NFL Player News
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Ricky Pearsall WR | SF
49ers' Ricky Pearsall: Tweaks hamstring
Pearsall is dealing with a hamstring injury, according to head coach Kyle Shanahan, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports.
Shanahan describes Pearsall's hamstring issue as a tweak, but the wideout, who Cam Inman of The San Jose Mercury News notes worked on the side during Thursday's OTA, isn't likely to resume practicing until training camp, with the team leaning toward exercising caution with Pearsall during next month's mandatory minicamp. Once he's healthy, the 2024 first-rounder is projected to have a key role in a 49ers wideout corps that no longer includes Deebo Samuel, especially with Brandon Aiyuk still recovering from ACL and MCL tears that he sustained to his right knee last October.
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Rashee Rice WR | KC
Chiefs' Rashee Rice: Absent due to illness
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said Thursday that Rice (knee) is "under the weather" and has been instructed to remain away from the team for this week of voluntary OTAs, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.
Rice has missed Kansas City's first group of voluntary OTAs from May 27-29 due to an illness, but he may still be able to participate June 2-4 and/or June 10-13, after which the team will host mandatory minicamp June 17-19. Reid said Rice is making progress in his recovery from the season-ending right knee injury he sustained in Week 4, while quarterback Patrick Mahomes said the third-year wideout "looks explosive and fast" and appears to be working with "no limitations," per Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com. It remains to be seen whether Rice is yet cleared for live contact, but it's encouraging to see that he's looked quick in on-field drills so far. Rice's ability to rack up yards after the catch gives him potential to be featured even in the Chiefs' crowded receiving corps, though the potential of a suspension in 2025 or 2026 still looms.
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Michael Woods II WR | CLE
Browns' Michael Woods: Returns to the gridiron
Woods (knee) participated in Wednesday's organized team activities, Joshua Gunter of Cleveland.com reports.
The 2022 sixth-round pick from Oklahoma missed the Browns' 2024 season finale due to a knee injury, but his participation during the team's OTAs suggests he's now past the issue. Woods appeared in five games with Cleveland last season, catching seven of his 18 targets for 65 yards across 291 offensive snaps. Now healthy, he's expected to compete for a depth spot in the team's wide receiver room throughout the summer.
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Cedric Tillman WR | CLE
Browns' Cedric Tillman: On field for OTAs
Tillman (concussion) is participating in OTAs and worked alongside Jerry Jeudy with the first-team offense Wednesday, Dan Lebbe of cleveland.com reports.
Tillman missed the Browns' final six regular-season games of 2024 while in the concussion protocol and ended the year on IR, so it's encouraging to see him working without any apparent limitations during spring drills. The 2023 third-round pick seems the early favorite to earn the No. 2 receiver spot alongside Jeudy, with Elijah Moore now in Buffalo and veteran Diontae Johnson representing Cleveland's largest splash at wideout this offseason. Tillman was barely involved the first six weeks of 2024, in which span he totaled just six catches for nine yards, but he enjoyed a brief five-game breakout with Jameis Winston under center from Week 7 to Week 12. He put together a 26-330-3 receiving line on 44 targets in those five appearances, with the concussion cutting his Week 12 short at 56 percent of snaps. As Tillman works to translate that production into a true Year 3 breakout rather than a mere flash in the pan, he seems destined to once again have to overcome a quarterback rotation that will carry the risk of subpar play.
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Ja'Lynn Polk WR | NO
Patriots' Ja'Lynn Polk: Limited in OTAs
Polk (shoulder) isn't participating in full team drills during the Patriots' current organized team activities, Evan Lazar of the team's official site reports.
That said, Lazar notes that Polk -- who is bouncing back from an offseason shoulder procedure -- has been running routes during team periods of practice with offensive assistant Riley Larkin, adding that the 2024 second-rounder appears to be going at full speed. Once Polk is cleared to absorb contact, he'll look to secure a role in a wideout corps that still includes DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Kendrick Bourne and Javon Baker and has added Stefon Diggs (knee), Mack Hollins and rookie third-rounder Kyle Williams to the mix. However, after a disappointing rookie season in which he caught just 12 passes in 15 games, Polk has some ground to make up before he re-enters the fantasy radar in re-draft formats.
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Brenden Rice WR | LV
Chargers' Brenden Rice: Past shoulder issue
Rice (shoulder) was spotted participating in Wednesday's practice, Eric Smith of the Chargers' official site reports.
The 23-year-old finished his 2024 campaign on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury, but his participation in Wednesday's practice suggests he's moved past the issue. Rice appeared in three games during his rookie season, failing to tally any stats across 13 total snaps. Now fully healthy, Rice is expected to compete for a depth role in Los Angeles' wide receiver corps throughout the summer.
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Christian Kirk WR | HOU
Texans' Christian Kirk: Taking part in practice
Kirk (collarbone) is participating in on-field positional drills at OTAs on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Kirk no longer looks hindered by the broken collarbone that ended his 2024 season in Jacksonville after just eight games. The Texans traded for Kirk in early March, then selected two rookies out of Iowa State -- Jayden Higgins (second round) and Jaylin Noel (third round) -- in the 2025 NFL Draft. Even with Tank Dell (knee) nursing a serious enough injury that he could miss most, or all, of the upcoming season, Higgins and Noel represent notable competition for targets behind No. 1 wideout Nico Collins. At 6-foot-4, 212 pounds with 4.47 speed, Higgins is a physical clone of Collins capable of joining him on the boundary, while Noel's smaller frame and 4.39 speed seemingly positions him to begin as a deep threat. That leaves Kirk with a clear path to dominate slot reps, with the catch being that Noel could eventually compete for such snaps, and Houston's other wideouts could emerge as higher-priority targets for C.J. Stroud.
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Zay Flowers WR | BAL
Ravens' Zay Flowers: Practicing at OTAs
Flowers (knee) is participating in on-field drills at OTAs on Wednesday.
Flowers missed both of Baltimore's playoff games last year due to a right knee sprain sustained during the team's regular-season finale against Cleveland, but he didn't require surgery to address the issue and now appears back to full health. He'll work to take another step forward as the leader of the Ravens' wide receiver corps entering Year 3, after having tallied a 74-1,059-4 receiving line (on 116 targets) across 17 regular-season appearances in 2024. Baltimore remains a run-heavy offense featuring QB Lamar Jackson and RB Derrick Henry, leaving a smaller share of targets to be distributed between the 2023 first-round pick, Rashod Bateman and tight ends Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely, but Flowers' ability to create separation downfield and 4.42 speed make it possible for him to produce efficiently even without heavy volume.
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Mecole Hardman WR | BUF
Packers' Mecole Hardman: Running routes in OTAs
Hardman (knee) participated during OTAs on Wednesday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.
Hardman finished the 2024 season on Kansas City's injured reserve list with a knee issue, but it doesn't seem to be hindering him anymore with offseason workouts now underway. Hardman will have to do everything he can to try to impress Green Bay's coaching staff, as he might not be a lock to make the final 53-man roster after the team added Matthew Golden and Savion Williams via the draft.
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Treylon Burks WR | WAS
Titans' Treylon Burks: Getting in limited practice
Burks (knee) practiced in a limited capacity during OTAs on Wednesday, John Glennon of NashvillePost.com reports.
It's an encouraging sign to see Burks working with the team as he heals from the ACL damage he incurred in Week 6 of the 2024 season. Per Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com, coach Brian Callahan said Wednesday that while Burks isn't fully back, he'll be involved in practice as he progresses in his recovery. Once he's fully healthy, Tennessee hopes Burks will be able to compete for targets that don't go to Calvin Ridley with veteran wideouts Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson, as well as rookies Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor.