NFL Player News

Pringle reeled in five of his seven targets for 29 yards and a touchdown Sunday in Kansas City's 42-36 overtime win over the Bills in the divisional round.

Though Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce remain the clear No. 1 and 2 options in the passing game, Pringle has moved ahead of fellow wideouts Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson and any of the Kansas City running backs as the preferred No. 3 target. Dating back to Week 18, Pringle has drawn no fewer than seven targets in any of the last three contests, cobbling together a 15-122-3 receiving line during that stretch.

Hardman gained 31 yards and a touchdown on two carries and hauled in his lone target for 26 yards Sunday in Kansas City's 42-36 overtime win over the Bills in the divisional round.

Hardman's 25-yard scamper for a touchdown with just over two minutes remaining in the first half helped give his team its largest lead of the day, but that advantage would prove short-lived in a game where both offenses were trading punches throughout. Perhaps Hardman's most pivotal play came in overtime, when he found himself wide open in the flat and picked up several yards after the catch before running out of bounds at the Bills' eight-yard line. On the very next play, quarterback Patrick Mahomes found tight end Travis Kelce in the end zone to send Kansas City to its fourth consecutive AFC Championship Game.

Wilkerson finished the 2021 regular season with four catches on eight targets for 42 yards and two touchdowns in three games.

All of those catches occurred in Week 17 as Wilkerson -- who spent most of the season on the Patriots' practice squad -- filled in when Nelson Agholor was sidelined by a concussion. The team recently re-signed Wilkerson to a future contract for 2022, which sets the stage for the 25-year-old to compete for a roster spot this coming summer.

Olszewski finished the 2021 regular season with two catches on three targets for 31 yards and one carry for nine yards in 16 games.

While Olszewski wasn't much of a factor in the team's offense, he once again made his mark by serving as New England's primary kick and punt returner. The 25-year-old is a restricted free agent this coming offseason, but Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site suggests that Olszewski is a candidate to be retained via a contract tender.

Harry finished the 2021 regular season with 12 catches on 22 targets for 184 yards in 12 games.

Per Paul Perillo of the Patriots' official site, while Harry is signed through 2022 with a fifth-year option for 2023, he's a candidate to be moved this offseason. In three campaigns with the team since being taken 32nd overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, the wideout has yet to secure a steady role in New England's offense, and Perillo suggests that is possible Harry could be traded for a late-round pick in advance of this year's draft.

Beasley caught six passes on eight targets for 60 yards during Sunday's divisional-round loss to the Chiefs.

This was Beasley's best game since Week 14 against the Buccaneers, as he missed a game due to COVID protocols down the stretch and seemed to have a difficult time getting worked back into a major role in the offense following his return, not to mention he got booed every time he touched the ball in home games the rest of the way from fans not agreeing with his season-long strong stance against vaccinations. Beasley's 82-693-1 line is nothing to sniff at considering there are so many mouths to feed in this high-powered offense, but the emergence of Gabriel Davis, tight end Dawson Knox and even running back Devin Singletary cut into some of Beasley's production in 2021, namely in the red zone. He has one more year left on his contract, and we imagine that even though the front office may have grown frustrated with some of the attention he brought to the locker room this season, he's too valuable to the team and too good at his middle-of-the-field role to not to be given anything less than strong consideration for the Bills' 2022 plan.

Fountain reverted to the Chiefs' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Fountain received 10 special-teams snaps in Kansas City's divisional-round win over the Bills on Sunday. It was his fourth appearance with the Chiefs this season. He'll work to earn another shot with the active roster in Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bengals.

Taylor reverted to the Bengals' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.

Taylor has been active for the Bengals' last six games, primarily appearing on special teams and performing return duties. He'll work to get called back to the active roster for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs.

Samuel (knee) is expected to practice Wednesday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Coach Kyle Shanahan noted after Saturday's divisional-round win at Green Bay that Samuel suffered an ankle injury late in the contest. However, Shanahan clarified Monday that Samuel took a helmet to his right knee or leg. Samuel was his usual versatile self in tough weather conditions this past weekend, taking 10 carries for 39 yards and reeling in three of four passes for 44 yards. His first chance to mix into drills this week arrives Wednesday, after which the 49ers will relay his activity level, if any.

Darden, who exited Sunday's divisional-round loss to the Rams in the fourth quarter with a concussion, returned four kickoffs for 62 yards and one punt for five yards prior to his injury. He completed his rookie season with six receptions for 43 yards on 12 targets, one carry for 11 yards and 501 combined return yards across nine games.

The Bucs have high hopes for Darden as an eventual downfield threat, but given the depth the team enjoyed at receiver most of the season, 2021 was more about acclimating the North Texas product to the speed of the NFL. That was primarily accomplished through getting Darden consistent work on returns as the season unfolded, and his solid efforts in that capacity helped lead to the eventual cut of fellow wideout/returner Jaydon Mickens. Darden should have more opportunities than the 87 total snaps he logged from scrimmage during his rookie campaign come 2022, particularly if Chris Godwin (knee) and Breshad Perriman (hip) depart via free agency.