NFL Player News

Cooks is available for trade, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports.

The Rams are hoping to trade Cooks and/or Todd Gurley in an effort to save money and free up cap space. Cooks produced four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2015 to 2018, but he dropped off to 583 yards in 14 games in 2019, and his struggles with concussions have been well documented. The 26-year-old receiver is signed to a five-year, $81 million contract, so the Rams won't get much in return if they end up trading Cooks.

The Browns could be looking to trade Beckham (core muscle), Troy L. Smith of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, citing a claim by ESPN Radio host Bart Scott.

Scott, a former Jets and Ravens linebacker, made the claim this week. "Just know you heard it here first," Scott said. "I'm telling you right now, Odell Beckham is on the trading block and it's real right now." Scott didn't point to any specific information, but projected confidence in his statement. The Browns haven't confirmed this news. One thing for certain, new Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski saw the team make moves early during the free agency period that hints at a change in an offensive philosophy that was wide-receiver focused in 2019. The Browns added tight end Austin Hooper and fullback Andy Janovich, suggesting less reliance on Beckham and Jarvis Landry in 2020.

Godwin (hamstring) is slated to catch passes from Tom Brady after the latter agreed to a two-year deal with the Buccaneers this week, Jim Trotter of NFL.com reports.

Godwin navigated the inaccuracy and ball-security issues of Jameis Winston to post a career-best 86-1,333-9 line in 2019, his first season in coach Bruce Arians' aggressive passing attack. He now gets an upgrade at quarterback in Brady, with the future Hall of Famer having long excelled at completing the intermediate routes that Godwin has thrived with over his first three seasons. The Penn State product recorded 22 catches of between 20 and 39 yards last season, and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times relays further optimism about Godwin's prospects from ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky, who believes Brady's arm remains more than strong enough to thrive on the downhill play-action passes that Arians' system frequently calls for.

Evans (hamstring) is slated to catch passes from Tom Brady during the 2020 season after the latter agreed to a two-year deal with the Buccaneers this week, Jim Trotter of NFL.com reports.

Despite playing with interception-prone Jameis Winston, Evans proved to be an excellent fit for coach Bruce Arians' offense during his first season in the scheme in 2019. The towering wideout generated a solid 67-1,157-8 line across 13 games before a hamstring injury held him out of the final three regular-season contests. Evans has averaged over 17.0 yards per grab in each of the last two seasons, a stretch during which he's logged 43 receptions of 20 or more yards and 13 of 40 yards or greater. There are some lingering questions about Brady's arm strength after he reportedly dealt with some elbow issues over the final quarter of the 2019 campaign, but Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times relays comments from ESPN analyst and former NFL quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who believes the future Hall of Famer still has more than enough in the tank to consistently succeed on the downhill play-action passes and accompanying intermediate routes that are a staple of Arians' system.

Byrd has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Patriots, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports.

He was stuck in a crowded receiving corps during his time in Arizona, splitting depth snaps with Andy Isabella, Trent Sherfield and KeeSean Johnson, but Byrd still was able to haul in 32 of 46 targets for 359 yards and a touchdown in 2019. Depending on the quarterback situation in New England, Byrd could be headed for a more productive season if he can work his way up a thinner depth chart.

Hodge will remain with the Browns after the team placed a contract tender on the exclusive rights free agent Tuesday.

The 26-year-old was used sparingly by the Browns last season, appearing in all 16 games but managing only four catches for 76 yards on 130 total offensive snaps. With both Odell Beckham and Jarvis Landry subject to trade rumors this offseason and Austin Hooper coming over from Atlanta, Cleveland's receiver room remains in a state of flux. Despite the uncertainty, it's likely that Hodge will operate as a depth option and special teams player for the Browns in 2020.

The 49ers are giving Bourne a second-round tender, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.

The draft pick protection will be more than sufficient to dissuade any offer sheets for the restricted free agent. Bourne did solid work out of the slot last season, but he won't necessarily be guaranteed the same job in 2020. His role depends on what the Niners do this offseason, starting with impending free agent Emmanuel Sanders.

The Seahawks tendered exclusive rights free agent Turner on Monday, Andy Patton of USA Today reports.

In his first season as a regular in Seattle's offense, Turner managed a career-best three catches in Weeks 2 and 15, while six of his 15 grabs went for more than 20 yards. He'll continue to work for slotting at wide receiver behind Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf, with David Moore and potentially a draft pick his primary competition in 2020.

The Packers have tendered Lazard, an exclusive rights free agent, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette reports.

Lazard was used sparingly before No. 1 wideout Davante Adams suffered a turf toe injury Week 4, at which point the remaining members of the receiving corps underwhelmed. From Week 6 through the NFC Championship Game, Lazard played at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps in nine of 13 appearances en route to a 38-513-3 line on 56 targets. He seemingly has a starting job locked up for the 2020 campaign, but a lot depends on offseason moves (particularly the 2020 NFL Draft) and a potential leap from one of the other young receivers on the squad.

The Jaguars are giving Cole a second-round tender, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Cole went undrafted back in 2017, so an original-round tender wouldn't have offered any draft compensation if the Jaguars failed to match an offer sheet. A second-round tender, on the other hand, ensures that Cole won't receive any offer sheets, which means he'll be back with the Jaguars unless there's an unexpected trade. He operated as the team's No. 4 wide receiver throughout most of last season, catching 24 of 35 targets for 361 yards and three touchdowns. If nothing else, Cole has proven himself effective as a part-time deep threat, showing flashes of starter potential. He'll likely enter training camp behind DJ Chark, Dede Westbrook and Chris Conley on the depth chart.