Fells reverted to Tampa Bay's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Fells was on the field for eight snaps on offense and one snap on special teams in the Week 18 victory over Carolina. He appeared in two games during the regular season for Tampa Bay.
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Buccaneers' Darren Fells: Elevated to Bucs' active roster
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Fells was elevated from the Buccaneers' practice squad Saturday to play against the Panthers on Sunday, Scott Smith of the Buccaneers' official site reports.
The tight end last appeared in a game with the Buccaneers in Week 10, playing only a single offensive snap. Fells will remain a depth option in Week 18 behind the likes of Rob Gronkowski and Cameron Brate as the team takes on the Panthers to end the regular season.
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Darren Fells: Reverts to practice squad
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Fells reverted to Tampa Bay's practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Fells joined Tampa Bay after being waived by the Lions on Nov. 8. The veteran played just one snap on offense against Washington. As long as Rob Gronkowski (back) is out, Fells will likely have an opportunity to see the active roster again.
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Buccaneers' Darren Fells: Elevated to Tampa's roster
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Fells will be elevated from Tampa Bay's practice squad to play against Washington on Sunday, Greg Auman of The Athletic reports.
Fells will provide depth behind Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard with Rob Gronkowski (back) having been ruled out. The 35-year-old veteran brings a wealth of experience at the tight end position.
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Darren Fells: Joins Tampa Bay's practice squad
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Fells was signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad Wednesday, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Fells cleared waivers and will join Tampa Bay's practice squad. However, Stroud reports that the 6-foot-7 tight end will likely be added to the 53-man roster ahead of Sunday's matchup with Washington. Rob Gronkowski's (back) status is uncertain, so if he isn't available, then Fells will likely play a depth role behind Cameron Brate and O.J. Howard during Week 10.
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Darren Fells: Let go Monday
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Fells was waived by the Lions on Monday, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.
Fells was in his second stint with the Lions, previously playing with them in 2017. He hadn't been active since Week 7 against the Rams and will finish his time with Detroit this season having recorded four receptions on five targets for 43 yards. The jettisoning of Fells makes way for undrafted rookie Brock Wright to be added to the active roster.
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Lions' Darren Fells: Not playing Sunday
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Fells (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's matchup with the Eagles.
Fells has appeared in all seven games for the Lions this season, catching four passes for 43 yards. However, the 35-year-old will be sidelined Sunday, and Brock Wright will likely step into the backup tight end duties behind T.J. Hockenson.
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Lions' Darren Fells: No targets against Bears
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Fells wasn't targeted during Sunday's 24-14 loss to Chicago.
This may not be the only game this season in which Fells is a complete afterthought in the passing game. The veteran will look to get back in the box score in Week 5 against Minnesota.
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Lions' Darren Fells: Totals 35 yards
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Fells caught two of three targets for 35 yards during Sunday's 19-17 loss to the Ravens.
There won't be many days when Fells outproduces T.J. Hockenson in nearly every receiving category. After catching just one pass for two yards over the first two weeks of the season, this could be one of the most productive outings of the year for the 35-year-old Fells.
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Lions' Darren Fells: Little impact as receiver
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Fells caught one of two targets for two yards during Sunday's 41-33 loss to San Francisco.
Fells clearly was the blocking-oriented tight end between himself and T.J. Hockenson, who caught eight of 10 targets for 97 yards and one touchdown. With left tackle Taylor Decker (finger) set to miss at least the next two games, Fells' largest responsibilities surely will remain as a blocker over the next couple of weeks.
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Lions' Darren Fells: Re-signs with Lions
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Detroit re-signed Fells on Thursday, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports.
The Lions parted ways with Fells in the process of cutting down to the initial 53-man roster, but some subsequent IR transactions opened up room for the veteran tight end to return. Fells is currently Detroit's only backup behind T.J. Hockenson (shoulder), but the team will likely add more depth ahead of Sept. 12's opener against the 49ers.
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Darren Fells: Done in Detroit
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The Lions released Fells on Wednesday.
Fells will need to search for a depth role elsewhere after failing to secure a spot on the Lions' initial 53-man roster. The veteran tight end appeared in 32 games over the last two seasons, in which span he handled a rotational role with the Texans.
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Lions' Darren Fells: Preparing for blocking role
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Fells expects to primarily serve as a blocking complement to T.J. Hockenson, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News reports. "He's more of an F tight end - faster, moving around, receiving - and I'm more of a Y tight end, where I can go in there and do a little bit more of the dirty work," Fells said after a June minicamp practice. "Had the conversation with him already, that if we're both in there, I'll be like an extra lineman for him, to give him time to get open, so he can bump that touchdown total up to 12."
Fells was relatively productive for the Texans in 2020 with 312 receiving yards, four scores and career highs in yards per catch (14.9) and yards per target (11.1). However, he's now 35 and not catching passes from Deshaun Watson anymore, so last year's production is probably one of the best-case outcomes for Fells in 2021. The veteran's recent comments further support that notion, though it's possible that Fells could still be involved in the passing game to some degree given the Lions' lack of depth at both receiver and tight end.
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Lions' Darren Fells: Finds work in Detroit
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Fells agreed Wednesday with the Lions on a contract, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.
With reports surfacing earlier this week that offseason pickup Josh Hill is leaning toward retirement, the Lions acted quickly to bring in another veteran body at tight end in Fells. The 6-foot-7, 270-pounder is expected to offer most of his value as a blocking-oriented alternative at the position to starter T.J. Hockenson, but the 35-year-old Fells has also shown some ability as a pass catcher, particularly in the red zone. He topped 300 receiving yards in both of his past two seasons in Houston, scoring 11 touchdowns during that span.
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Darren Fells: Cut loose by Houston
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The Texans released Fells on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
It's reasonable enough that a rebuilding team would cut a soon-to-be 35-year-old, though the Texans aren't exactly loaded with talent at tight end. Jordan Akins, Pharaoh Brown, Kahale Warring and Ryan Izzo inhabit the Houston depth chart, while Fells will now become an unrestricted free agent. Fells averaged only 1.7 receptions for 20.4 yards in 32 games with the Texans, but he did score touchdowns on 11 of his 55 catches. The combination of competent blocking and red-zone utility should give Fells some real-life value as a backup option, though he's unlikely to achieve fantasy relevance.
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Texans' Darren Fells: Gets back in end zone
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Fells secured one of two targets for a 22-yard touchdown in the Texans' 37-31 loss to the Bengals on Sunday.
The veteran tight end, who's shown a nose for the end zone in the past, was back in the scoring column Sunday for the first time since Week 6 courtesy of a 22-yard grab with 6:15 remaining. The score was the final one of the day for the Texans and gave Houston a relatively short-lived 31-27 lead. Despite hitting pay dirt Sunday, Fells remains fairly deep down the depth chart in Houston's pass-catching corps and is difficult to trust in a Week 17 matchup against the Titans to close out the season.
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Texans' Darren Fells: Targeted once in loss
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Fells caught his lone target for 15 yards in Sunday's 36-7 loss to Chicago.
Fells finished behind Jordan Akins (six targets, 36 snaps) once again in targets but saw more action (40 snaps). Houston's tight ends could play a role going forward as the team's wide receiver depth chart has taken a significant hit. Brandin Cooks (foot) was inactive Sunday, while Will Fuller (suspension) is done for the season, and Randall Cobb (toe) is looking at shutting down.
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Texans' Darren Fells: Targeted in loss
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Fells did not catch his only target in Sunday's 26-20 loss to the Colts.
Fells had one or fewer targets for the fourth time in the last six games, a big departure from his usage usage in 2019 when the 34-year-old led NFL tight ends with seven touchdowns. Houston's tight ends have played a reduced role in 2020 in favor of the team's wideouts, and that state continues Sunday even while the Texans played without Will Fuller (suspension), Randall Cobb (toe) and Kenny Stills (released).
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Texans' Darren Fells: No touches in win
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Fells played 28 snaps and was not targeted in Thursday's 41-25 win over the Lions.
Houston's tight ends did not figure prominently Thursday with just three targets among quarterback Deshaun Watson's 25 attempts. It was the second time in the last five weeks that Fells didn't get a touch, and his fifth straight game under 30 yards and without a touchdown.
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Texans' Darren Fells: Drop in playing time
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Fells caught both of his targets for 29 yards while playing 21 snaps (34 percent) in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Patriots.
Fells trailed both Jordan Akins (31 snaps, 51 percent) and Pharaoh Brown (27, 44 percent) in playing time, but he remains part of the three-headed TE grouping. With injuries to Randall Cobb (toe) and Kenny Stills (quadriceps) forcing them to leave Sunday's game early, Houston could rely on its tight ends more heavily in Detroit on Thanksgiving Day.
