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Tayvion Robinson WR | CAR
Tayvion Robinson: Dropped by Baltimore
The Ravens waived Robinson on Wednesday.
Robinson signed a deal with the Ravens after going undrafted earlier this offseason, but the team has elected to part ways with the 23-year-old. Throughout Robinson's five collegiate seasons between Virginia Tech and Kentucky, he tallied 2,604 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns on 194 receptions.
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Adam Thielen WR | PIT
Panthers' Adam Thielen: Could stay in slot in 2024
Thielen projects to reprise his role as the top slot receiver for Carolina during the 2024 season, with newcomers Diontae Johnson and Xavier Legette (hamstring) slated to primarily line up on the outside, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.
Thielen was one of the few offensive playmakers to find success during Bryce Young's rookie season, as he compiled a 103-1,014-4 receiving line while suiting up for all 17 regular-season games. Adding an established veteran in Johnson and a high-upside first-round rookie in Legette could give Young the tools to take a step forward, and with that help elevate the Carolina passing offense. Despite an increase in target competition, Thielen's combination of established chemistry with Young along with the slot role could still make him a go-to target for the second-year signal-caller, especially early during the 2024 campaign if Legette needs some time to build momentum.
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John Metchie III WR | CAR
Texans' John Metchie: Healthy and explosive at OTAs
Metchie rotated in with the first-team offense during spring practices and looked explosive while doing so, according to ESPN.com's DJ Bien-Aime.
The 2022 second-round pick missed his rookie year while recovering from leukemia and then worked as a depth wideout for most of 2023. Slow development is understandable given the major health concerns he dealt with to start his pro career, but Metchie now finds himself in a situation where it will be tough to get many snaps even if he takes a step forward. The Texans have Nico Collins, Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell locked in as their top three wide receivers, and backup Noah Brown (shoulder) had a pair of 150-yard games last season. They even still have Robert Woods on the roster, at least for now, creating fierce competition for the No. 4 receiver role. It remains to be seen if Metchie will get many first-team reps once Brown is recovered from shoulder surgery and able to practice again.
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Nikko Remigio WR | KC
Chiefs' Nikko Remigio: Building momentum entering Year 2
Remigio took a substantial amount of first-team reps throughout OTAs and minicamp and looked impressive, Adam Teicher of ESPN reports.
He got a chance to handle increased reps due to first-round rookie Xavier Worthy (hamstring) being sidelined, and Teicher reports that Remigio made the most of those opportunities. Kansas City boasts a crowded but still unsettled wide receiver corps, so Remigio will have to find a way to stand out in training camp alongside all of Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore and Justyn Ross in order to make the roster. As Teicher notes, Remigio's abilities in the return game could improve his odds.
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Malik Cunningham WR | DET
Ravens' Malik Cunningham: Logging impressive offseason
Cunningham has been one of Baltimore's standouts throughout OTAs and minicamp, Jamison Hensley of ESPN reports.
Cunningham made the switch to wideout this spring, with coach John Harbaugh calling him "kind of a natural at the position." Harbaugh also noted that because of Cunningham's experience at quarterback, he has a good understanding of the passing game from that perspective. The second-year pro will compete for a depth role in a relatively thin Ravens wide receiver room, as well as potentially contribute in the return game.
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Jalen Brooks WR | ARI
Cowboys' Jalen Brooks: Could push for No. 3 role
Brooks looked good during spring practices and may get a chance to compete for the No. 3 receiver role in Dallas, ESPN.com's Todd Archer reports.
Jalen Tolbert is the favorite for the role, having essentially split it with Michael Gallup (now on the Raiders) last season. Brooks, meanwhile, played 77 snaps on offense and 82 on special teams in seven games as a rookie seventh-round pick, with four of his six catches coming in a 49-17 win over the Giants in Week 10. He was often a healthy scratch last season but now has an opportunity to move up to third or fourth on the depth chart behind entrenched starters CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks.
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Ray-Ray McCloud WR | CHI
Falcons' Ray-Ray McCloud: Getting first-team looks
McCloud got first-team reps this spring and caught some passes from QB Kirk Cousins for big plays, ESPN.com's Marc Raimondi reports.
McCloud mostly served as a return specialist and fourth/fifth WR while playing for four different teams the past six seasons, but he got five starts and 66 targets with the Steelers back in 2021, catching 39 passes for 277 yards en route to a league-low 4.2 yards per target. He may now get another chance at significant snaps on offense, having signed in March with an Atlanta team that has Drake London, Darnell Mooney and Rondale Moore projected as the top three wide receivers. London and Mooney are locked in as starters, and tight end Kyle Pitts will get a significant target share, but Moore was a disappointment in Arizona and could now face competition from McCloud for a No. 3 role that would figure to entail a lot of screen passes, jet sweeps, etc. rather than downfield targets. The Falcons also have KhaDarel Hodge and Casey Washington as options if they want to go with a more traditional WR and not a vertically challenged YAC specialist like the 5-foot-7 Moore or 5-foot-9 McCloud.
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Jalen Nailor WR | LV
Vikings' Jalen Nailor: Competing for No. 3 role
Nailor was the first player Vikings coach Kevin O'Connell mentioned when recently asked about the No. 3 receiver role, ESPN's Kevin Seifert reports.
Nailor, Brandon Powell and Trent Sherfield look like the top candidates for the job after Minnesota opted against bringing in a clear replacement for former No. 3 receiver K.J. Osborn (now with the Patriots). A 2022 sixth-round pick, Nailor has run just 77 routes through two seasons but has made the most of his limited opportunities with 12 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown on 19 targets. Hamstring and head injuries limited him to six games last year, and he took 67 of his 94 offensive snaps for the season during a Week 10 win over New Orleans. Nailor has enjoyed better health this offseason, apart from missing a few minicamp practices with an illness.
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Tre Tucker WR | LV
Raiders' Tre Tucker: Excels during OTAs and minicamp
Tucker blew by the Raiders' defensive backs during spring practices, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com.
Granted, it's not unusual for small, fast receivers to excel in early offseason practices without tackling. The Raiders seem optimistic it will carry over in this case, with coach Antonio Pierce saying Tucker is a "different dude" who plays like "the biggest guy out there" despite being 5-foot-9, 185 pounds. Tucker opened last season as the team's fourth/fifth WR after being a third-round pick, eventually working his way up to the No. 3 role and then catching 11 of 15 targets for 170 yards and two touchdowns over the final four weeks. He now seems to be holding off Michael Gallup for that No. 3 role, but it probably won't come with too many snaps or targets in an offense that has Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers at wide receiver and Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer at tight end.
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Jahan Dotson WR | ATL
Commanders' Jahan Dotson: Optimistic about Kingsbury's offense
Dotson recently told reporters it's been "really nice" having a simplified approach under new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.
Dotson wasn't a good fit under former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, whose scheme emphasized screen passes and other quick throws that relied on yards after the catch. That's not Dotson's strength, nor did it help that Sam Howell was one of the least accurate QBs on deep passes. Kingsbury and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels may prove to be better fits for Dotson, but it would still be unwise to completely ignore his 2023 struggles. Out of 81 qualified wide receivers, he was 73rd in yards per target (6.2), 77th in yards per route (0.79), 78th in YAC average (2.1) and 78th in target rate (12.7 percent). Dotson had five more yards and three more TDs in five fewer games back in 2022, when he was the 16th overall draft pick and a Week 1 starter. The upcoming season will be his fifth in a row with a new coordinator/playcaller, dating back to his junior year at Penn State.