NFL Player News

Woods has improved odds for a starting job after the Steelers traded WR George Pickens to Dallas on Wednesday, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

Even if the 33-year-old ends up starting, it'd likely be in a similar role to what we saw last season from Van Jefferson, who got 40 targets on 721 offensive snaps while starting 12 of 17 regular-season games. While he had some prolific seasons earlier in his career, Woods mostly is valued for blocking and leadership at this point, having averaged 31 receiving yards per game or less in three straight seasons since leaving the Rams. As things currently stand, his main competition for snaps behind DK Metcalf would be 162-pound slot man Calvin Austin and 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson.

Austin has improved odds for a starting job after the Steelers traded WR George Pickens to Dallas, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

Austin was second among Pittsburgh's wide receivers in targets, catches and yards last season, but he didn't get much playing time in formations with fewer than three wide receivers, and his average of 3.4 targets per game was far below what's needed for fantasy relevance in most leagues. It could be a similar situation this year, only with DK Metcalf replacing Pickens as the clear No. 1 and Robert Woods replacing Van Jefferson as the veteran who is valued for blocking and experience more so than drawing targets. Austin is in a better position than he would've been had the Steelers kept both Metcalf and Pickens, but huge snap counts remain unlikely for one of the NFL's smallest players (Austin is listed at 5-foot-9, 162 pounds).

The Jaguars released Davis (knee) on Wednesday.

Davis made it through just one season of a three-year, $39 million contract, playing 10 games for Jacksonville before a torn meniscus ended his 2024 campaign. He may not be back at full strength yet but should get there before Week 1 of 2025, making the 26-year-old a reasonable free-agent option for WR-needy teams this spring/summer. The Jaguars, meanwhile, are moving forward with No. 2 overall draft pick Travis Hunter and free-agent signing Dyami Brown alongside Brian Thomas at wide receiver.

The Steelers are trading Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-rounder, Tommy Yarrish of the Cowboys' official site reports.

The Cowboys confirmed earlier reports of a trade, giving the team a huge upgrade at the No. 2 WR spot alongside superstar CeeDee Lamb. Fellow Dallas wideouts Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin drop down the depth chart, while Pittsburgh is left with Calvin Austin, Robert Woods and Roman Wilson as potential starters alongside March trade acquisition DK Metcalf. The trade is excellent news for Pickens' fantasy value, pairing him with QB Dak Prescott under new Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer in an offense that likely will throw the ball more often than the Steelers will. The 24-year-old Pickens topped 800 yards in each of his first three campaigns, including a career-high 1,140 in 2023, but he's never gone higher than 106 targets, 63 catches or five touchdowns in a single regular season.

The Steelers are finalizing a trade to send Pickens to the Cowboys, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Per Schefter, the deal -- which is expected to be completed Wednesday -- would result in the Cowboys sending a 2026 third-round pick and a 2027 fifth-round choice to the Steelers in exchange for Pickens and a 2026 sixth-round pick. With Dallas, the 24-year-old Pickens, who is coming off a 2024 regular season in which he recorded 59 catches (on 103 targets) for 900 yards and three touchdowns in 14 games, would provide QB Dak Prescott with another quality wideout target to work alongside CeeDee Lamb, who caught 101 passes in 15 contests last season.

Lockhart (undisclosed) was waived by Kansas City with an injury designation Tuesday, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.

Lockhart will head to waivers despite having just signed with the team Monday as an undrafted free agent. If he clears waivers, 6-foot-3 receiver could land on Kansas City's injured reserve, which would force him to miss the entire 2025 campaign.

Holiday signed a contract with Kansas City on Tuesday, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.

Holiday impressed at the team's rookie minicamp, earning himself a deal ahead of the 2025 campaign. The 6-foot-1, 211-pound wide receiver went unselected in April's 2025 NFL Draft after catching 39 of 64 targets for 476 yards and two touchdowns while also turning 48 carries into 182 yards and four scores over 13 contests with Louisiana Tech in 2024. Holiday will compete for a spot on Kansas City's 53-man roster in 2025.

Lockhart signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent Monday, Matt McMullen of the team's official site reports.

The wide receiver caught 53 passes for 983 yards and five scores in 2024 at San Jose State. Lockhart also averaged 18.5 yards per catch last season. His big-play ability should at least get him a real look from a team known to value that skill.

Dalena signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent Monday, Matt McMullen of the team's official site reports.

The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Fresno State product put up some impressive statistics in college that suggest a well-rounded game. He caught 64 passes for 1,065 yards and eight touchdowns in 2024, including five catches of 50-plus yards. Dalena also dropped just four passes on 178 collegiate targets, per McMullen. The wide receiver also played on more than 600 special teams snaps in college, which should help his case for a roster spot on a team with four established NFL receivers in Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice (knee), Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, as well as 2025 fourth-round pick Jalen Royals.

The Packers waived Griffin on Monday.

Griffin inked a reserve/future contract with Green Bay in January, but his spot on the roster became redundant following the team's selections of Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in April's draft. Since going undrafted out of Mississippi State in 2024, Griffin has not yet earned an opportunity to make his NFL debut.