NFL Player News

The Eagles tendered Ward as an exclusive rights free agent Monday, Mike Kaye of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

Ward thus can only negotiate with the Eagles this offseason, which makes it seem very likely that he'll stay in Philadelphia. The 25-year-old was the only wideout to start all 16 games for the team in 2020, and he finished with the best stat line of his career (53-419-6). Philadelphia already has parted ways with DeSean Jackson and are expected to release Alshon Jeffrey in the near future, making it conceivable that Ward sees similar opportunities in 2021. Of course, there's always the possibility of the Eagles adding substantial pass-catching competition this offseason.

The Titans released Humphries (concussion) on Thursday, Turron Davenport of ESPN.com reports.

Signed to a four-year, $36 million contract during the 2019 offseason, Humphries played in 19 regular-season games for Tennessee, catching 60 of 82 targets for 602 yards and four touchdowns. He was a reliable slot receiver before a concussion wiped out the second half of his 2020 campaign, but he never had a chance to live up to the contract while playing in a run-heavy offense that ranked near the bottom of the league in usage of three-wide formations. Humphries will turn 28 in June, so he still has time to revive his career with a new team.

The Panthers re-signed Kirkwood (shoulder) to a one-year deal Monday, Joe Person of The Athletic reports.

Kirkwood only appeared in one contest in 2020, in which he secured one of two targets for 13 yards. He spent most of the season rehabbing from a broken clavicle, which he subsequently re-injured after briefly returning to the lineup Week 6. As a rookie with the Saints back in 2018, Kirkwood had 13 grabs for 209 yards and two scores (all career-high marks) across eight games.

Jones is expected to have interest in joining the Rams this offseason, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

An impending free agent, Jones is from Southern California, and the 30-year-old would presumably prefer to sign with a contender this offseason. Those two factors would make the Rams a logical destination for Jones, especially after the organization traded for quarterback Matthew Stafford. Jones caught passes from Stafford over each of the past five seasons in Detroit and connected with him for nine touchdowns in three of those years.

Robinson and the Bears haven't discussed a long-term contract since September, potentially setting him up to receive a franchise tag in the coming weeks, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

The window to apply franchise tags runs from Feb. 23 through March 9, with the number for most wide receivers expected to be around $16-17 million. Robinson, however, would be a bit more expensive, as tag rules require the Bears to pay him 120 percent of his 2020 cap hit ($15 million), which would work out to $18 million. The Bears can use the tag even if they don't intend to keep Robinson, setting the table for a tag-and-trade to net draft picks or another player.

The Jets can save $10 million in cap space if Crowder is traded or released, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com reports.

There's no question Crowder has been the team's best offensive weapon since he signed a three-year, $28.5 million contract during the 2019 offseason. The Jets certainly have enough cap space to keep him, but they might decide the $10 million could be better spent elsewhere or rolled over to next season. Crowder will turn 28 in June, and while he's played 84 of a possible 96 games through six seasons, he does have a history of recurring injuries to his left hamstring/thigh, He missed seven games in 2018 and four in 2020.

Cracraft signed an extension with the 49ers on Friday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Cracraft started one game (nine appearances) for San Francisco in 2020, ultimately finishing the year with six receptions for 41 yards on nine targets. As context for his production, it's worth noting that the 26-year-old wasn't promoted from the practice squad until midseason. He also saw action as a punt returner during the 49ers' final two games.

Taylor recorded five receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown and one carry for nine yards over 15 regular-season appearances in 2020. He also returned nine kicks for 167 yards.

After spending all of the 2019 season on the Packers' practice squad, Taylor earned a roster spot in 2020 and never gave it up. He got a chance to show what he could do when the Packers were down a couple wideouts early in the season, but he saw the bulk of his action on special teams over the course of the campaign. Taylor's experience will help his chances of holding onto a spot on the Packers' roster in 2021, but he's likely going to have compete for a job n training camp.

St. Brown had seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown and one carry for seven yards over 12 games in 2020.

St. Brown was inactive for Week 1 and spent the next several weeks on injured reserve, but he appeared in every game after the Packers' Week 5 bye and eventually settled into the fourth spot on the depth chart. While St. Brown didn't contribute much last season, he remains under contract with the Packers for another year, so he's a good bet to earn a roster spot in 2021. Even if he comes away with one, though, it seems unlikely he would open any higher on the depth chart than where he finished the previous campaign.

Watson finished the 2020 regular season with seven receptions (11 targets) for 94 yards and compiled 19 yards on two kickoff returns across 11 games. He also logged 17 snaps but no statistics during the NFC Championship Game win over the Packers.

The season started off encouragingly enough for Watson, considering the talent in front of him on the wideout depth chart. The third-year pro accumulated all of his stats from scrimmage for the campaign during the first three games, logging over 50 snaps in two of those contests while Chris Godwin battled multiple injuries. However, opportunity largely dried up for Watson once Antonio Brown was brought aboard in late October. How much of an uphill battle Watson faces for a roster spot this summer largely hinges on the status of Godwin and Brown, who are both slated for unrestricted free agency when the new league year begins in mid-March.