NFL Player News

Thompson has agreed to a deal with the Lions as an undrafted free agent, Tim Twentyman of the team's official website reports.

Thompson led Virginia in receptions during the 2022 season in just eight games while also recording 579 receiving yards in the process. He will join Detroit as one of 11 wide receivers on the roster, so he figures to have an uphill battle at ultimately earning a spot on field in Week 1. Still, he will now have the opportunity at OTAs and training camp to make an impression.

The Commanders released Erickson on Friday.

Erickson made just two appearances, exclusively on special teams, for the Commanders in 2022 and signed a reserve/futures contract at the end of the campaign. However, he's been let go following a wave of undrafted free agent signings and will head into the summer as a free agent. The Wisconsin product is mostly known for his return prowess, as he's topped 200 receiving yards just once (2019) in his seven-year career.

The Titans signed Copeland as an undrafted free agent Friday, Jim Wyatt of the team's official site reports.

Copeland caught 86 passes for 1,366 and nine touchdowns across four seasons at Florida before transferring to Maryland for his final collegiate campaign. In his lone year with the Terrapins, the 6-foot wideout caught 26 passes for 376 yards and two scores. He'll compete with fellow UDFA wideout Tre'Shaun Harrison during offseason work, but they're both long shots to make the initial 53-man roster.

Shorter signed a four-year contract with Buffalo on Thursday, Maddy Glab of the Bills' official site reports.

Shorter, a fifth-round pick out of Florida, was one of five members of the Bills' draft class to agree to a standard rookie deal, with O'Cyrus Torrence, Dorian Williams, Nick Broeker and Alex Austin also putting pen to paper on contracts. Shorter has his work cut out for him just to earn a spot on the 53-man roster for Week 1, though as high-powered as the Bills offense can be, there are no established wideouts currently on the roster after Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.

Johnson was cut by the 49ers on Thursday.

Johnson will now try to find another opportunity with a different team despite having just signed with San Francisco back in January. The 27-year-old spent the past season with Raiders, Texans and Bengals and has only managed to catch three passes for 24 yards since 2021.

Coach Dennis Allen said Thursday that he expects Thomas (toe) to be "good to go" for training camp, Ross Jackson of SI.com reports.

Thomas remains on track for the start on training camp barring any setbacks, meaning he should be 100 percent before Week 1 and have some time to build a rapport with new quarterback Derek Carr. The 30-year-old wideout has play sparingly since having led the league in catches back-to-back years, from 2018-19, potentially making him an interesting sleeper candidate for the 2023 fantasy season. Chris Olave may now be New Orleans' true No. 1 wideout, but if Thomas can remain healthy he's positioned for a key role as one of Carr's go-to pass catchers.

Seattle and Lockett agreed Thursday to a contract restructure, converting $8.54 million of his base salary into a signing bonus, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The Seahawks free up roughly $5.7 million in cap space with the transaction. Lockett is heading into his age-31 season with three more years on his deal, though Seattle has a potential 'out' after the 2023 campaign. The addition of rookie first-round pick Jaxon Smith-Njigba somewhat clouds Lockett's long-term future with the Seahawks, but the upcoming season he appears still fully entrenched alongside DK Metcalf as one of Geno Smith's top two receiving options. Lockett is coming off four consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons, and the presence of Smith-Njigba will only make it more difficult for opposing defense to account for him.

Godwin, who played 60 percent of his snaps in the slot in 2022, is expected to see more work on the perimeter during the upcoming season, Scott Smith of the team's official site reports.

Smith adds that when factoring in formations in which Godwin lined up tight with the offensive line or in the backfield, the veteran wideout was on the outside for just 27 percent of his 834 snaps from scrimmage. Godwin's production certainly wasn't any worse for it -- he recorded a career-high 104 receptions and posted his third career 1,000-yard season in the process -- but he also took plenty of contact in close quarters and averaged a career-low 7.2 yards per target and 9.8 yards per reception. Therefore, new offensive coordinator Dave Canales and new wide receivers coach Brad Idzik plan to incorporate some of the methods they utilized with DK Metcalf in Seattle to give Godwin more frequent breaks from the slot while also capitalizing on his still-viable downfield speed.

The Panthers invited Jennings (concussion) to their facility for a tryout Monday, Schuyler Callihan of SI.com reports.

Jennings was waived from the Chiefs' injured reserve list last August and after going unclaimed off waivers, he went unsigned throughout the entire 2022 campaign. The 26-year-old wideout hasn't recorded a reception since his 2019 rookie season with the Dolphins, so he'll likely need to make a strong impression with a team this offseason in order to land a contract.

The Patriots waived Bowden on Wednesday, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports.

Bowden, who was active for just one contest with the Patriots last season, spent the bulk of the 2022 campaign on the team's practice squad. The 2020 third-round selection will now look to parlay his versatility into another NFL opportunity.