NFL Player News

The Raiders selected Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 35th overall.

Las Vegas dealt Darren Waller to the Giants this offseason, making tight end a need. The board set up well for them as only one tight end went in the first round, and the Raiders were able to get a player that many had ranked as the top prospect at this position. Mayer (6-4, 249) is a "complete" tight end in that he's an asset both as a blocker and as a receiver. The Notre Dame product carried the Irish passing game during his three years in South Bend, leading them in receptions each of those seasons and finishing with 180 career grabs. His combine performance was something of a disappointment, as his 4.7 speed was not ideal for a player under 250 pounds. Still, Mayer projects to be in the mix right away for not just run-blocking snaps, but targets as well.

The Lions selected LaPorta in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 34th overall.

LaPorta (6-foot-3, 245 pounds) is smallish by tight end standards, but he offsets that with plus speed (4.59-second 40) and quickness (6.91-second three-cone drill, 4.25-second 20-yard shuttle). LaPorta's overall athletic profile is no worse than average by starting tight end standards, and his production at Iowa clearly indicates a plus skill set otherwise. LaPorta excels after the catch in a way very few tight ends do, making him a good H-back type from some alignments and a viable slot receiver at other times. His blocking is more of a question mark for the time being and could keep LaPorta from earning an immediate starting role, but when the ball is in the air few tight ends in this class are as effective.

Dawson will likely face some competition for targets after the Bills selected Dalton Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Thursday.

The Bills traded up with the Jaguars to land Kincaid, so we'd think Buffalo has big plans for the rookie and doesn't plan to have him doing a lot of sitting around. That said, the two new teammates have different skill sets, so perhaps they could be sharing the field together in two-TE sets. Nevertheless, even if Knox remains the clear-cut starter for another season, it's yet another mouth to feed in an offense where he's already been serving as the fourth or fifth option.

The Bills selected Kincaid in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, 25th overall.

The Bills traded up from the 27th pick to make the selection, making the former Utah and San Diego star the first tight end off the board. Dawson Knox is the presumed starting tight end for Buffalo, yet the Bills would only make this selection if they had extensive plans for Kincaid. It's reasonable to suspect that Knox will continue to handle all the inline tasks, in which case Kincaid (6-foot-4, 246 pounds) would function more like a slot receiver whenever the Bills roll with two tight ends. As a smaller tight end, Kincaid will need to make his living running down the seam and maybe getting some boundary looks on shorter fields. Whether Kincaid can make a mainstream fantasy impact might depend on how many reps he can take from penciled-in slot wideout Khalil Shakir.

Jackson (knee) signed his exclusive rights tender with the Eagles on Monday.

Jackson will return to Philadelphia for the 2023 season after accepting his roster tender. The tight end finished the 2022 campaign on injured reserve with a knee injury and will operate as a depth option behind starter Dallas Goedert now that he's presumably past the issue. Jackson failed to log a snap with the active roster last year, something he'll look to change in his third season with the Eagles.

Coach Zac Taylor indicated Monday that he believes Smith can move into the pass-catching tight end role previously handled by Hayden Hurst, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reports. "Yeah, we think he can come in and play that role for us," Taylor noted of Smith. "There's always competition in that room, but that's the vision that we have for Irv to come in there and fill that role that Hayden had for us."

Hurst is now with the Panthers after recording a 52-414-2 receiving line on 68 targets over 13 regular-season appearances in 2022, so Smith has an opportunity to absorb a good portion of the Bengals' vacated tight end targets, assuming he can stay on the field. Since playing all 16 games as a rookie in 2019, he missed contests in each of the past three years for the Vikings. During the 2022 campaign, an ankle issue limited the 6-foot-2, 240-pounder to eight games and 25 catches for 182 yards and two TDs on 36 targets. When healthy, Smith's athleticism and pass-catching ability should prove to be assets in an offense helmed by Joe Burrow and which also returns the quality wideout trio of Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Tyler Boyd.

Wright, who had been an exclusive rights free agent, signed with the Lions on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

The same applies to Shane Zylstra, ensuring that the duo will reprise their roles in a Detroit tight end corps that also includes 2022 fifth-rounder James Mitchell and Derrick Deese. This past season, Wright logged a line of 18-216-4 on 24 targets over the course of 17 games. Added pass-catching opportunities could be in store for Wright in 2023, but there's still a solid chance that the Lions add TE depth in the coming weeks and months, quite possibly in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Engram is not in line to participate in the initial stage of the Jaguars' voluntary offseason workout program, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

At this stage, the tight end has yet to sign his franchise tag with Jacksonville, with the two sides having until July 17 to potentially come to terms on a contract extension, something that GM Trent Baalke has noted that he hopes to see occur. If not, assuming Engram signs his franchise tender with the Jaguars, the 2017 first-rounder would be in line to earn $11.35 million in 2023. The 28-year-old is coming off a 2022 campaign (his first with the team) in which he caught a career-high 73 passes for 766 yards and four TDs in 17 games.

Sample re-signed a with the Bengals on a one-year deal Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Sample has spent the entirety of his four-year career in Cincinnati and will now be tied to the Bengals next season as well. The 26-year-old appeared in just two games last season before injuring both his MCL and PCL and logged two catches for minus-2 yards. Heading into next season, Sample will look to compete for playing time behind presumptive starter Irv Smith.

The Cardinals brought in Sample (knee) for a workout Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Sample appeared in just two games with the Bengals last year before he sustained a season-ending MCL and PCL injury in his right knee in mid-September. The 27-year-old tight end underwent surgery to address the damage in his knee shortly thereafter before reaching free agency this offseason. Sample's ability to complete a workout signals that he's healthy again, and he could land with Arizona or another team as a depth option before training camps open in late July. Sample never made a significant dent as a receiver over the first four seasons of his career, accruing a 76-458-1 line over 44 games with Cincinnati.