NFL Player News

LaPorta (knee) is listed as active for Sunday night's wild-card game against the Rams.

LaPorta, who sustained a hyperextension and a bone bruise in his left knee during the Lions' Week 18 win over the Vikings, was listed as a 'DNP' in practice Wednesday and Thursday before being deemed a full participant Friday. During that session, the tight end -- who headed into the weekend officially listed as questionable -- was spotted with a large brace on the knee in question, with Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press subsequently relaying that LaPorta will probably utilize the brace for the duration of Detroit's playoff run. While it remains to be seen how close to 100 percent LaPorta will be Sunday, the 2023 second-rounder will nonetheless be available to his team's offense versus an L.A. defensive unit that has been especially yielding to opposing tight ends this season, giving up the most yards per target (8.4) and second-most touchdowns (eight) in 17 games.

Krull finished the 2023 season with eight catches on 14 targets for 95 yards and a touchdown.

Krull appeared in just seven contests in his first season with the Broncos after spending much of the 2023 campaign on Denver's practice squad. The 25-year-old tight end started his NFL career in New Orleans, appearing in just one game with the Saints. Krull's touchdown in Week 16 of this season was the first of his career while he played a depth role with Greg Dulcich (foot) on injured reserve at the end of the season. The 6-foot-6, 260-pounder is under contract with the Broncos through the 2024 season, so he'll head into the offseason competing to play a larger role in the Denver's offense.

Trautman finished the 2023 season with 22 receptions on 35 targets for 204 yards and three touchdowns.

Trautman operated as Denver's No. 1 tight end in 2023, likely benefitting from fellow tight end Greg Dulcich (foot) landing on injured reserve for most of the season. The veteran Trautman produced modest numbers throughout the season, though his three touchdowns were tied with wide receiver Lil'Jordan Humphrey for the third-most scores among all Broncos pass catchers. The 26-year-old will enter the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, and it remains to be seen if Denver will make him an offer to stay with the team.

Akins was not targeted while playing 16 of 71 offensive snaps in Saturday's 45-14 wild-card playoff loss to the Texans.

Akins finished up a quiet first season with the Browns; he had fewer than two targets in 13 of 18 games. For the regular season, Akins caught 15 of 23 targets for 132 yards with zero touchdowns. He was signed to a two-year contract during the offseason, which made sense given his history with franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson (shoulder); however, he was never able to rekindle any of their prior on-field chemistry. Most of that was by design -- Cleveland had several other priority weapons on offense -- and part of that was the quarterback's gimpy shoulder. He's under contract for 2024 at a relatively affordable wage and could elevate to the primary backup to David Njoku, as Harrison Bryant will become an unrestricted free agent this coming offseason.

Bryant caught four of six targets for 64 yards in Saturday's 45-14 wild-card playoff loss to Houston.

Bryant had his best game of the season in the playoff loss, nearly equaling the receiving yards he had in 17 regular-season games. The tight end recorded 13 catches on 20 targets for 81 yards and three touchdowns in 2023. This was the season that starter David Njoku made an evolutionary leap, which rendered Bryant to career lows in catches, targets and yards while fighting for tight end scraps with Jordan Akins. Bryant enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent, but his organizational and system knowledge could be useful to a team that is still in its competitive window.

LaPorta (knee), who is listed as questionable for Sunday's wild-card game versus the Rams, is "trending in the right direction" and expected to be available to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

LaPorta hyperextended and suffered a bone bruise in his left knee in last Sunday's 30-20 win over the Vikings, but he's made rapid progress in his recovery from the injuries over the past week. Though Rapoport notes that LaPorta was "very limited in practice" this week despite being listed as a full participant in Friday's session, the rookie tight end appears set to take the field Sunday while sporting a protective brace on his knee. LaPorta should be officially cleared to play when Detroit releases its inactive list 90 minutes prior to the game's 8:15 p.m. ET kickoff.

Kelce recorded seven receptions on 10 targets for 71 yards in Saturday's 26-7 win over the Dolphins.

It would be a stretch to call this a vintage performance from Kelce, particularly because he had two drops -- one of which would have been a gain of at least 15 yards. However, it was still his highest yardage total since Week 14, and he did have significant gains of 22 and 13 yards. Kelce has been overshadowed by Rashee Rice in recent weeks, but he'll still remain key to the Chiefs' additional playoff run.

Schultz recorded one catch on two targets for 37 yards and a touchdown in Saturday's 45-14 win over the Browns.

Schultz had a limited role in the offense, as he matched his lowest target total in any game of the regular season. He had a drop early in the first quarter but redeemed himself with a long 37-yard touchdown reception just before halftime. The Texans held a three-score lead for much of the final two quarters, limiting passing volume for the entire team. He should have a chance to be more involved in Houston's divisional-round matchup.

Njoku recorded seven receptions on 11 targets for 93 yards in Saturday's 45-14 loss to the Texans.

Njoku was one of the few bright spots in Saturday's loss, as he led the team in targets and yards. His biggest contribution of the day came on a 45-yard catch late in the first quarter, which helped set up Cleveland's first touchdown. Including the last four games of the regular season, Njoku has topped 90 yards in four of his last five contests and had comfortably the most productive campaign of his career. He remains under contract with the Browns for two additional years and should play a key role in the offense in 2024.

Mitchell (hand) was placed on injured reserve Saturday.

Mitchell had already been ruled out for Sunday's wild-card game against the Rams due to a hand injury, but it now seems as if this issue will hold him out for the remainder of the year. In a corresponding move, Detroit signed Anthony Firkser to its active roster to ensure some extra depth at tight end going forward.