Who Should I Start? Lawrence Cager or Jake Tonges

Wednesday, August 7, 1:51 PM

The New York Giants have tons of opportunity at the tight end position this year after Darren Waller's retirement. They are looking to fill the void left by Waller with some combination of Daniel Bellinger, Lawrence Cager (hamstring) and rookie Theo Johnson. Bellinger is likely to be the starter, but Cager or Johnson are likely to be the team's primary pass-catching tight end. Cager started out training camp strong, and head coach Brian Daboll called him one of the standouts in the spring, but a hamstring injury has limited him recently. Johnson has returned after starting camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list with a hip problem. ESPN's Jordan Raanan says it's anyone's job to win this summer. None of the trio of TE options in New York are particularly attractive from a fantasy perspective, but Johnson probably has the most upside if he has a big enough role.

Friday, April 18, 12:00 AM

The San Francisco 49ers announced on Thursday that tight end Jake Tonges and offensive lineman Austen Pleasants signed their one-year, exclusive-rights tenders. Both players will return to the Bay Area for the 2025 season. Tonges, 25, began his career with the Chicago Bears in 2022 and appeared in 16 games with the Niners in 2024 but was not used at all on offense on just 34 snaps. He'll make $1.03 million this year after re-signing. Instead, he played 232 snaps on special teams and had two solo tackles. The former undrafted free agent out of California will most likely serve in a similar role as a special-teams ace for San Fran in 2025. Pleasants, 27, started his career in 2021 with the Carolina Panthers and then played for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023 and with the Niners last year. He has appeared in just five NFL games over three seasons.