NFL Player News

Allen, DJ Moore and Rome Odunze all worked out with new Bears QB Caleb Williams in April, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reports.

Williams and Odunze weren't on the team at the time, though in Williams' case everyone knew he'd be going to Chicago with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2024 Draft. The Bears then took Odunze eight picks later, completing a fearsome WR trio with Allen and Moore. It's a situation that will make it nearly impossible for Allen to match his target volume from his years in San Diego and Los Angeles, even if Odunze needs some time to adjust to the pro game. Allen celebrated his 32nd birthday during the draft and is entering the final year of his contract, with GM Ryan Poles having said in March that he expected the veteran WR to sign an extension at some point. It's unclear if the Odunze selection changes the expectation for Allen to sign a multi-year deal, as the Bears have enough cap flexibility to keep all three WRs for the next few seasons if that's what they choose to prioritize.

The Falcons figure to be heavily reliant on Mooney and Drake London at wide receiver this coming season, Josh Kendall of The Athletic reports.

The Falcons have sent multiple signals that they expect Mooney to bounce back from a quiet 2023 in Chicago, first giving him $26 million guaranteed on a three-year, $39 million contract and now waiting until the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft before taking a wide receiver (Casey Washington). There's no serious competition for the No. 2 WR job, though it is possible Mooney ends up a distant fourth behind London, RB Bijan Robinson and TE Kyle Pitts in terms of prioritization in Atlanta' offense. Still, it's not a bad spot to be in, especially for a thin, fast receiver who projects better as a deep threat than as a high-volume guy.

Smith-Schuster's role with Patriots is unclear after the team selected a pair of wideouts in the 2024 NFL Draft, Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald reports.

Over the course of 11 regular-season games in his first year with the Patriots, Smith-Schuster recorded a 29-260-1 line on 47 targets in 2023. The veteran wideout is under contract with the team through 2025, and he's presumably past the ankle issue that landed him on IR in December. Even so, New England's additions of free agent K.J. Osborn and a pair of 2024 draftees (second-rounder Ja'Lynn Polk and fourth-rounder Javon Baker) to a wide receiver mix that also includes returnees Kendrick Bourne (knee) and Demario Douglas clouds Smith-Schuster's depth chart standing ahead of training camp. With that in mind, both Callahan and Chad Graff of The Athletic suggest that the 27-year-old pass catcher could end up moving on as the offseason progresses.

Slayton (thumb) is expected to open the season as a starting wideout opposite rookie first-round pick Malik Nabers, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Slayton refused to report to voluntary offseason workouts, as he's entering the final season of a two-year contract and is seeking an extension. The Giants, however, haven't budged, and the team used the sixth overall pick in last week's draft to take Nabers after using a third-round pick on Jalin Hyatt in 2023. While Slayton is the favorite to open the summer as a starter on the outside, the team likely hopes Hyatt can push the veteran for snaps and targets in his second season. Nabers is the most talented receiver of the lot and could quickly prove to be the No. 1 option in the passing game.

Hyatt is expected to be the Giants' top backup wide receiver in 2024 following the team's selection of Malik Nabers with the No. 6 overall pick in last week's draft, Dan Duggan of The Athletic reports.

Hyatt injured his hamstring in the season finale against the Eagles, but he's presumably made a full recovery by now. He's coming off a rookie season in which he secured 23 of 40 targets for 373 scoreless yards over 17 games. He averaged a strong 16.2 yards per catch, but the number of catchable passes thrown his way were few and far between as a downfield threat. Darius Slayton is expected to open the season as a starter opposite Nabers, with Wan'Dale Robinson in the slot. The Giants would likely prefer to see Hyatt push Slayton for snaps.

Dulin, who tore his ACL during training camp last season, said Wednesday that he still doesn't have a timetable for his return to full football activities, James Boyd of The Athletic reports.

Dulin is feeling good and doing work on the field, which at least notes that he's making progress on some level in his recovery from knee surgery. The 26-year-old probably would have operated as the team's No. 4 wideout had he been healthy in 2023, and he'll likely be competing for the same role in 2024 once he's back to 100 percent.

Palmer and rookie third-round pick Jalen McMillan are the top candidates for Tampa Bay's No. 3 receiver job, Joshua Queipo of PewterReport.com reports.

Palmer, a 2023 sixth-round pick, held the role for nearly all of his rookie season, though he was perhaps miscast in the slot. New offensive coordinator Liam Coen said he wants to put Chris Godwin back in the slot as his primary alignment, which means the team's No. 3 receiver this upcoming season likely will play a majority of his snaps outside. While that's perhaps good news for Palmer given his speed (4.33-second 40-yard dash time at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine) wheels, McMillan has decent speed in his own right (4.47-second 40-yard dash time) and is slightly taller and heavier (6-foot-1 and 197 pounds) than Palmer (six-foot, 192). There's also the matter of Palmer being a much later draft pick and then struggling with his opportunities as a rookie; he caught just 57.4 percent of his 68 targets and averaged 9.9 yards per catch.

Brown (heel) and first-round pick Xavier Worthy are the main new faces in Kansas City's revamped receiving corps, Jacob Sloan of FOX 4 Kansas City reports.

A lot has happened since Brown signed a one-year, $7 million contract in mid-March, starting with fellow Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice being involved in a hit-and-run accident that's led to criminal charges. Rice will likely face a suspension at some point, and his potential absence leaves Brown, Justin Watson and Kadarius Toney as the top veteran wide receivers. Worthy may be talented enough to jet to the front of that group, coming in as a first-round pick after setting the NFL Scouting Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash time. He'll be one of the few players in the league faster than Brown, albeit with similar questions about his size (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) and how that affects the rookie's transition to the NFL. As for Brown, there's been nothing reported this offseason on the heel injury that ended his 2023 season in Arizona after Week 15. He'll likely be available for offseason practices and is expected to line up with the first-team offense.

Davis looks to have a top-three role at receiver to open the 2024 season after the Jaguars released Zay Jones on Tuesday, Demetrius Harvey of The Florida Times-Union reports.

With both Jones and Calvin Ridley -- who led the team with 1,016 receiving yards last season -- no longer on the roster, Christian Kirk, Davis and first-round pick Brian Thomas represent the clear starters in the position group, while Parker Washington, Tim Jones, Devin Duvernay and Elijah Cooks are on hand as depth options. While with the Bills in 2023, Davis recorded 45 catches (on 81 targets) for 746 yards and seven touchdowns in 17 regular-season outings. In his new locale, the 25-year-old's fantasy upside hinges largely on what sort of volume he sees relative to the promising Thomas, who was viewed by most as the No. 4 wideout prospect available in last week's draft.

Samuel wasn't traded during the 2024 NFL Draft and now seems likely to stay with the 49ers for at least one more season, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The 49ers selected receivers in the first round (Ricky Pearsall) and fourth round (Jacob Cowing), and while they reportedly fielded trade offers for both Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, nothing ever came to fruition. The receiver group now appears likely to undergo significant changes next offseason, at which point Aiyuk and Jauan Jennings are scheduled for unrestricted free agency and Samuel will have just one year remaining on his contract (with no guaranteed money). A contract extension for Aiyuk in the coming weeks or months would further increase speculation about Samuel eventually being the odd man out.