NFL Player News

Bears head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday that Moore "has been a guy that's highly motivated" during voluntary OTAs, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times reports.

"[Moore] wants to be as complete of a receiver as he can possibly be, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to get there," Johnson said. The wide receiver's poor body language last season was also addressed by Johnson, who said at the start of OTAs that the offseason will be "all about educating" Chicago's players about new team culture expectations. Moore said Tuesday that his body language was brought up once this offseason, but that "we nipped it in the bud and it never happened again." Entering his second season with Caleb Williams under center, the departure of Keenan Allen in free agency leaves Moore as the clear leader among the Bears' pass-catching corps, and he remains entrenched as the team's No. 1 wideout. Chicago's O-line upgrades and Johnson's track record in Detroit both point to a much improved offense for 2025, but Moore faces considerable target competition from last year's No. 9 overall pick Rome Odunze, rookie second-rounder Luther Burden (undisclosed) and tight end Colston Loveland (shoulder), the 10th overall selection of the 2025 draft. Moore tallied a career-high 98 catches across 17 regular-season games with Williams in 2024, though he took a step backward from his breakout 2023 campaign in terms of yards (966 vs. 1,364) and touchdowns (six vs. eight).

Rice (knee) was a full participant in voluntary OTAs on Wednesday, Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star reports.

Rice missed Kansas City's first week of OTAs due to an illness, but the third-year pro is now back with the team and showing no signs of still being hampered by the season-ending surgery he underwent last October to repair the LCL in his right knee. Head coach Andy Reid previously said in April that Rice was on track to get an essentially complete offseason, while quarterback Patrick Mahomes said in late May that the explosive wideout had been working without limitations, so it comes as no surprise to see him now participating in full. A 2023 second-round pick, Rice followed up his excellent rookie season with a phenomenal start to the 2024 campaign, racking up a 24-288-2 receiving line in Weeks 1-3 before injuring his knee just seven snaps into Week 4. It's possible Rice's ongoing legal situation (and likely suspension) aren't resolved until 2026, but he now faces tougher target competition with Xavier Worthy having developed entering Year 2, Travis Kelce returning for a 13th season and Hollywood Brown healthy and having re-signed.

Knowles signed a one-year contract with the 49ers on Tuesday.

Knowles signed with Minnesota as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and has since spent time with the Packers organization, but he has yet to appear in an NFL game. The 49ers made room for him by placing fellow wideout Trent Taylor (undisclosed) on injured reserve.

The 49ers placed Taylor (undisclosed) on injured reserve Tuesday.

Taylor signed a reserve/future contract with San Francisco in early January, but the move to IR means he'll likely be out for the entire 2025 campaign. It's not clear what type of injury the receiver is dealing with, though he wasn't expected to be a major part of the team's offense this season. Taylor spent most of last year on San Francisco's practice squad and caught one pass for 11 yards across two regular-season games.

Irwin and the Jaguars agreed on a contract Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Irwin will head to Jacksonville after spending the 2024 campaign with the Bengals and Panthers, reeling in three of 10 targets for 15 yards over seven games with Cincinnati. The wide receiver will look to impress this summer in order to potentially snag an active roster spot with the Jaguars in 2025.

White (knee) was waived by the Jaguars on Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

White is still recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in June of 2024. The wide receiver has yet to make his professional debut after wrapping up his collegiate career with Western Carolina in 2023.

Horn suffered a hamstring injury at Panthers' OTAs and didn't practice Tuesday, Mike Kaye of The Charlotte Observer reports.

Carolina used the 208th overall pick in April's NFL Draft to select Horn out of Colorado. The rookie is expected to serve as a situational deep threat and potential return man behind wide receivers Adam Thielen, Xavier Legette and first-round rookie Tetairoa McMillan.

Janke (undisclosed) was waived/injured by the Packers on Monday, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic reports.

If the wide receiver goes unclaimed, he'll revert to Green Bay's injured reserve list, at which point he'd need an injury settlement to play in 2025. The South Dakota State product played his last collegiate season in 2023, and he has yet to appear in an NFL game.

Wilson (hamstring) is participating in Arizona's voluntary OTAs without any apparent restrictions, per the Cardinals' official site.

Wilson missed Arizona's season finale in 2024 due to a hamstring injury, but he suited up for the team's other 16 regular-season games and secured 47 of 71 targets for 548 yards and four touchdowns. He also rushed once for seven yards. Despite drawing 13 more targets in Year 2, Wilson finished with a relatively similar receiving line to the 38 grabs for 565 yards and three scores he compiled as a rookie, due in large part to his yards per catch dropping from 14.9 to 11.7. With the Cardinals having opted against adding significant competition to the pass-catching corps this offseason, Wilson is positioned to reprise a starting role and operate as Kyler Murray's likely third target behind No. 1 wideout Marvin Harrison and tight end Trey McBride.

Diggs (ACL) is present for voluntary OTAs on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

Diggs' attendance at voluntary OTAs has been hit-or-miss, and he was notably absent last Wednesday when head coach Mike Vrabel was made to address a controversial video of the veteran wide receiver posted to social media, per Mike Reiss of ESPN. Vrabel said he had spoken with Diggs and stressed a desire for the 31-year-old, who inked a three-year, $69 million deal in March to position himself as the No. 1 wide receiver for second-year quarterback Drake Maye, "to make great decisions on and off the field." Diggs is again practicing without a brace on his surgically repaired right knee Monday, per Reiss, a sign that his recovery from a torn ACL suffered on Oct. 27 is continuing on good track.