NFL Player News

Indianapolis signed Black as an undrafted free agent Thursday.

Black had 10 catches for 240 yards and one score in his final season at BYU, when he only appeared in six contests during a shortened season. He'll get a chance to compete for a back-of-roster role this offseason.

The Saints are signing Winston, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Winston bears no relation to Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, but the two could connect in practice this offseason. The former Washington State spent time with the Rams after going undrafted back in 2020, but he wasn't able to earn a spot on the team's final roster.

Byrd signed a one-year deal with the Bears on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The sixth-year pro had his most productive campaign in 2020 with the Patriots, recording 47 receptions for 604 yards and one touchdown. Now in Chicago, Byrd figures to compete with Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller and Marquise Goodwin for reps behind Allen Robinson.

Jefferson should continue to see his role increased in the passing game next season, even with the selection of Tutu Atwell in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

While Los Angeles did make Atwell its first selection in the draft, he's probably not going to impact Jefferson's expected growth in his second season in the league. Atwell definitely could cut into Jefferson's snap and target share, but Jefferson flashed potential as a rookie and has the acumen to be a reliable receiver this season -- especially in a possession, move-the-chains role.

Webster is expected to compete for a special-teams role with Raymond Calais and 2021 NFL Draft second-round selection Tutu Atwell, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Webster flashed some potential as a receiver last year during training camp, and then he spent the majority of his snaps on the kick- and punt-return units for Los Angeles last season. He could have an uphill climb to earn a roster spot after the Rams added Atwell in the draft.

Smith seems poised to start at wide receiver in 2021, Katherine Terrell of the Athletic reports.

After releasing incumbent No. 2 wideout Emmanuel Sanders this offseason, New Orleans surprised some people by ignoring wide receivers during the early rounds of last weekend's NFL Draft. By instead waiting until the seventh round to merely add Kawaan Baker out of South Alabama, the Saints appear content with Smith as the second option behind Michael Thomas while a slew of undrafted holdovers (Juwan Johnson, Deonte Harris, Lil'Jordan Humphrey) duke it out for tertiary roles. However, potential fantasy investors will need to keep tabs on who will be throwing Smith passes this fall, as the speedster figures to have a much different outlook with the strong-armed Jameis Winston (who tossed Smith a 56-yard bomb in Week 17 of last season) under center than he would with dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill.

Cephus should have an opportunity to be a starting outside receiver this season, Nick Baumgardner and Chris Burke of the Athletic report.

The offseason has gone about as well as possible for Cephus's potential usage in 2021, as every other wideout who caught a pass in a Lions jersey last season is gone and Detroit only replaced them with a pair of relatively low-cost veterans plus a fourth-round draft pick in Amon-Ra St. Brown. While going from Matthew Stafford to Jared Goff at quarterback is a downgrade, Cephus ultimately seems primed to top the 365 total offensive snaps he logged as a rookie.

The Falcons exercised Ridley's $11.12 million team option for 2022 on Monday, Gaby Moran of Atlanta's official site reports.

Atlanta likely didn't have to think too hard about whether to extend Ridley's rookie contract to a fifth year after he emerged as one of the NFL's top wideouts in 2020. Following a pair of promising campaigns to begin his career, Ridley catapulted to stardom last season, claiming second-team All-Pro honors after amassing 90 receptions for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns. Ridley and Julio Jones will remain locked in as the No. 1 and 2 options in some order in a strong Atlanta passing game that was bolstered this offseason with the addition of No. 4 overall pick Kyle Pitts, who is widely viewed as one of the top pass-catching tight end draft prospects in recent memory.

Crowder will face competition for the slot receiver role from Elijah Moore, who the Jets selected 34th overall in the 2021 Draft, Tyler Calvaruso of USA Today reports.

Crowder was the Jets' biggest threat in the passing game last season, but the team didn't hesitate to add another playmaker at his position with Moore still available early in the second round. Moore played primarily in the slot at Ole Miss. The team still could opt to cut or trade Crowder before the season and now has an obvious replacement should such a scenario unfold, but GM Joe Douglas said after picking Moore that the team has no plans to move on from Crowder at this time.

The Chiefs selected Powell in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, 181st overall.

Despite having lost Sammy Watkins to free agency, the Chiefs waited until late in the fifth round to add to the wide receiver room. After a quiet first four years at Clemson, Powell broke out with 93 catches for 882 yards and seven scores in 2020, mostly impressing due to his plus ball-tracking skills and route running. Modest athleticism will hamper Powell's upside at the next level, but he should be ready to handle a depth role for Patrick Mahomes and company right away.