AFC Rumors: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• Bills HC Sean McDermott said RB Damien Harris (neck/concussion) is taking time with his recovery: “[He’s tending to himself, making sure he’s taking it one day at a time, which is very understandable,” per Katherine Fitzgerald. 

Jets

Jets DC Jeff Ulbrich said they originally viewed DE Bryce Huff as a third-down specialist but he emerged as a capable edge rusher. 

“When we first got here, we thought of him as a third-down specialist, a guy that went in and just burned an edge and that was his primary role,” Ulbrich said, via Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic. “But the more he’s in this system and the more we work with him, this is a guy, I think, that has the potential to play every single down. He’s a tremendous asset for us.”

Jets DE John Franklin-Meyers called Huff a playmaker who is making their defense better. 

“He’s a guy who people counted out but he’s done nothing but make plays out there,” Franklin-Myers said. “He makes us better.”

Jets HC Robert Saleh thinks Huff is a “special” player after emerging as an undrafted free agent in 2020. 

“He’s a special football player,” Saleh said. “Anytime you got a guy who just earned his way as an undrafted free agent, gets cut, all that stuff and had to remake his body and what he’s done. He’s a special human. He is getting better on first and second down, with regards to defending the run. Things are becoming more natural in that regard. And obviously from a pass-rushers standpoint, we know how good he is.”

Patriots

• Jeremy Fowler of ESPN believes the Patriots could get trade calls regarding WR Kendrick Bourne, but his sense is that there isn’t much movement on this front right now.
• According to Fowler, executives around the league are torn about whether they think the Patriots will blow up their roster at the deadline.
• “They are a team that will say players are available but then will pull back,” a league exec tells Fowler.
• Some players who other executives have mentioned to Fowler as possible trade candidates include Bourne, DE Josh Uche, G Mike Onwenu, DT Christian Barmore, and S Kyle Dugger.

• Patriots HC Bill Belichick said they haven’t made a decision on whether to activate Cody Davis and Trey Flowers off of the Physically Unable to Perform list or Jack Jones off injured reserve, via Doug Kyed.
• Belichick expects an announcement to occur on Saturday regarding any activations. 
• Patriots LT Trent Brown (pectoral) said he expects to play in Week 7, via Andrew Callahan.