AFC East Rumors: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• Buffalo GM Brandon Beane said he’s interested in re-signing upcoming free agent DT Jordan Phillips.  (Chris Brown)
• Beane mentioned that they’re happy with the tandem of RBs LeSean McCoy and Chris Ivory, but won’t shy away from adding competition through either the draft or free agency.  (Sal Capaccio)
• Alabama OT Jonah Williams met with the Bills.  (D. Orlando Ledbetter)

Dolphins

• The Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero believes the Dolphins are letting OT Ja’Wuan James test the market, gambling that they can save money by not being the team that sets the market. 
• Salguero says the upside is the Dolphins are less likely to be locked into a bad deal, while the downside is another team could beat them out for James.
• The Dolphins met with Florida OT Jawaan Taylor.  (Joe Schad)

Jets

New York HC Adam Gase was exuberant when talking about second-year TE Chris Herndon.  

“He’s a unicorn type of player,” Gase said via Randy Lange of the team website. “You don’t see a lot of these players that can do all three phases of the game”

“I don’t think you’ll find a lot of tight ends that are able to be on the field all three downs,” Gase said. “Obviously, he’s a very good receiver, he’s very good in the run game, and he did a really good job in pass protection last year.  And I think he helps the other guys that are there, the receivers, to where people have to account for him and he may dictate some different coverages.”

Per NJ Advance Media’s Matt Stypulkoski, here is a list of players the Jets have either met with or plan to meet with during the NFL Combine

• Temple RB Ryquell Armstead
• Washington State RB James Williams
• Pittsburgh RB Qadree Ollison
• Kansas State RB Alex Barnes
• Michigan RB Karan Higdon
• FAU RB Devin Singletary
• Kentucky RB Benny Snell
• Memphis RB Tony Pollard
• Stanford RB Bryce Love
• Florida RB Jordan Scarlett
• Boise State RB Alexander Mattison
• Appalachian State RB Jalin Moore
• Miami RB Travis Homer
• Alabama OT Jonah Williams. (Ralph Vacciano)

Patriots

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer believes a $500,000 fine and a six-game suspension is the likeliest outcome for Patriots owner Robert Kraft‘s discipline related to his solicitation charges.  
• Kraft pled not-guilty and requested a non-jury trial on Thursday.  (Peter Wilson)
• Breer says that the Patriots could try to draft a successor at quarterback, but with a weak draft class, he thinks New England will focus on other areas of the roster.