AFC Notes: Bills, Broncos, Browns, Patriots

Bills

• Joe Buscaglia reports that the Bills signing DE Trent Murphy does not affect the roster status of DE Jerry Hughes, who had come up as a potential roster cust after the Murphy signing.
• According to Adam Schefter, the Bills will still be “aggressive” in moving up in the first-round of the 2018 NFL Draft, even after signing QB A.J. McCarron to a two-year, $10M deal.

Broncos

• Mike Klis reports that the Broncos are still in the market for a safety in free agency.
• Troy Renck expects the Broncos to have interest in former Lions TE Eric Ebron, who was released on Wednesday.

Browns

• Pat McManamon reports that while the Browns signed RB Carlos Hyde to a three-year contract on Wednesday, the move does not preclude them from drafting Penn State RB Saquon Barkley.

Patriots

Former Patriots CB Malcolm Butler tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald that he never got a reason as to why he was benched for the Super Bowl.

“I never got a reason,” Butler said. “I feel like this was the reason: I got kind of sick. I went to the hospital. They probably thought I was kind of late on the game plan; I wasn’t as locked in as I should be and could have been a matchup deal. It could have been anything. But Bill Belichick has been doing this for a very long time.

“He took a veteran out of Super Bowl XLIX (against the Seahawks) and put in a first-year rookie, and that turned out right, so you could never question his decision. It didn’t work out right (against the Eagles). It didn’t work out the best for me or him or the New England Patriots. But I can say he won more than he lost, so it is what it is. I always have love for New England, Bill Belichick, Mr. Kraft, all those guys. Life just goes on.”

Even though things didn’t end as well as they could have for him, Butler says there are no hard feelings.

“I’ll always have love for New England,” Butler said. “From the custodians to Belichick, all the way to Mr. Kraft, I love those guys, my teammates. I like everything about New England, especially the fans. Those fans, they really had love for me and they still do. I will always remember where I came from, and I never could forget.”

• Ian Rapoport reports that former Wisconsin and Arkansas HC Brett Bielema has been consulting for the Patriots this offseason and helping with some of their potential draft prospects.