NFL Player News

Lewis is signing with the Bears, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Eugene Frenette of jacksonville.com notes that the 39-year-old will set an NFL record for most seasons played by a tight end (18) if he ends up playing any regular-season games in 2023. That's presumably what will happen, though Lewis doesn't figure to catch many passes in an offense that already has Cole Kmet and former Packers teammate Robert Tonyan at tight end. Lewis caught 57 passes in 81 games with Green Bay over the past five seasons, mostly serving as a blocker in heavy formations.

Ferguson was able to seal the edge against Micah Parsons on two separate plays during Thursday's practice, Kyle Youmans of the Cowboys' website reports.

Dallas typically wants its top tight end to contribute both as a receiver and a blocker, so Ferguson's stout showing in the latter department against the team's most disruptive defender is an excellent sign that he will be have little trouble moving into the starting role this year. With 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker (foot) still on the NFI list and missing valuable reps, the door is open for Ferguson to claim the same kind of snap and target volume that Dalton Schultz saw the last couple seasons before moving cross-state to the Texans in free agency.

Kuntz secured his only target for six yards during the Jets' 21-16 preseason loss to the Browns in Thursday night's Hall of Fame Game.

The rookie seventh-round pick made a minimal offensive impact as his final line implies, but it was a quiet night overall for the Jets on that side of the ball. Kuntz will continue his uphill battle for a roster spot on a relatively deep tight-end corps in a road preseason battle against the Panthers a week from Saturday.

Njoku isn't slated to play in Thursday's Hall of Fame Game against the Jets, Scott Petrak of the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reports.

All matter of Browns veterans aren't suiting up for the team's preseason opener, including quarterback Deshaun Watson, running back Nick Chubb and wide receivers Amari Cooper, Elijah Moore and Donovan Peoples-Jones, among others. Njoku's next chance to get some exhibition action will arrive Friday, Aug. 11 versus the Commanders.

Deguara missed Thursday's practice with a calf injury, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.

The 2020 third-round pick was already in a tough spot this summer, with the Packers using second- and third-round picks on tight ends in April after getting only 13 receptions out of Deguara last year. Robert Tonyan, now with the Bears, was easily Green Bay's top receiving option at tight end in 2022, pulling in 53 of 67 targets (79.1 percent) but for only 470 yards and two touchdowns. The competition to replace Tonyan might center around rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft more so than Deguara, especially if the third-year pro misses more than a few days this summer.

Schultz (ribs) isn't practicing Thursday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Schultz has been out since Sunday when a rib injury forced him from practice early. Coach DeMeco Ryans didn't make any predictions for a return date but said Monday that he doesn't expect the absence to last long. With fellow tight ends Brevin Jordan (hamstring) and Teagan Quitoriano (undisclosed) also not practicing, the Texans are mostly left with blockers at the position, including veteran journeymen Eric Tomlinson and Nick Vannett.

McBride (undisclosed) didn't practice Wednesday, Tyler Drake of ArizonaSports.com reports.

Head coach Jonathan Gannon told Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com on Tuesday that McBride was tending to "nicks and bruises," which are keeping him off the practice field entirely at the moment. Because Zach Ertz (knee) currently resides on the active/PUP list, Noah Togiai and Geoff Swaim are the current healthy tight ends for the Cardinals that have logged some NFL action in their careers.

Hollister agreed to terms with the Raiders on Wednesday.

Hollister had a stint with the Raiders last season that he will now continue after signing. The veteran tight end has played for five teams throughout his six-year career, racking up 83 catches for 707 yards and seven touchdowns. Expect the 29-year-old to battle for a depth spot in Vegas' tight end room ahead of the coming season.

Vannett is in line to sign with the Texans on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The veteran tight end will join his sixth team in his career and his third team since the beginning of the 2022 campaign. Vannett is coming off a season during which he played with both the Saints and Giants, recording six catches for 55 yards in nine appearances. He'll most likely serve as more of a blocking and special teams guy for Houston ahead of the coming season.

Daniels signed a contract with the Lions on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Daniels has bounced around between several teams since going undrafted out of Washington in 2017. He last appeared on the Colts' practice squad in 2022 and last suited up for a regular-season NFL contest in 2021 with the Cardinals. He'll now work to earn a spot on the Lions' 53-man roster.