NFL Player News

Brown may need to take on a larger role in the Cardinals offense to begin the upcoming season after DeAndre Hopkins was suspended six games Monday for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing substances, Lindsay Jones of The Athletic reports.

Arizona made a splash on Day 1 of the 2022 Draft when it acquired Brown and a third-round pick for the team's first-rounder. He was slated to operate with Hopkins and A.J. Green at wide receiver in the base offense, but Brown now should assume No. 1 duties as of Week 1 of the campaign. Brown is coming off the first 1,000-yard season of his pro career in 2021 and previously worked with quarterback Kyler Murray at Oklahoma in 2018, compiling a 75-1,318-10 line in a high-powered scheme. With Hopkins out of the picture for six contests, Brown's primary competition for targets will be Green, Rondale Moore and Antoine Wesley at wide receiver, tight ends Zach Ertz and rookie second-round selection Trey McBride and top running back James Conner.

Jennings was waived by Kansas City on Thursday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.

Jennings joined Kansas City on a reserve/future contract in January but will be let go to make room on the roster for undrafted free agents. The 29-year-old has appeared in 10 regular-season games in the NFL and has hauled in two of five targets for 32 yards.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll said Tuesday that he looks forward to working with Toney, who was the subject of trade rumors prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, Ryan Chichester of WFAN Sports Radio 66 New York reports.

New York added second-round pick Wan'Dale Robinson to an already-deep wideout room, but they'll likely need help even if Toney has a big Year 2, considering Darius Slayton is in a contract year and coming off a poor season while Sterling Shepard works his way back from an Achilles tear. Meanwhile, Kenny Golladay missed 11 games for the Lions in 2020 and then managed only 521 yards in 14 games in his first season with the Giants. It's a situation that could allow Toney to emerge as Daniel Jones' favorite receiver, especially after recent reports suggested that the Giants listened to trade offers but never actually shopped the young wideout. Toney showed up to the voluntary offseason program a few days before the draft, after his absence early on created some headlines and perhaps fueled the trade rumors.

The orthopedic surgeon who oversaw Williams' reconstructive ACL surgery indicated that the receiver's knee injury didn't involve damage to other ligaments, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports. "Jameson's goal is to play first preseason game, obviously. I told him, I said, 'Look, depending on which team you go to, most teams are probably - they're going to be very conservative. You've got to understand that,'" Dr. Lyle Cain of Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center said.

Initially, the prospect of Williams being ready for training camp this summer seemed highly optimistic, given that he underwent knee surgery six-and-a-half months earlier. However, based on the comments from Williams' surgeon, his knee injury doesn't appear to be as severe as most ACL tears, which led doctors to prescribe a 5-to-7 month timeline for recovery that would align with the start of training camp. The fact that Williams has already resumed running and regained the range of motion in his knee provides evidence that his recovery is going smoothly. With that said, even if Williams remains setback-free, the Lions' coaching staff might still take a conservative approach with his return to the field come training camp. Fantasy managers should prepare accordingly, as it remains a possibility that Williams starts the 2022 campaign on the sidelines.

The Commanders signed Erickson on Wednesday.

Erickson caught just three of four targets for 55 yards across 17 appearances with the Panthers last season, but he has proven to be a reliable punt returner during his first six NFL seasons. Washington also has Dax Milne and Curtis Samuel (hamstring) as potential punt-return options to replace DeAndre Carter, who signed with the Chargers this offseason. However, Erickson has the most experience, which will likely make him the favorite to win the gig heading into training camp.

Jalen Reagor slipped further down the depth chart and is a candidate to be traded after the acquisition of A.J. Brown, Zach Berman of the Athletic reports.

Eagles GM Howie Roseman stated after the Brown trade that the team still plans to have Reagor on the roster, but the 2020 first-round pick is now fifth at best on the depth chart with Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal having surpassed him. Greg Ward has been more productive in recent years and is also still on the team. Reagor himself seemed frustrated by news of the deal and erased all mentions of the club on his social media soon after. It may be best for all parties if the 23-year-old got a fresh start elsewhere.

The Saints signed Dixon as an undrafted free agent Monday.

Dixon had 236 receptions for 3,802 yards and 35 touchdowns during his standout career at Nicholls State. The 6-foot-3 wideout figures to compete during training camp with Rashid Shaheed, who was also signed as an undrafted free agent.

Watkins is now seated at third on the Eagles' depth chart after the acquisition of A.J. Brown, Zach Berman of the Athletic reports.

Watkins' volume almost certainly takes a hit, as he had been slated to be the Eagles' No. 2 receiver after DeVonta Smith prior to the Brown trade. It's possible, however, that with defenses now having two legit No. 1 receivers to focus on, the Southern Miss product will be more open to scoop up targets and rack up yards. The most likely scenario is that the 2020 sixth-round pick will find it hard to surpass last year's 43 catches and 647 yards.

Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll confirmed Saturday that Metcalf no longer is using a walking boot to protect his surgically repaired left foot, Liz Mathews of USA Today reports.

Carroll also noted that Metcalf has resumed running, though presumably not yet at 100 percent after he underwent foot surgery in February. The 24-year-old is expected to continue his rehab into the spring, so he may not be fully cleared before OTAs come to an end. Metcalf should be at or near full strength by training camp in late July, if not minicamp in mid-June, when he and Tyler Lockett will headline a new-look Seattle passing game that will be helmed by a yet-to-be-determined starter following Russell Wilson's move to Denver earlier in the offseason. The Seahawks didn't add to the position group through the draft over the weekend, tentatively leaving Drew Lock, Geno Smith and Jacob Eason to compete for the starting job.

Hopkins withdrew the appeal of the six-game suspension he received from the NFL on Monday for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports.

With the news that he won't seek a reduction in the suspension, Hopkins will end up missing 11 straight contests, as he was sidelined for the final four games of the 2021 regular season in addition to the Cardinals' wild-card round loss to the Rams due to a torn MCL in his knee. Per the terms of his suspension, Hopkins remains eligible to participate in all offseason practices and preseason games, so he'll at least be a part of the team environment over the next several months. While Hopkins is out, the newly acquired Marquise Brown is expected to operate as the Cardinals' No. 1 receiver, with A.J. Green, Rondale Moore and Antoine Wesley profiling as the top options behind him on the depth chart.