NFL Player News

Although Beckham (quadriceps) attended the first day of the Browns' offseason program Monday, he wasn't present Tuesday, Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. "We don't really know the specifics right now, but he won't be here continually right now," coach Freddie Kitchens said. "He'll be back and forth, but he has some things he has to tie up, and we're getting all of that in order now."

Beckham was a sporadic attendee of the Giants' offseason program the past two years, so his current absence has precedence. By all indications, he'll make his presence felt at OTAs throughout May and mandatory minicamp from June 4-6 to build his rapport with Baker Mayfield and company. Beckham has yet to address the quadriceps injury that forced four consecutive DNPs to conclude last season, but the aforementioned activities eventually will put an end to any questions about his health.

Coach Kyle Shanahan suggested Goodwin won't necessarily be a starter in 2019, Joe Fann of the 49ers' official website reports. "You know, there hasn't been a consistency," Shanahan said Tuesday. "At times, [Goodwin and Kendrick Bourne] have played at a high level. They've been out there a lot as starting receivers, which I don't think always needs to be the case. I think we can get other guys in there to take the pressure off of them."

Goodwin followed his 2017 breakout with a disappointing 2018, missing five full games and parts of others due to an assortment of lower-body injuries and an unfortunate family situation. It doesn't appear any of the injuries was serious enough to impact his offseason preparation, but he nonetheless faces the prospect of competition with the 49ers opting for quantity over quality at wide receiver. In addition to Goodwin and Bourne, the team will give Dante Pettis, Jordan Matthews, Trent Taylor and Richie James a fair opportunity to earn significant roles. Goodwin isn't in any danger of losing his spot on the roster, as his 2019 base salary ($2.95 million) became fully guaranteed Monday, per overthecap.com. He wouldn't have much fantasy value without a starting job, but the 28-year-old speed demon could still be plenty useful for the 49ers as a lower-volume deep threat off the bench.

Britt's visit with the Redskins didn't result in a contract, John Keim of ESPN.com reports.

Coming off an ugly 2017 campaign followed by a season out of the league, Britt is looking at a difficult path back to NFL relevance. He'll turn 31 in September and doesn't have much experience playing special teams.

Britt is visiting the Redskins on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Britt spent the 2018 campaign out of football after the Patriots released him Aug. 22 due to persistent issues with his hamstring. Seemingly back to full strength, the 30-year-old will need to battle for a roster spot wherever he signs, even if it's a team like Washington with an incredibly weak depth chart at wide receiver. Britt previously played with Redskins quarterback Case Keenum for the 2016 Rams during the lone 1,000-yard season of the wideout's career.

Head coach Sean Payton suggested Smith is primed to "take a big step in his development", The New Orleans Times-Picayune reports.

It's probably just coachspeak, but the Saints have yet to add a receiver this offseason save for tight end Jared Cook. The 2018 third-round pick put together a solid rookie campaign, tallying 28 receptions and 427 receiving yards along with five touchdowns, proving to be a viable red-zone threat when Drew Brees and company took to the air (Smith was second behind Michael Thomas in receiving touchdowns). It's quite possible Smith could wind up jumping Tedd Gin Jr. on the depth chart depending on how the former improves during his first full offseason, but that'll depend largely on how the Saints choose to build out their receiving corps in the coming months.

Evans agreed to convert $3 million of his 2019 salary into a bonus, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The move has no impact on Evans' earnings, simply pushing the cap charge into future years to give the Buccaneers a bit more flexibility in 2019. His role as a high-volume No. 1 receiver has never appeared more secure, with the team hiring Bruce Arians as head coach and then allowing DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries to leave in the offseason. Jameis Winston figures to hone in on Evans, Chris Godwin and O.J. Howard in 2019, as Jackson and Humphries accounted for 179 targets last season. The 25-year-old Evans is looking to build on a 2018 campaign in which he established personal bests for receiving yards (1,524), yards per catch (17.7) and yards per target (11.1). The efficiency will be difficult to match, but an uptick in volume (139 targets) could make up for any decline in YPT.

Beckham (quadriceps) is expected to report for the start of the Browns' offseason program next Monday, Tony Grossi of ESPN reports.

Early reports suggested Beckham was not completely thrilled by the news that he was traded to Cleveland, but even if that's true, it doesn't sound as if the star receiver is planning to protest in any way. One potential complication for his impending arrival for Monday's kickoff is that Beckham was vacationing in France at the time he was dealt, and he now has to make plans to get back in the country two weeks earlier since teams with new head coaches can begin practicing April 1. If that can be managed, it appears the Beckham saga in Cleveland will begin drama-free.

Coach John Harbaugh mentioned Lasley, Chris Moore and Jaleel Scott as options to replace departed wideouts John Brown and Michael Crabtree in 2019, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

A 2018 fifth-round pick, Lasley garnered some buzz during rookie minicamp and the early stages of training camp, but he caught just six of 16 targets for 56 yards during the preseason and then spent the entire regular season as a healthy scratch on the 53-man roster. The Ravens will likely draft at least one wide receiver and still have time to sign a veteran, but their offseason moves so far hint at a degree of confidence in the young holdovers at the position. While he failed to impress at the 2018 combine, Lasley should enter the offseason program with a realistic chance to compete for a starting job.

Miller was the first player coach Doug Pederson mentioned when he was asked Tuesday about the team's depth at wide receiver, Zack Rosenblatt of The Newark Star-Ledger reports.

It's a bit early to reach any conclusions, but it isn't crazy to think Miller could enter a competition with Shelton Gibson and Mack Hollins for the No. 4 job at wide receiver. The 2016 third-rounder had just 261 receiving yards on 805 offensive snaps in two seasons with Houston and then spent most of 2018 on the Philadelphia practice squad.

Jets coach Adam Gase said he expects Crowder to catch 70-to-90 passes, Ralph Vacchiano of SportsNet New York reports. "[Crowder]'s a downfield threat," Gase said Tuesday. "We've never had a guy that can really juice it up like he can."

While it's probably a stretch to label the prized offseason acquisition as a downfield threat, Gase is accurate in his assertion that Crowder is more explosive than a typical slot receiver. The 2015 fourth-round pick produced 11.9 yards per catch and 8.0 per target in 56 games for Washington, albeit with just 14 touchdowns among 221 receptions (6.3 percent TD rate). It won't come as any surprise if Crowder responds with a career-best season after signing a three-year, $28.5 million contract that includes $17 million guaranteed, but he does have serious competition for targets playing alongside running back Le'Veon Bell, tight end Chris Herndon and wide receivers Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa. With no truly dominant pass catcher among the bunch, Sam Darnold figures to spread the ball around in his second pro season.