NFL Player News

Johnson has missed the last two practices due to a groin injury, but coach Pete Carroll expects Johnson to return next week, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports.

Johnson can ill afford to miss extended time to injury considering he'll need to leapfrog a number of players on Seattle's wide receiver depth chart to have any chance at a roster spot. Luckily for Johnson, it sounds like his groin injury isn't expected to linger much longer, so the undrafted rookie out of South Dakota State should return to practice soon.

Waddle signed his rookie contract, which is worth $27.1 million and includes a $17.1 million signing bonus, with the Dolphins on Friday, Josh Tolentino of The Athletic reports.

The 2021 sixth overall pick is now set to reunite with his college quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, on the Dolphins. Will Fuller figures to have the same type of field-stretching role Waddle will have this season but is only on a one-year deal; therefore, whatever Fuller's short-term impact may be, don't expect it to hinder Waddle too much from emerging as the team's top future playmaker for years to come.

The Bills signed Walker as an undrafted free agent Thursday, Chris Brown of the team's official site reports.

Walker was a two-time All-Mountain West selection during his career at San Diego State, where he ranks third in school history in terms of receptions. His best collegiate season came as a junior in 2019, when he reached 1,161 receiving yards while averaging 14 yards per catch and 116 receiving yards per game.

Smith-Schuster says he'll play more snaps outside this season, Tim Benz of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports.

Smith-Schuster has taken more than half his snaps from the slot in each of four NFL seasons, slowly increasing from 57.8 percent (2017) to 61.0 percent (2018) to 66.7 percent (2019), before leaping to 84.7 percent in 2020, per PFF. He's arguably at his best working inside, but a 5.8 aDOT last season didn't give him many opportunities for long gains. While more work outside could help Smith-Schuster get a few deep looks, he may also face tougher target/touch/snap competition this year after the Steelers improved their backfield in the first round of the 2021 draft (with Najee Harris) and used their second-round pick on a tight end (Pat Freiermuth) who could encourage more multi-TE looks. The team also still has Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool and James Washington at wide receiver, all of whom will compete for targets from 39-year-old Ben Roethlisberger.

Bateman signed his four-year rookie contract with the Ravens on Wednesday.

Bateman's four-year, $12.6 million rookie deal includes a $6.5 million signing bonus. Having selected Bateman in the first round of April's draft, at No. 27 overall, the Ravens will have to make a decision about his fifth-year option come 2024. In the more immediate future, Bateman's draft capital and skill set should give him a near immediate starting opportunity alongside Marquise Brown and Sammy Watkins. The Minnesota standout's ability to create separation off the line of scrimmage should translate well to the pro level, giving Lamar Jackson some much-needed help in the intermediate passing game. That said, the infamously scarce passing volume of Baltimore's offense may cap Bateman's fantasy upside as a rookie.

Diggs shared via his personal Twitter account Thursday that he played through a torn oblique in the playoffs last season.

Despite the injury, Diggs put up 311 receiving yards and two touchdowns in three playoff games, though he was held to 77 yards in the AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs. He was limited in practice with the oblique injury throughout the postseason, but the severity of the injury was greater than Diggs let on at the time. Considering he was playing through the injury back in January, Diggs should be healthy heading into the 2021 season.

Indianapolis signed Black as an undrafted free agent Thursday.

Black had 10 catches for 240 yards and one score in his final season at BYU, when he only appeared in six contests during a shortened season. He'll get a chance to compete for a back-of-roster role this offseason.

The Saints are signing Winston, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.

Winston bears no relation to Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, but the two could connect in practice this offseason. The former Washington State spent time with the Rams after going undrafted back in 2020, but he wasn't able to earn a spot on the team's final roster.

Byrd signed a one-year deal with the Bears on Monday, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

The sixth-year pro had his most productive campaign in 2020 with the Patriots, recording 47 receptions for 604 yards and one touchdown. Now in Chicago, Byrd figures to compete with Darnell Mooney, Anthony Miller and Marquise Goodwin for reps behind Allen Robinson.

Jefferson should continue to see his role increased in the passing game next season, even with the selection of Tutu Atwell in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.

While Los Angeles did make Atwell its first selection in the draft, he's probably not going to impact Jefferson's expected growth in his second season in the league. Atwell definitely could cut into Jefferson's snap and target share, but Jefferson flashed potential as a rookie and has the acumen to be a reliable receiver this season -- especially in a possession, move-the-chains role.