NFL Player News

The Jets have announced that tight end Zach Sudfeld has torn his ACL, motivating the team to sign fellow tight end Steve Maneri, per Newsday.

The team was worried that tests would reveal a serious injury for Sudfeld, who caught 10 passes for 148 yards over the last two seasons combined.

The Buccaneers have claimed tight end Tim Wright off waivers, according to Sporting News. He wasn't out of work long - he was waived by New England on Thursday.

Wright is returning to familiar territory. He played in every game for Tampa Bay in 2013 before doing the same with the Patriots last year. But he was far more productive with the former. He caught 54 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns for the Buccaneers. He snagged six in the end zone for New England, but that represented nearly one-fourth of his total receptions.

Seahawks newcomer Jimmy Graham has proven himself as a pass-catcher in the NFL. Now he must prove himself as a blocker on a team that features the ground game.

Teammate Michael Bennett remains unsure if that will happen. He once called Graham "one of the softest players" in the sport. He has not backed off that statement. He even added since Graham arrived that he would need to block more in Seattle.

No sweat, says Graham.

"Listen, man, I'm 270 pounds," he told 710 ESPN Seattle. "I can block anybody I want to. It's all about want-to. We'll see come this first Sunday."

Graham didn't block extensively with New Orleans. He was also not healthy. He dealt with injuries to his shoulder and foot in 2013 that hindered his ability in that area. But Pro Football Focus graded him middle-of-the-pack in blocking among tight ends in 2014.

Jets tight end Zach Sudfeld and cornerback Darrin Walls were held out of Thursday's OTA session because of injuries, the team announced.

Sudfeld is dealing with a knee injury and coach Todd Bowles said Sudfeld is undergoing tests on the knee and he said it may be more than a minor injury, reports ESPNNewYork.com.

Meanwhile, a toe injury prevented Walls from participating Thursday.

The Patriots parted ways with tight end Timothy Wright on Thursday, the team announced. 

In 2014, Wright had 26 catches for 259 yards and six touchdowns.

The Cardinals have announced that second-year tight end Troy Niklas will undergo minor surgery Thursday on the ankle that proved bothersome last season.

Niklas, who caught three passes for 38 yards in 2014, is expected to be ready for training camp.

Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas struggled with inconsistency at practice again on Tuesday. Thomas continues to get some snaps at third-string quarterback, but he's a long way from winning that job. 

"Still a work in progress,” coach Bruce Arians said, per ESPN. “He makes some of those wild throws still and you just scratch your head sometimes."

Injured Lions tight end Joseph Fauria is participating on a very limited basis at OTAs, but he promises he'll be at 100 percent by the start of training camp. 

Fauria injured his ankle last September, then reinjured it, when he tried to come back late in the season.

"I don't see anything holding me back from training camp," he said, per MLive. "That's the goal. Just trying to come back as soon as possible, but also being smart."

While Fauria can't do much on the field right now, he's busy doing "everything I can — everything possible. Just a bunch of rehab. Just being smart about it, and that's really it."

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson has never had a receiver like tight end Jimmy Graham on his side of the ball, per The Seattle Times.

Wilson is already building a relationship with the 6-foot-7 Graham in order to find the perfect spots to throw him the ball. So far in organized team activities, the perfect spot has been anywhere.

“Throwing to him is easy,” Wilson said.

Graham, one of the premier targets at tight end, knows it will take a lot of repetition for him and Wilson to eventually get on the same page, but doesn't doubt that the duo will put up big numbers this season.

“That stuff takes time,” Graham said, “but honestly me and Russ have been on kind of this accelerated learning curve. He just gets it up and gives you an opportunity to be great. We’ll be keep working on that, and we’ll be just fine come the season, because that’s a big thing. That’s all about the connection, that’s all about knowing what each other is going to do and what each other likes.”

The Seahawks ranked 20th in the league last year in redzone efficiency, one thing that Graham's size and Wilson's decision-making will dramatically improve.

“That may be one of the biggest things, just the size we have down there when things start to get tight,” offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell said.

The Colts might very well sport one of the best wide receiving corp in the NFL. Andre Johnson, T.Y. Hilton, Duron Carter, Donte Moncrief and Phillip Dorsett are enough to give opposing team's nightmares.

Defenses won't fare well against that group, but their fellow tight ends will sure get to enjoy the open space the receivers will create for them, per indystar.com.

"I think just having the threat of those guys outside, meaning the wide receivers, is going to open things up for the tight ends a ton," Colts tight end Dwayne Allen said.

Allen caught 29 passes for 395 passes and eight touchdowns in 13 games last season.