AFC Notes: Bills, Browns, Colts

Bills

Bills veteran C Eric Wood was expected to announce his retirement from the NFL on Monday. However, he was 55 minutes late for the press conference and offered a one-minute statement, saying that he remains on their roster and is looking forward to helping the team “in some capacity.”

“In Week 5, I got the first stinger of my life,” Wood said, via ESPN.com. “I got one the following week. After that game, we did an X-ray on my neck that showed no significant damage. After the season, as part of the exit physical, we got an MRI that revealed a disc that was dangerously close to my spinal cord at C-2, C-3. That was alarming.

“Although I will no longer be cleared to play football, I am still on the Bills’ roster and look forward to helping out the team in some capacity.”

Bills GM Brandon Beane explained that Wood will be on their roster, citing cap issues. Although, they will get things worked out at some point.

“We don’t have any cap room right now,” Beane said. “You roll it over [into the next season]. He’ll be on our roster for a while, until we figure things out.

“We’ll get it worked out. He’ll do stuff on his end, and we’ll do it with the help of the league office and management council. We’ll figure it out from there.

“He’ll stay on the roster now and we’ll figure out what’s the best tactic for the Buffalo Bills as we move forward,” Beane added. “But really, we’re a long way from figuring out where we’re going.”

• Ian Rapoport mentions that Wood will receive the $4.8 million in inury guarantees included in his contract at some point and keep his $4.3 million signing bonus before eventually being placed on the reserve/retired list at some point.

Browns

• Last week, Charles Robinson mentioned that Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield is “squarely in play” for the Browns at No. 1 overall in this year’s draft after a strong showing at the Senior Bowl this week. (NFLTR)
• However, a source close to Browns GM John Dorsey now tells Robinson that Dorsey is a big “size, speed, quickness” guy in regards to draft prospects and taking Mayfield would be an outlier for his preferred QB height.

Colts

• Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star writes expects the Colts to shift back to 4-3 base defense under new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.
• Keefer points out that the strength of the Colts’ defensive roster is interior defenders Johnathan Hankins and Al Woods, which should work better in a 4-3 front. Keeping both of them on the field at the same time could improve their run-defense and help edge rushers like John Simon and Jabaal Sheard get the quarterback more.
• A player to watch if they make the move to a 4-3 base, according to Keefer, is second-year linebacker Tarell Basham, who could prove to be more effective at defensive end.