NFL Player News

Jones (knee) may be considered expendable after Kenny Golladay broke out for 1,063 yards in 2018, Nate Atkins of MLive.com reports.

Jones is coming off an injury-shortened season with a team that's trying to move toward a run-first offense, yet he still seems like a pretty good fit in Detroit, where he'll be entering the fourth season of a five-year, $40 million contract without much talent behind him at wide receiver. While the reasonable contract gives him some value on the trade market, it would be easier for the Lions to simply keep him around as a reliable No. 2 receiver alongside Golladay. The team seemingly expects Jones to make a full recovery during the offseason, though there hasn't been any update on the exact nature of his knee injury.

Cain (knee) doesn't expect to resume practicing until August, Kevin Bowen of ESPN 1070 The Fan reports.

The 2018 sixth-round pick wants to be cautious with his rehab from a torn ACL suffered Aug. 9, though he may be ready for some form of football activity during spring practices. He was pushing for a key role on offense prior to the devastating injury and recently has received endorsements from Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton and general manager Chris Ballard. The 22-year-old wideout stuck around the team facility throughout his rookie campaign, gaining familiarity with Frank Reich's scheme while sitting in on meetings. He'll be 13 months removed from the injury by the time Week 1 rolls around, and he could be in the mix for the No. 2 wide receiver job during training camp.

Kirk (foot) expects to be healthy by the start of OTAs in May, Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic reports. "My recovery is going well and I'm on the road to being 100 percent here in the next couple of weeks," Kirk said. "I'll be 100 percent by OTAs, for sure."

Prior to fracturing his left foot in Week 13, Kirk was cobbling together an impressive rookie campaign, finishing with 43 catches (on 68 targets) for 590 yards and three touchdowns. Once the diagnosis was confirmed Dec. 3, the 2018 second-round pick had a pin inserted into the outside of his foot, which sustained a clean break. His rehab so far has included running in a pool, taking part in biometric exercises and undergoing electric stimulation, massage and ice therapy at the Cardinals' factility. Once his recovery is complete, Kirk will embark on his first full offseason as a pro with a new system to learn under the direction of coach Kliff Kingsbury. Additionally, veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald has committed to another season, and quarterback Josh Rosen will be a year wiser, so Kirk may be due for a breakout.

Robinson played just 12 offensive snaps in the Chiefs' two postseason contests, hauling in his lone target for a 27-yard reception.

Robinson's catch came in Sunday's 37-31 overtime loss to Patriots and was one of the more pivotal moments of the AFC Championship Game, as it put Harrison Butker in position for the game-tying field goal in the final minute of the fourth quarter. By and large, Robinson was efficient with his limited opportunities in the regular season, nabbing 22 of 33 targets for 288 yards and four scores. He'll play under the final year of his rookie deal in 2019 and could be a candidate for a regular role in three-receiver formations in the event impending free agent Chris Conley isn't retained.

Conley failed to corral his lone target Sunday in the Chiefs' 37-31 overtime loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game.

Sammy Watkins returned from a foot injury to suit up in both of the Chiefs' postseason contests, resulting in Conley losing some prominence in the Kansas City passing attack. Though Conley still worked as the Chiefs' No. 3 receiver, he played only 24 of 52 offensive snaps with the team frequently making use of two-tight end sets featuring Travis Kelce and Demetrius Harris. Conley will hit free agency for the first time this offseason and could be motivated to seek employment from a team that can offer him more legitimate volume in the passing game. A return to Kansas City in 2019 likely wouldn't result in a notable bump in targets for Conley with Kelce, Watkins and Tyreek Hill all still under contract.

Holmes (ankle) was released by the Broncos on Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN reports.

The Broncos acquired Holmes via waivers after he was cut by the Bills in early December. The veteran wideout went on to appear in three games with Denver, hauling in his lone target during that span for a five-yard reception before moving to injured reserve after suffering a high-ankle sprain. Holmes should be back to full strength by the time teams reconvene for OTAs, but it's unlikely he'll have a robust market as he heads into free agency. As a 30-year-old wideout who has topped out at 47 receptions, 693 yards and four touchdowns during any of his seven seasons, Holmes may have to wait until some bigger names at the position come off the board before landing a depth role with a team.

Beasley indicated Tuesday via his personal Twitter account that he will prioritize utilization over money when evaluating the market for his services this offseason, The Dallas Morning News reports.

Beasley suggested that he's open to re-signing with the Cowboys, despite asserting that the team's front office pressures the coaching staff to throw the ball to certain players. He specified that he'd like to see 5-to-8 targets per game instead of three or four, but he passed on an opportunity to place blame on recently fired offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. The 29-year-old seems to be referring to his minimal workload in the playoffs, considering he finished the regular season with his second-best marks for receptions (65), yards (672) and targets (87). The latter number works out to 5.4 per game, landing on the low end of the aforementioned range. Slated to become an unrestricted free agent after playing out the entirety of a four-year, $13.6 million contract, Beasley conceivably could see a few additional targets in a pass-happy offense, but it's hard to imagine any team viewing him as more than a secondary or tertiary option.

Reilly has signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions, Tim Twentyman of the Lions' official site reports.

Undrafted back in 2017, Reilly has spent time on practice squads in Buffalo, Detroit and Dallas. He'll face an uphill battle to stick with the Lions beyond the preseason in 2019.

Crabtree may be released during the offseason, Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports.

Limited to a 54-607-3 receiving line and 6.1 yards per target in the first season of a three-year, $21 million contract, Crabtree isn't likely to make it to Year 2 of his deal. He did have a pair of touchdown grabs in a playoff loss to the Chargers, but he otherwise disappeared once Lamar Jackson replaced Joe Flacco at quarterback. While the 31-year-old wideout shouldn't have much trouble finding a home for 2019, his days as a lead target are probably numbered. A return to Baltimore likely would require accepting a pay cut.

Although Kemp appeared in all 16 regular-season games for the Chiefs in 2018, nearly all of his work came on special teams.

Kemp hauled in just one pass for seven yards on two targets throughout the campaign and played more than three offensive snaps in a game just twice all season. The second-year wideout did take the field on special teams to the tune of 299 snaps, but he's far from a lock to be on the Chiefs' 53-man roster next season, despite being an exclusive rights free agent.