NFL news and notes: Patriots make a deal; Chiefs get good news on Travis Kelce

Travis Durkee

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NFL news and notes: Patriots make a deal; Chiefs get good news on Travis Kelce image

Thursday's NFL news cycle belonged to tight ends.

The Chiefs, Colts and Bears all got good news regarding the health of top playmakers, while the Patriots made another move to bolster their tight end situation.

Here's the latest from around the NFL:

Bears TE Trey Burton should be ready for training camp

Trey Burton underwent offseason surgery for a sports hernia that cost him the entirety of OTAs and minicamp. But head coach Matt Nagy indicated Thursday that Burton should be back for training camp.

Burton, 27, had 54 receptions for 569 yards and six touchdowns in his first season with Chicago in 2018.

Patriots make a deal for Lions TE Michael Roberts

The quest to fill to void left by Rob Gronkowski continued for the Patriots on Thursday as they traded for Lions tight end Michael Roberts.

In return, the Lions received a 2020 conditional first-round pick.

New England also has Stephen Anderson (36 career receptions), Matt LaCosse (27), Ryan Izzo (0) and Andrew Beck (0) as options at tight end. Benjamin Watson was signed out of retirement last month but will serve a four-game suspension to start the season after testing positive for PEDs.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce expects to be 100 percent for training camp

Travis Kelce has taken it pretty easy this offseason after undergoing an ankle procedure. However, he expects to be full-go when training camp rolls around.

“It’s been a little frustrating,” Kelce told Arrowhead Pride’s "From The Podium" podcast on Wednesday. “I want to get out there and mesh with everyone and teach, have fun and get better. But right now, just getting healthy is the main thing, and I think we’re there. I think by the time training camp comes around, I’ll be 100 percent.”

Colts TE Jack Doyle running routes at full speed

Jack Doyle has been rehabbing all spring following surgery to repair a subluxation of the hip he suffered early in 2018. Add that to a kidney procedure in the second half of last season and the 29-year-old has plenty of question marks surrounding his health entering 2019.

Some of those questions were answered as he was spotted on the field with his teammate Thursday participating in drills.

Doyle, who is entering a contract year, played six games last season with 26 catches for 245 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Newest Panther Gerald McCoy surprises team with ice cream truck

Gerald McCoy is making plenty of friends on his new team.

The recently acquired defensive lineman surprised his teammates with a snow cone and ice cream truck on their last day of minicamp.

Seahawks rookie DK Metcalf impressing Russell Wilson

We all knew DK Metcalf was a monster of a human being before being drafted by the Seahawks. Now he’s showing Seattle exactly what he’s capable of and impressing the most important man in his young career — quarterback Russell Wilson.

“I think DK is looking really, really special,” Wilson said (via Seahawks.com). “He can do anything and everything and he’s tremendous. …

“Everybody knows about his ability to run and jump and catch and all that. But I think more than anything else, it’s his brain, how he processes information, how quickly he understands it. He’s really intelligent, he understands the game really well. He takes coaching well, he gets extra work. He’s a legit pro wide receiver. He’s everything everyone was talking about in terms of what he’s capable of and more.”

Chiefs sign kicker Harrison Butker to contract extension

While some teams (we're looking at you, Bears) can't find a solution at kicker, the Chiefs are locking down their man.

Kansas City announced Thursday it has extended Harrison Butker after his second stellar season with the team. 

Butker, originally a seventh-round pick by the Panthers in 2017, was 24-of-27 on field goal tries last season and 65-of-69 on extra points.

Travis Durkee