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Tylan Wallace WR | CLE
Ravens' Tylan Wallace: Fails to make impact in 2022
Wallace (hamstring) had four catches on seven targets for 33 yards across nine games in 2022.
The second-year wideout finished the season on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury and also missed Weeks 13-17 with a hamstring issue. When healthy, Wallace's season high in snaps was just 19 and that was in Week 18 when the Ravens rested some key players. Wallace never recorded more than one reception or two targets in any game despite Baltimore struggling with injuries across the receiving corps. He's under contract for two more seasons but Wallace will need to make some strides in his development to secure a role in the offense next season.
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James Proche WR | TEN
Ravens' James Proche: Disappoints in 2022
Proche had eight catches on 17 targets for 62 yards and no touchdowns in 2022.
It was a disappointing third season for Proche. The season began with Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay as the Ravens' top targets, but there was still room for Proche to carve out a role, and yet he was unable to do that. Bateman and Duvernay each suffered season-ending injuries at different points of the season, but it was Demarcus Robinson and Sammy Watkins who ultimately took on bigger roles. Proche remains under contract for one more season, but his inability to be involved in the offense despite all the attrition in the receiving corps this season does not portend well for his role in 2023 when Bateman and Duvernay are healthy.
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Justin Watson WR | HOU
Chiefs' Justin Watson: Small contribution in 2022
Watson gathered in one of two targets for 67 yards during the Week 18 victory against the Raiders.
Watson beat his defender down the left sideline to reel in a perfectly placed deep shot from Patrick Mahomes on just the second play of the game, giving the Chiefs a first and goal inside the five-yard line. While it was an excellent way to start his day, Watson didn't contribute anything more to the box score. He's been targeted two or fewer times in six of the last seven games and has just three total catches in the last six. Despite logging north of 50 percent of the snaps most weeks of the season's second half, Watson doesn't get involved enough in the passing attack to warrant a look in most playoff formats and finishes out the regular season with just 15 grabs for 315 yards and two touchdowns on 34 targets. He enters the offseason slated to become an unrestricted free agent, so it's too early to tell where he will be playing in 2023.
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Russell Gage WR | SF
Buccaneers' Russell Gage: Has movement in all extremities
The Buccaneers announced Tuesday that Gage (concussion/neck) remained overnight for additional testing at a local hospital following Monday's loss to the Cowboys, and that he has regained movement in all his extremities.
Tampa Bay's statement notes that Gage will undergo additional testing Tuesday. The wideout had to be carted off the field during Monday's wild-card playoff loss against Dallas due to a neck injury and concussion. The Buccaneers will provide further updates about the 26-year-old's health as more information becomes available.
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Montrell Washington WR | HOU
Broncos' Montrell Washington: Completes quiet first season
Washington caught four of nine targets for two yards in 15 games this season. He also rushed five times for 30 yards.
Washington finished his rookie campaign with minimal production despite playing in all but two games. The 23-year-old wideout saw limited playing time throughout the season as he remained buried on the depth chart. Heading into the 2023 season, Washington will look to make an impression on Denver's new coaching staff. However, the 5-foot-10, 170-pound receiver will likely face another uphill battle for playing time with fellow wideouts Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick (knee) and KJ Hamler (hamstring) all under contract for next season. As Washington continues to develop, he will likely operate in a depth role going forward.
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Brandon Johnson WR | LV
Broncos' Brandon Johnson: Scores once in rookie season
Johnson caught six of 14 targets for 42 yards and one touchdown while playing seven games in the 2022 season.
Signed as an undrafted free agent before the season, Johnson did not see a significant amount of a playing time during the 2022 campaign. With that said, the rookie was one of only four wide receivers to record a touchdown grab for the Broncos this season. Johnson is under contract through the 2024 season before becoming a restricted free agent in 2025. The 24-year-old will look to retain a spot on the roster this offseason with a new coaching staff coming to Denver. Assuming he sticks with the Broncos, Johnson will likely find himself in an uphill battle for playing time once again in 2023, as fellow wideouts Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick (knee) and KJ Hamler (hamstring) are all under contract for next season. Proving to have some chemistry with Russell Wilson, Johnson could provide some solid depth at the position if and when injuries become an issue going forward.
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Keelan Cole WR | LV
Raiders' Keelan Cole: Career-low 10 receptions with LV
Cole caught one of two targets for five yards in the Raiders' regular-season finale, finishing his 2022 campaign with 10 receptions for 141 yards and one touchdown on 21 targets in 14 games.
Cole reverted to a bench role late in the season upon fellow slot man Hunter Renfrow's return from injured reserve, and the former caught just four total passes for 44 yards across Weeks 10-14 despite logging at least 29 offensive snaps in each contest during that stretch. Cole will turn 30 years old this offseason as he hits free agency, so there's certainly no guarantee that he'll be back with the Raiders in 2023.
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Mike Evans WR | SF
Buccaneers' Mike Evans: Solid numbers in season-ending loss
Evans brought in six of 11 targets for 74 yards in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night. He also caught a two-point conversion.
Evans finished third in receptions and tied for second in receiving yards and targets on the night for the Buccaneers, a solid finish to an up-and-down season. He finished the regular campaign with 77 receptions for 1,124 yards and six touchdowns across 15 games, with half of his scores coming in a Week 17 win over the Panthers that locked up an NFC South title for the Bucs. While Evans, who'll be 30 when next season begins, has a cap hit of just under $24 million for 2023, he'd also carry a dead cap hit of over $21 million if released. As a result he's expected to once again play a key role for Tampa Bay, although Tom Brady's NFL future remains an unknown as the offseason begins.
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Chris Godwin WR | TB
Buccaneers' Chris Godwin: Ten catches in wild-card loss
Godwin secured 10 of 13 targets for 85 yards in the Buccaneers' 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys on Monday night.
Godwin paced the Buccaneers in receptions, receiving yards and targets on the night, a fitting encore to a regular season in which he racked up a career-high 104 catches, along with 1,023 yards and three touchdowns, over 15 games. Godwin did average a career-low 9.8 yards per grab however, and he was once again consistently used in short areas Monday night. The veteran wideout figures to remain a key component of Tampa Bay's air attack in 2023, but the big question will be who he'll be catching passes from considering Tom Brady may not be back.
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CeeDee Lamb WR | DAL
Cowboys' CeeDee Lamb: Finds end zone in wild-card win
Lamb brought in four of six targets for 68 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 31-14 wild-card win over the Buccaneers on Monday night.
Lamb was having a fairly underwhelming night until he rounded it out nicely with an 18-yard scoring grab early in the fourth quarter. The third-year wideout ultimately finished second on Dallas in receiving yards and tied for second in targets on a night in which Dak Prescott shined with a 300-yard, four-touchdown performance. Lamb figures to play an integral role once again in Sunday's divisional-round road clash against a talented but occasionally vulnerable 49ers secondary.