NFL Player News

Atwell secured his only target for 18 yards during Sunday's 28-22 NFC divisional-round loss to the Eagles.

The two snaps on offense actually doubled his number from the wild-card round, and Atwell's 18-yard catch in the fourth quarter led to a Colby Parkinson touchdown. Despite a career-high 42 receptions and 562 receiving yards, Atwell failed to record a touchdown and saw his role reduced significantly once Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp returned to the lineup from injury. Atwell, along with teammate Demarcus Robinson, are unrestricted free agents heading into the offseason, and the Rams will have a decision to make on bringing one or both of them back or relying on Nacua, Kupp and rookie Jordan Whittington to anchor their wide receiver room in 2025.

Robinson secured three of seven targets for 74 yards in Sunday's 28-22 NFC divisional-round loss to the Eagles.

The veteran wideout was able to make a huge play in the first quarter, ripping a deep ball from Matthew Stafford out of the hands of cornerback Isaiah Rodgers for a 48-yard gain that led to a Joshua Karty field goal. It was a tale of two halves of the season for Robinson, as the majority of his career-high 505 receiving yards (on just 31 catches) came between Weeks 1 and 9. A second-half swoon saw four consecutive games where he was held without a catch, a troubling trend for Robinson, who enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said "we'll see how that goes" when asked Monday about Hardman (knee) coming off IR in time for Sunday's AFC Championship Game against the Bills, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.

"I haven't made any decisions on that yet," Reid said. "[Hardman has] worked hard to try and get himself back." The return specialist and depth wideout had his 21-day practice window opened Jan. 1, but he's yet to upgrade beyond limited on-field activity. If Kansas City doesn't activate Hardman before his practice window closes, he will have to remain on IR for the rest of the playoffs, including if the Chiefs advance beyond Sunday's home AFC Championship Game against Buffalo.

Johnson signed a reserve/future contract with the Texans on Monday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Johnson has been a regular on Houston's practice squad, originally joining the franchise in 2022. Since then he's appeared in two regular-season games for the team, but he has yet to record any counting stats. He'll work toward a chance to make a greater impact in 2025.

Cooper didn't catch his only target in Sunday's 27-25 AFC divisional-round win over the Ravens.

Cooper has just eight yards through two playoff games, as the veteran wide receiver has failed to step up in the postseason. Josh Allen threw for only 127 yards as the Bills rode three rushing touchdowns and a 3-0 edge in the turnover battle to a berth in the AFC Championship Game, but Cooper could be more involved in Kansas City if Buffalo's forced into a more pass-heavy game plan.

Smith caught all four of his targets for 21 yards in Sunday's 28-22 divisional-round win over the Rams.

While it wasn't much, the production led all the Eagles' wide receivers on the day, as the team's offense continues to be carried on Saquon Barkley's shoulders. Smith has managed an 8-76-0 line on eight targets over Philly's two playoff games despite the limited volume available, and he might find more success in the NFC Championship Game against a Commanders secondary that had its issues during the regular season.

Bateman (undisclosed) secured four of five targets for 66 yards and a touchdown in the Ravens' 27-25 divisional-round loss to the Bills on Sunday.

Bateman operated as the No. 1 receiver for the second time in as many playoff games due to Zay Flowers (knee) remaining sidelined. He kicked off the scoring on the evening with a 16-yard touchdown grab to cap off the game's opening possession, and he followed it up with a 42-yard catch with just over six minutes remaining in the first half that brought the ball down to the Bills' two-yard line. Bateman ultimately finished tied for second on Baltimore in both receptions and targets with Isaiah Likely while also checking in as the runner-up in receiving yards behind his teammate. Bateman appeared to exit the game for good with an undisclosed injury after making a three-yard catch with 2:47 on the clock and remaining down for a short time thereafter, marking an anticlimactic ending to a playoff run that followed a regular season during which he produced career highs in receiving yards (756) and touchdowns (nine) on the second-highest catch total of his career (45) across 17 games. Bateman is signed through the 2026 season.

Shakir caught six of seven targets for 67 yards in Sunday's 27-25 AFC divisional-round win over the Ravens.

Shakir was easily Josh Allen's favorite target, as no teammate had more than 15 receiving yards or three targets. After leading the Bills in catches (76), receiving yards (821) and targets (100) in the regular season, Shakir has been the team's leading pass catcher in the playoffs with 12 catches for 128 yards on 13 targets in two postseason games. Shakir should continue to play a pivotal role in Buffalo's passing game against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Brown caught two of seven targets for 14 yards in Sunday's 28-22 divisional-round win over the Rams.

The Eagles' passing game has been completely de-emphasized during their playoff run, and Brown's production has taken the biggest hit. The star wideout has only a 3-24-0 line on 10 targets through two games -- a lower yardage total than he delivered in any single game during the regular season. Unless the Commanders find some way to bottle up Saquon Barkley next Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, Brown may have trouble making an impact again.

Kupp caught five of seven targets for 61 yards in Sunday's 28-22 NFC divisional-round loss to the Eagles.

Kupp's 30-yard catch in the third quarter exceeded his receiving yardage total from each of the previous four games, but his season-ending touchdown drought reached five games as the Rams were knocked out of the playoffs. There is a potential out in Kupp's contract prior to the 2025 season, and the Rams will have to consider using it rather than bringing the veteran wide receiver back for his age-32 season at a $29.78 million cap hit given Kupp's poor finish to the campaign. Kupp caught 67 of 100 targets for 710 yards and six touchdowns in 12 regular-season appearances but added only six catches for 90 yards in two playoff games.