NFL Player News

Otton brought in eight of 11 targets for 89 yards in the Buccaneers' 32-9 wild-card win over the Eagles on Monday night.

Otton was the surprise leader in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the night, and by a wide margin at that, arguably the single-most unexpected individual performance on either side during Tampa Bay's dominant win. His totals were all career highs as well, as he continuously exploited Philadelphia's linebackers and safeties. The second-year pro could be busy again in Sunday's divisional-round battle against the Lions, considering Detroit also had plenty of trouble defending the tight end position this just-completed regular season.

Graham finished the 2023 regular season with six receptions (on seven targets) for 39 yards and four touchdowns in 13 appearances.

Graham was never expected to make much of an impact for the Saints this season after coming out of retirement to sign a one-year, $1.32 million contract in late July. The 37-year-old caught just one pass over the first seven weeks of the campaign while filling an extremely limited role behind tight ends Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau. Graham temporarily fell out of this rotation when he missed four games in a row either with illness or as a healthy scratch. But, he got a chance again when the Saints' wide receiver corps was shorthanded with numerous injuries. Graham went on to catch one touchdown pass in three consecutive games from Week 13 to Week 15 while almost exclusively working as a target in the red zone. Graham then went without a target over the final three contests of the year, and it appears unlikely that he'll be re-signed by New Orleans this coming offseason.

Freiermuth brought in five of eight targets for 76 yards in the Steelers' 31-17 wild-card loss to the Bills on Monday afternoon. He also fumbled once but did not give up possession.

Freiermuth was the surprise leader in receiving yards and also shared the team lead in receptions for the Steelers, with Mason Rudolph frequently turning to the big tight end for quick-hitting passes. Freiermuth also boasted the longest catch of the day for Pittsburgh, a 33-yard first-quarter grab that ended with the third-year pro fumbling the ball and seeing it seemingly recovered by the Bills' Christian Benford (knee), only to have both the on-field and replay officials rule that Benford didn't secure possession inbounds. Freiermuth was significantly less involved as a receiver across his 12 regular-season games in 2023 after recording at least 60 catches in his first two campaigns, posting a 32-308-2 line on 47 targets. However, Freiermuth finished the campaign with a 23-248-0 tally over the final seven regular-season contests, a span that notably began with the first game following offensive coordinator Matt Canada's firing.

Hopkins finished the 2023 regular season with five receptions for 78 yards.

The majority of Hopkins' limited production came when thrust into a more prominent role in Week 18 with Tyler Higbee sitting out with a shoulder injury. Hopkins secured two catches for 47 yards in the contest, but he spent the majority of the year taking just a handful of snaps per game on offense, including zero in the Rams' playoff loss to the Lions. Hopkins is an unrestricted free agent in 2024, and while Higbee is feared to have suffered a torn ACL in the aforementioned playoff game, rookie Davis Allen and Hunter Long (knee) both remain under contract for next season, and Allen in particular flashed plenty of promise in Higbee's and Long's absences. Even if Higbee isn't ready for the start of the 2024 campaign, it's highly uncertain Hopkins returns as the fourth tight end on the roster given his light production in 2023.

Kincaid caught three of six targets for 59 yards and a touchdown in Monday's 31-17 playoff win over the Steelers.

Kincaid and Stefon Diggs (nine targets) were the focal points of the Buffalo passing game, though Kincaid's tight end teammate Dawson Knox did catch a touchdown pass while seeing only two targets. Even with Knox healthy again, Kincaid remains the top receiving tight end in this offense, seeing six or greater targets in each of the past three games while combining for 14 catches for 230 yards during that span.

Fant signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on Monday.

Fant signed with the Cowboys' practice squad ahead of the 2023 campaign, appearing in two games with the team during the regular season but failing to record a stat while playing 30 special-teams snaps. The tight end will now look to compete for a spot on the active roster in 2024.

Mitchell-Paden signed a reserve/future contract with the Browns on Monday.

The tight end concluded the season as a member of the team's practice squad. Mitchell-Paden did not appear in a game this season.

Allen finished the 2023 regular-season campaign with 10 catches for 95 yards and a touchdown.

At the start of his rookie year, Allen was buried on the depth chart behind starter Tyler Higbee (knee), recently acquired Hunter Long (knee) and returning backup Brycen Hopkins. Injuries to Higbee and Long thrust Allen into a starting role in Week 14, and he responded with four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. The fifth-round pick out of Clemson saw a slight uptick in playing time the rest of the way and ended his season with a two-catch performance for 28 yards in the Rams' loss to the Lions in the opening round of the playoffs. Hopkins is an unrestricted free agent, and Higbee is feared to have torn his ACL in the postseason loss, which would leave Allen and Long -- who is coming off MCL surgery of his own -- as potentially the only two healthy tight ends for the Rams for the start of 2024 if Higbee isn't ready to return by the season opener.

Hendershot was seen with a walking boot on his right foot following Dallas' wild-card loss to Green Bay on Sunday, Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News reports.

Hendershot suffered a foot injury after failing to record any stats during Sunday's loss. The 24-year-old will now focus on getting healthy ahead of next season.

Kraft was targeted three times and caught two passes for 15 yards in Sunday's 48-32 victory over the Cowboys.

Kraft and fellow tight end Luke Musgrave both garnered starts Sunday, and although Kraft played 45 snaps to Musgrave's 15, the latter made far more of an impact in the box score with three catches for 52 yards and a score. Expect both players to remain involved when the Packers face the 49ers on Saturday in the divisional round.