NFL Player News

Graham (knee) still has no timetable for a return from the ruptured patella tendon he suffered in Week 12, Seahawks GM John Schneider told ESPN on Wednesday.

Schneider said Graham is rehabilitating the knee down in Miami and is "ready to get after it," but the injury is too severe to know how it will respond at this point. The Seahawks are expected to keep Graham around despite a $9 million cap hit next season, so they obviously expect he will be back soon enough to make an impact, but we'll monitor his rehab throughout the offseason.

James is in line for an expanded role in the Steelers' offense after Heath Miller retired from the NFL on Friday, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Miller's announcement opens a void in the offense to be filled by James, Matt Spaeth, Xavier Grimble, and any other tight end obtained in the offseason. Spaeth is primarily known as a blocking specialist, leaving James, a 2015 fifth-round pick, as the prime pass-catching option remaining on the roster. Although James was inactive until Week 9, he logged nearly 17 percent of the offensive snaps in the regular season, which translated to eight catches (on 11 targets) for 56 yards and one touchdown.

Dray had his contract with the Browns terminated on Thursday.

Dray will head into free agency after two seasons with the Browns in which he played in all 32 games. He recorded six receptions for 61 yards last season.

Niklas reeled in all four targets for 33 yards and two touchdowns during the 2015 season.

Serving in a strict reserve role this season, Niklas nonetheless fared much better on the injury front, appearing in every game versus the seven that he was contained to as a rookie in 2014. However, both Darren Fells (restricted) and Jermaine Gresham (unrestricted) are free agents, which may result in a jump up the depth chart. Niklas' pedigree as a second-round pick would warrant such a promotion, but he still must put in the work to deserve an expanded target count.

Kelce signed a five-year, $46 million extension with the Chiefs on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.

The Chiefs made Kelce the second-highest paid tight end in the league, with $20.5 million of the extension guaranteed. The deal locks him up through 2021. Kelce was the Chiefs' second-leading receiver in 2015 with 72 receptions for 875 yards and five touchdowns.

Ertz has signed a five-year contract extension with the Eagles, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Ertz's new deal will reportedly make him the NFL's fourth highest paid tight end, and keep him with the Eagles through 2021. At 25 years old, Ertz set new career-highs with 75 catches (on 112 targets) for 853 yards this season, when he also scored two touchdowns.

Bell finished his rookie campaign with 15 receptions (24 targets) for 186 yards.

Bell was buried on the depth chart early in the season, but a combination of Vernon Davis' departure and a losing season allowed San Francisco to showcase their fourth-round draft pick down the stretch. He responded by eclipsing 40 yards in three of the 49ers' last six games. Bell is still considered a project, so we may not see his full potential next season, but he should see more targets in 2016.

Graham (knee) will return to the Seahawks next season, according to general manager John Schneider, NFL.com reports.

Graham's questionable fit with the Seahawks resulted in sub-par numbers of 48 catches for 605 yards and only two touchdowns prior to his season-ending knee injury in November. While Seattle's offense really kicked into gear following Graham's injury, the tight end remains in the team's plans going forward, according to Schneider. Knowing that, it'll be worthwhile to track Graham's progress within the offense once he returns healthy ahead of next season.

Head coach Pete Carroll relayed Monday that Graham has ditched crutches and continues to rehab his right knee in Florida, according to Liz Mathews of 710 ESPN Seattle.

Graham's first season with the Seahawks was abbreviated due to a torn patellar tendon, which he suffered on Nov. 29. Struggling to find consistency with the shiny new toy in town, he notched 48 catches (on 74 targets) for 605 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. With Graham and Marshawn Lynch out due to injury down the stretch, most of the offensive burden was placed on Russell Wilson's shoulders, and he was up to the task, accounting for 20 passing touchdowns and another on the ground over the final seven contests (including playoffs). Although Carroll expects Graham to fulfill the third year of his current contract in 2016, it'll be interesting to see how the tight end is integrated into a scheme that could be more vertical-based if Lynch isn't retained.

James had 22 yards on one catch in Pittsburgh's loss to Denver on Sunday.

James played in just eight games this season, catching eight of 11 targets for 56 yards and a touchdown. While he made the most of his opportunities in 2015, James played just 16.8 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps, compared to 86.0 percent for Heath Miller and 22.6 percent for Matt Spaeth. A better receiver than Spaeth, Jones' fantasy production is still limited as long as a healthy Miller is ahead of him on the depth chart.