside to be had.

Tonyan didn't participate in minicamp practice Wednesday due to a hip injury, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

Tonyan signed a reserve/future contract with the Packers in January with the hope of landing a depth gig at tight end with the club in 2018. The signings of veterans Jimmy Graham and Marcedes Lewis probably lessens Tonyan's chances of doing so, and missing time due to injury doesn't help his case either.

Manhertz injured his foot during Wednesday's minicamp practice and will get an X-ray, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Manhertz is competing with rookie fourth-round pick Ian Thomas to replace Ed Dickson (Seahawks) as Carolina's No. 2 tight end. The Panthers should have a better idea on the extent of Manhertz's injury once he gets evaluated.

Gathers has bulked back up to 282 pounds this offseason in an effort to be a more effective blocker, Jori Epstein of The Dallas Morning News reports.

He got down to 265 pounds last season to try and improve his foot speed as a receiver, but Gathers is now back up to his college basketball playing weight. "Last year was a big adjustment," Gathers said Wednesday from the Cowboys' last OTA session. "I was going for more trying to be quicker, trying to be faster. But that hurt me in the blocking game a lot where I felt like I was just a body, just a body catching a blow." His ability to make some contributions as a blocker could be the biggest factor in the size of Gathers' role this season with the Cowboys, but the team likely won't have a clear sense of how far he's progressed on that front until the preseason.