NFL Player News

Shakir has been impressive at spring practices, making his case for a regular role in three-wide formations, Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News reports.

The 2022 fifth-round pick had only 10 receptions during the regular season last year, mostly operating as Buffalo's No. 4 receiver, before coming on strong in the playoffs with five catches for 91 yards over two games. Shakir enters his second season with a nice chance to claim the third receiver spot, albeit in an offense that rarely took WRs Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis off the field last year and may now use more multi-TE formations after adding first-round pick Dalton Kincaid. The Bills also added veteran WRs Deonte Harty and Trent Sherfield this spring to give Shakir some competition for playing time that previously went to the departed Isaiah McKenzie, who drew 63 targets last year while taking nearly three-fourths of his snaps in the slot.

Skowronek missed time during the Rams' recent minicamp while "working through some foot stuff," per coach Sean McVay, Cameron DaSilva of the USA Today reports.

Skowronek has moved past the calf strain that he dealt with at the end of last season, but he's now tending to a foot issue in advance of training camp. Assuming it's nothing that lingers, Skowronek will look to cement a steady role in a Rams' wide receiver corps that will be led by Cooper Kupp and also includes Van Jefferson, Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua. In 14 games during the 2022 campaign, the 2021 seventh-rounder logged 39 catches on 61 targets for 376 yards and no touchdowns.

Olave (Achilles) didn't practice Thursday, Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reports.

Per Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football, coach Dennis Allen suggested that Olave's injury is nothing to worry about, while indicating the wideout is dealing with some minor Achilles inflammation. With that in mind, we'd expect that Olave -- who was spotted Thursday with tape on his right ankle -- should be past the issue by the time training camp rolls around.

Metchie, who sustained a strained hamstring during the initial phase of the Texans' offseason program, is on track to participate in training camp, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

"Everything is on target," Texans coach DeMeco Ryans noted of the wideout at the close of a full-team minicamp. "I think Metchie will be good to go for training camp." The 2022 second-rounder spent his rookie season on the reserve/non-football illness list after being diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia last July, with Wilson noting that by all accounts, Metchie's recovery since then has progressed well. Once the 5-foot-11, 187-pounder moves past his hamstring issue and is able to take the field in training camp, Metchie is in line to compete for snaps in Houston's WR corps with Robert Woods, Nico Collins, Noah Brown and Nathaniel Dell.

Rams coach Sean McVay said Tuesday that Atwell has been "outstanding" and a "real bright spot" in spring practices, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

Atwell is getting first-team looks at multiple receiver spots and apparently has been one of Matthew Stafford's favorite targets this spring with fellow WRs Cooper Kupp (ankle), Van Jefferson (undisclosed) and Ben Skowronek (foot) all limited in practice or absent. The 2021 second-round pick has a real shot at a top-three spot on the depth chart given the lack of talent behind Kupp, but it's still an uphill battle toward fantasy relevance and consistent production for one of the smallest players in the league (5-9, 165). Atwell is also getting practice reps on special teams as a returner, competing with RB Kyren Williams and WR Austin Trammell.

Williams (back) participated in minicamp and said Wednesday that he's been healthy for months, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Williams suffered a minor back fracture Week 18 last season and sat out the Chargers' wild-card round loss to Jacksonville six days later, finishing a once-promising season on a low note. He averaged 5.3 catches for 70.7 yards on 8.4 targets over the first seven weeks and 5.0 catches for 77 yards on 6.6 targets over the final five weeks, with an ankle injury limiting him to six snaps in the five games in between. The per-route and per-snap production wasn't much different from his 2021 breakout campaign, apart from a lack of touchdowns (four). The 28-year-old has tougher competition for deep and intermediate targets after the Chargers drafted Quentin Johnston in the first round in April's draft, but there may be more looks to go around overall under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Aiyuk has been standing out early in San Francisco's offseason team activities, Jerry McDonald of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Fellow starter Deebo Samuel has yet to participate in OTAs, leaving Aiyuk to operate as the 49ers' top wideout in camp. The 25-year-old has taken advantage of that opportunity, impressing the coaching staff with his play early in team practices. Aiyuk is coming off of his best professional season in 2022, and he seems to be pushing to take yet another step forward in 2023.

Bills coach Sean McDermott said after Wednesday's minicamp practice, which Diggs attended, that the situation between the player and the team is "resolved," Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.

McDermott noted that he excused Diggs from Tuesday's mandatory minicamp practice before the wideout returned to the field Wednesday and participated in individual drills before sitting out team work. Since Diggs, McDermott and quarterback Josh Allen have all been mum about the details surrounding why the receiver took part in only team meetings Tuesday before leaving the facility, it's fair to wonder whether Diggs is upset over his decreased usage in the second half of last season. That said, all parties seem committed to hit the ground running once training camp rolls around in July. Should all remain calm between Diggs and the team through the summer, he'll once again be one of the top receivers off the board in almost any fantasy draft.

Montgomery is a candidate to serve as a complementary option behind lead back Rhamondre Stevenson during the upcoming season, Evan Lazar of the Patriots' official site reports.

The 30-year-old missed the final 16 games of the 2022 season, but now that he's moved past his injury woes, Montgomery has caught the eye of head coach Bill Belichick during the Patriots' offseason program. With Damien Harris having moved on to Buffalo this offseason, Montgomery will be competing with second-year players Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris for reps behind Stevenson. It's still possible that the Patriots will add another veteran back to the mix, but if Montgomery ends up emerging as the New England's top option on third downs, he could end up on the PPR radar.

Brown (foot) returned to practice Wednesday, Bo Brack of GoPHNX.com reports.

Brown was held out of Tuesday's practice for precautionary reasons, but his quick return to the field indicates that the foot issue he was dealing with was nothing concerning. In the wake of the Cardinals' release of DeAndre Hopkins, Brown, who logged a 67-709-3 receiving line in 12 games in 2022, is poised to serve as the team's top wide receiver this coming season. At this stage, it's unclear when quarterback Kyler Murray -- who underwent surgery Jan. 3 to repair a torn ACL -- will be able to return to game action.