Who Should I Start? Giovanni Ricci or Kylen Granson

Monday, February 3, 7:02 PM

The New England Patriots signed free-agent tight end Giovanni Ricci (knee) to a Reserve/Futures deal on Monday. Ricci was on the Cleveland Browns' practice squad in 2024 but never was active for a regular-season game and was cut in August due to a knee injury. The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan made his NFL debut in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers, with all 36 of his career games coming with Carolina. In three NFL seasons, Ricci has caught only nine of 12 targets for 102 yards and no touchdowns with the Panthers. Ricci is more of a blocker than a pass-catcher and will now represent tight end depth for the Patriots throughout the offseason and into training camp this summer. The most likely scenario is that he'll effective serve as a fullback for new Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Friday, March 14, 7:19 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles have signed free-agent tight end Kylen Granson on Friday. The two sides have agreed on a one-year deal for an undisclosed amount of money. Granson is a former fourth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts. He has spent each of the last four seasons in Indy, but was never able to become a full-time starter. Last season, Granson hauled in 14 receptions for 182 yards and zero touchdowns across 17 games (six starts) with the Colts. The expectation is that Granson will land behind Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra on the depth chart. Fantasy managers are safe to avoid Granson in fantasy leagues while Goedert is healthy.