Nick

Vannett

Vannett appeared to make the initial 53-man roster, but he was waived with the Titans putting in a claim for Ali Gaye from the Texans. Vannett could see interest on the waiver wire, and if he goes unclaimed he could be brought back to the practice squad.

No. 2 TE Josh Whyle (concussion protocol) was inactive but Okonkwo still failed to separate from his position group. Conversely, No. 3 TE Nick Vannett caught 2-of-2 targets for 30 yards playing alongside Okonkwo in the first-team offense.

The two sides agreed to terms on Monday although the terms of the contract have not yet been made public. The eight-year veteran came into the league with the Seahawks in 2016, spending time with the Steelers, Broncos, Saints, Giants, and Chargers since departing Seattle. Vannett carries sparse fantasy value even though the Titans have little in the way of depth behind presumed starter Chigoziem Okonkwo.

Vannett had seen sparse usage this seen while playing behind Gerald Everett, Donald Parham, and Stone Smartt, making his absence less of an impact for a showdown with the Ravens. Austin Ekeler should take on all the work he can handle with Dotson and Spiller inactive.

After releasing TE Tre’ McKitty, the Chargers signed Vannett to their active roster. Vannett spent time with the Texans in the offseason before signing to the Chargers’ practice squad. He now has a chance to make an impact with Gerald Everett (hip) injured.

The traveled tight end has appeared in 86 games, 38 of which have been starts, over a seven-year NFL career. He last played for the Saints and Giants in the 2022 season, managing just six catches for 55 yards across six appearances.

Vannett has two catches on the season and has been on the New Orleans practice squad for much of the past couple months. The Giants are scraping bottom at tight end with Daniel Bellinger (eye) sidelined. Lawrence Cager, a former wide receiver who converted to tight end, has served as the team’s primary pass-catching tight end over the past two weeks. Vannett likely won’t play on Thursday against the Cowboys.

He’s dropping his salary from $2.6 million to $1.1 million. This creates an additional $1.5 million in cap space for the Saints. Vannett was at risk of getting released had he not agreed to a slash. The 29-year-old is signed through 2023.

Signed to be the blocking component of the tight end room, Vannett had trouble staying on the field, playing just seven games all year after a preseason knee injury. Garrett Griffin wound up outsnapping him on the season. Vannett is a fantasy non-factor with just six career touchdowns, and with the Saints in cap hell, he may be a renegotiation or cut candidate with a $3.3 million cap hit scheduled for 2022, in year two of a three-year pact signed last offseason.

Adam Trautman was brought off the COVID list earlier in the week so Vannett was already off the fantasy radar. Trautman has a clear path to targets but the New Orleans offense was mostly uninspiring under Taysom Hill. He can be left of fantasy rosters in Week 17.