The Saints are set to sign TE Chris Herndon, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Herndon flamed out with the Jets and then caught just 4 balls for the Vikings last year. New Orleans' TE depth start is a bit fluid with Adam Trautman and Taysom Hill at the top, but we'd still consider Herndon a long shot to earn a significant role.
Vikings TE Irv Smith had surgery Wednesday morning to repair his injured meniscus. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that he has a 4-5 month recovery timeline, which almost certainly ends Smith's season. That leaves opportunity open at the position. HC Mike Zimmer talked up Tyler Conklin this summer. Conklin missed about half of August with a hamstring injury, but he has downplayed the severity and said he expects to be ready for the opener. He's our top choice among Minnesota TEs. The team also traded for Chris Herndon this week, of course. The former Jet comes with athletic upside but has disappointed since a standout rookie year. It's worth noting the Jets unloaded him for merely a move up from Round 6 to Round 4 in the 2022 draft. We'll see whether the Vikings look to add anything else over the next week and a half -- or in season if they're dissatisfied once the games begin.
The Jets have traded TE Chris Herndon to the Vikings for "draft pick compensation," according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. That likely means a Day 3 pick, perhaps conditional. More importantly, it means Herndon enters the mix for a team that just lost Irv Smith to meniscus surgery and has been operating for a while without Tyler Conklin (hamstring). Conklin told reporters Monday that he's "feeling really good" and that the injury was "very minor in the first place," according to the team website. He has yet to return to practice but says he'll be ready for Week 1. We should learn more about Smith's return timeline after his surgery this week. Herndon, meanwhile, became expendable with a lackluster training camp and preseason for a Jets offense with nothing else exciting at TE. If Conklin is ready for the opener, we'd still bet on him as the team's initial leader at the position. We'll see whether Herndon can rebound with a new team. He remains a dynasty stash at least. Herndon's departure from the Jets also positions Tyler Kroft as the #1 TE there.
Update: The Vikings sent a 4th-round pick to New York in exchange for Herndon and a 6th-rounder.
Jets TE Chris Herndon opened training camp with the 2nd-team offense, according to multiple reports. It was TE Tyler Kroft working with the starters. This isn't a big surprise if you were paying attention to OTAs and minicamp, when Herndon was reportedly out-played by both Kroft and TE Ryan Griffin. At this point, Herndon is only draftable at the tail end of deep best-ball drafts. We'll see if he can turn things around over the next month.
Jets TE Chris Herndon "failed to separate himself" from the rest of the team's TEs in OTAs and minicamp, according to The Athletic's Connor Hughes. In fact, Hughes says that both Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin looked better and have worked ahead of Herndon lately. We're still over 2 months away from Week 1, so the situation is far from settled. But it's not the report you were looking for if hoping for a bounce-back season from Herndon. We'll see if he can turn it around in August.
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