AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots

Bills

• The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia thinks Bills DT Harrison Phillips is the most likely of Buffalo’s pending free agents to be back due to a combination of cost-effectiveness and performance. 
• He also expects the Bills to retain pending RFA OL Ryan Bates, who seemed to settle in as the starter at left guard down the stretch, potentially on a two or three-year extension. 
• Buscaglia expects Bills CB Levi Wallace and WR Isaiah McKenzie to test the market for more money or bigger roles elsewhere. 
• Bills DE Jerry Hughes has told the team he wants to play another season, so Buscaglia says it will just come down to cost as to whether that happens. Somewhere between $2-$4 million makes sense. 
• Bills DT Justin Zimmer and OL Ike Boettger are coming off season-ending injuries with timelines that could affect the start of next season, so while Buscaglia says Buffalo would ideally like them back, there are complications. 
• Buscaglia lists QB Mitchell Trubisky, DE Mario Addison, WR Emmanuel Sanders and DT Vernon Butler as players he doesn’t expect to be back in 2022. 

Dolphins

• Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle reports former 49ers TE coach Jon Embree is being hired by the Dolphins to the same role he had with the 49ers.

Patriots

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson is looking back on his rookie campaign with the team, noting that it took time to get used to the grind of an NFL player and learning how to be a pro.

“It was kind of stressful, but successful I would say. Those are two words I would use,” Stevenson told Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “It was stressful just because of the daily grind of the NFL player. But the success part was on the field and learning how to be a pro. That’s a big focus this offseason, just route-running and catching out of the backfield.”

• Patriots LB Jerod Mayo on remaining with the team despite having opportunities to become a coordinator elsewhere: “Look, I’m a New England guy; for me to pick up my family and go to some team where I really don’t know the people; it would have to be a great, great opportunity. Not just any team.” (Mike Reiss)