NFL Player News

Williams was released by the Seahawks on Thursday.

Williams has spent time with the Patriots, Rams and Seahawks since going undrafted in 2016. He's yet to appear in a regular-season game but could catch on as a depth player or practice squad member of another club in 2017.

Malleck (neck) signed a contract with the Ravens on Tuesday.

The Ravens will shore up their tight end position as Dennis Pitta's career hangs in the balance of a devastating hip dislocation that took place last week. Mallek was formerly with the Steelers during the offseason but was cut a couple weeks ago. The 23-year-old missed the entirety of last season due to a neck injury, which is definitely something to keep an eye on as he competes in OTAs and training camp.

Henry is expected to receive more snaps this season, ESPN.com's Eric Williams reports.

While Henry finished his rookie season with 36 catches for 478 yards and eight touchdowns, Antonio Gates actually finished the year with more snaps (554) than Henry (546), thanks in large part to a variety of injuries that affected the rookie's durability. Now healthy, Henry appears primed to take an even bigger leap in his second year, as Gates transitions to more of a third-down and red-zone specialist. As a result, it's realistic to assume Henry should surpass his 2016 numbers, making him one of the best up-and-coming TEs in fantasy.

Bowman (knee) was waived by the Jets on Tuesday, Ethan Greenberg of the Jets' official site reports.

Bowman, who missed the majority of last season after tearing his ACL, will now look for another opportunity after he was cut Tuesday to make room for wideout Chris Harper. However, he'll likely have to prove his health before another team inks him to a deal.

Lewis (calf) hopes to return to a prominent role under new offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, Ryan O'Halloran of The Florida Times-Union reports.

The Jaguars traded Julius Thomas and only replaced him with Mychal Rivera, who likely will occupy a part-time role on passing downs. Lewis is optimistic he'll take on a bigger pass-catching role under Hackett, but there's little reason to believe the 33-year-old can regain fantasy relevance at this stage of his career, following four straight seasons with 25 or fewer catches. The Jaguars figure to distribute most of the offensive touches to rookie running back Leonard Fournette and their wideout trio of Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee. While seemingly healthy and poised to start, Lewis mostly figures to contribute as a run blocker.

Niklas (wrist) was recently deemed healthy during OTAs, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic reports.

A second-round pick in 2014, Niklas' career has been derailed by a deluge of injuries. In advance of the draft, Niklas was diagnosed with a sports hernia at the Combine and required surgery. Then, in just his third spring practice with the Cardinals, he broke a finger in his left hand. After suffering through two severe ankle sprains in the first half of his rookie season, Niklas was mercifully placed on IR, ending his campaign. As a sophomore, he avoided the injury bug, yet managed just four receptions for 33 yards and two touchdowns across 16 games. To wrap up his professional injury history, Niklas hurt his left wrist in Week 3 last season, and a season-ending procedure was promptly ordered up. As he goes through his third full offseason program, he has already been termed one of the Cardinals' starting tight ends (along with Jermaine Gresham) by head coach Bruce Arians, per Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com. Whether the role allows Niklas to tap into his potential remains to be seen, but Gresham is the proven commodity among the tight ends, who must perform ably as both pass catchers and blockers in Arians' offense. As a result, Niklas will be hard-pressed to produce consistently as the fifth or sixth option, at best, within the passing attack.

Fauria is attempting a comeback this season, Alex Marvez of SportingNews.com reports. "I'm trying my best," Fauria said. "Last year didn't go as planned. I didn't get any tryouts, but I have my head on straight now. I'm in good shape. I'm ready to go. I just want one more chance."

The 27-year-old tight end who took the league by storm in 2013 for his creative touchdown celebrations will now look to find his way back onto a 53-man roster in 2017. Although he only totaled 18 receptions in 2013, seven of them were for scores, providing Fauria with some short-lived fantasy prominence. The 6-foot-7 target has the size and experience, but his three-year absence from the league may be too much to overcome.

Gathers will be the Cowboys' No. 2 tight end during OTAs beginning Tuesday, Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News reports. "He needs to play as many snaps as he can," head coach Jason Garrett said Monday. "We are going to give him every chance. We are going to coach him hard. Typically he has responded well to that."

James Hanna (knee) and Geoff Swaim (foot) are both still recovering from surgery and won't be ready for action until training camp, so Gathers will be Jason Witten's primary backup for the next couple of weeks of OTAs. The 2016 sixth-round pick and converted basketball power forward has all the athletic tools to thrive in the NFL, but even after spending all last season on the practice squad, Gathers will need to continue to hone his football skills if he's going to make an impact.

Everett, the 44th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, expects to fill a role in Sean McVay's offense similar to what Jordan Reed had in Washington, Sirius XM NFL Radio reports.

With Lance Kendricks departing in the offseason and not replaced by another veteran, Everett and 2016 fourth-round pick Tyler Higbee figure to compete for snaps and targets, with the rookie likely to get more time in the slot while the latter is mostly used as an in-line tight end. The Rams do have an obvious need for playmakers in the passing game, but given the recent track record of rookie tight ends, Everett likely will need a season or two to develop before he truly has a chance to fill the kind of pivotal role Reed handled in McVay's Redskins offenses the past three seasons. Everett does have a lot in common with Reed from a measurables standpoint, and he'll look to utilize that high-end athleticism and speed to compensate for his lack of ideal size for the tight end position.

James is slated to be the clear-cut No. 1 option at tight end for the Steelers in 2017 after they released Ladarius Green (concussion) on Thursday, ESPN's Adam Caplan reports.

James is cemented atop the depth chart at tight end in Pittsburgh at this point, while the Steelers' front office was forced to let Green walk following a failed physical. Green only appeared in six games last season, so James became comfortable with the first-team offense during his sophomore campaign as he racked up 39 catches for 338 yards and three touchdowns on 60 targets. He'll be backed up by second-year TE Xavier Grimble, who now figures to be in line for an increase in volume after seeing just 21 balls thrown his way as a rookie.