NFL Player News
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Johnny Johnson III WR | HOU
Texans' Johnny Johnson: Stays with Houston
Johnson signed a reserve/future contract with the Texans on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Johnson has been a regular on Houston's practice squad, originally joining the franchise in 2022. Since then he's appeared in two regular-season games for the team, but he has yet to record any counting stats. He'll work toward a chance to make a greater impact in 2025.
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Amari Cooper WR | LV
Bills' Amari Cooper: Non-factor in divisional-round win
Cooper didn't catch his only target in Sunday's 27-25 AFC divisional-round win over the Ravens.
Cooper has just eight yards through two playoff games, as the veteran wide receiver has failed to step up in the postseason. Josh Allen threw for only 127 yards as the Bills rode three rushing touchdowns and a 3-0 edge in the turnover battle to a berth in the AFC Championship Game, but Cooper could be more involved in Kansas City if Buffalo's forced into a more pass-heavy game plan.
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DeVonta Smith WR | PHI
Eagles' DeVonta Smith: Four grabs against Rams
Smith caught all four of his targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 28-22 divisional-round win over the Rams.
While it wasn't much, the production led all the Eagles' wide receivers on the day, as the team's offense continues to be carried on Saquon Barkley's shoulders. Smith has managed an 8-76-0 line on eight targets over Philly's two playoff games despite the limited volume available, and he might find more success in the NFC Championship Game against a Commanders secondary that had its issues during the regular season.
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Rashod Bateman WR | BAL
Ravens' Rashod Bateman: Impressive effort in playoff loss
Bateman (undisclosed) secured four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Bills on Sunday.
Bateman operated as the No. 1 receiver for the second time in as many playoff games due to Zay Flowers (knee) remaining sidelined. He kicked off the scoring on the evening with a 16-yard touchdown grab to cap off the game's opening possession, and he followed it up with a 42-yard catch with just over six minutes remaining in the first half that brought the ball down to the Bills' two-yard line. Bateman ultimately finished tied for second on Baltimore in both receptions and targets with Isaiah Likely while also checking in as the runner-up in receiving yards behind his teammate. Bateman appeared to exit the game for good with an undisclosed injury after making a three-yard catch with 2:47 on the clock and remaining down for a short time thereafter, marking an anticlimactic ending to a playoff run that followed a regular season during which he produced career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) on the second-highest catch total of his career (45) across 17 games. Bateman is signed through the 2026 season.
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Khalil Shakir WR | BUF
Bills' Khalil Shakir: Six catches help team reach AFCCG
Shakir caught six of seven targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 27-25 AFC divisional-round win over the Ravens.
Shakir was easily Josh Allen's favorite target, as no teammate had more than 15 receiving yards or three targets. After leading the Bills in catches (76), receiving yards (821) and targets (100) in the regular season, Shakir has been the team's leading pass catcher in the playoffs with 12 catches for 128 yards on 13 targets in two postseason games. Shakir should continue to play a pivotal role in Buffalo's passing game against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
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A.J. Brown WR | NE
Eagles' A.J. Brown: Just two catches in Sunday's win
Brown caught two of seven targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 28-22 divisional-round win over the Rams.
The Eagles' passing game has been completely de-emphasized during their playoff run, and Brown's production has taken the biggest hit. The star wideout has only a 3-24-0 line on 10 targets through two games -- a lower yardage total than he delivered in any single game during the regular season. Unless the Commanders find some way to bottle up Saquon Barkley next Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, Brown may have trouble making an impact again.
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Cooper Kupp WR | SEA
Rams' Cooper Kupp: Five catches in playoff defeat
Kupp caught five of seven targets for 61 yards in Sunday's 28-22 NFC divisional-round loss to the Eagles.
Kupp's 30-yard catch in the third quarter exceeded his receiving yardage total from each of the previous four games, but his season-ending touchdown drought reached five games as the Rams were knocked out of the playoffs. There is a potential out in Kupp's contract prior to the 2025 season, and the Rams will have to consider using it rather than bringing the veteran wide receiver back for his age-32 season at a $29.78 million cap hit given Kupp's poor finish to the campaign. Kupp caught 67 of 100 targets for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 12 regular-season appearances but added only six catches for 90 yards in two playoff games.
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Puka Nacua WR | LAR
Rams' Puka Nacua: Targeted 14 times in playoff loss
Nacua caught six of 14 targets for 97 yards in Sunday's 28-22 NFC divisional-round loss to the Eagles.
Nacua was limited to 29 receiving yards in the first half, and snowy conditions made it difficult to generate offense through the air for much of the second half, but the star receiver came alive as the Rams tried to orchestrate a late comeback. He made a 37-yard catch along the sideline followed by a 10-yard reception two plays later to get the Rams within 13 yards of a game-winning score on their final drive, but they would come no closer in the season-ending loss. Nacua has established himself as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL with 2,476 receiving yards in his first 28 NFL regular-season games, and he's slated to lead LA's receiving corps in 2025, which will be the third year of the 2023 fifth-round draft pick's four-year rookie contract.
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Zay Flowers WR | BAL
Ravens' Zay Flowers: Inactive versus Bills
Flowers (knee) is inactive for Sunday's divisional-round game against the Bills.
Since injuring his right knee during Week 18 action Flowers hasn't practiced, with the wideout having approached Sunday's postseason contest officially listed as doubtful. In his second consecutive absence, Nelson Agholor and Tylan Wallace are in a position to see added opportunities behind top healthy wideout Rashod Bateman, while TEs Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, along with RB Justice Hill, should continue to maintain relevance in Baltimore's passing game.
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Tyler Johnson WR | DAL
Rams' Tyler Johnson: Healthy scratch in divisional round
Johnson (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's NFC divisional-round game against the Eagles.
Johnson was also a healthy scratch for Monday's 27-9 wild-card win over the Vikings. The 2020 fifth-round pick saw significant playing time earlier in the year when wideouts Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua were injured. But, he caught just five passes over the final eight weeks of the regular season, and four of these receptions came in the regular-season finale when the Rams rested Kupp and Nacua. With Johnson sidelined, Nacua, Kupp, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington and Xavier Smith will serve as the active wideouts for Los Angeles on Sunday.