Patriots Host Mike Gillislee, Damien Williams
The Patriots got a double dose of restricted free agent running backs on Wednesday. The Patriots hosted Bills RFA RB Mike Gillislee and Dolphins RFA RB Damien Williams, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). 
The Bills surprised many in the football world when they assigned Gillislee an original round/right of first refusal tender, which would only entitle them to a fifth-round pick if they did not match an offer sheet. For another $1MM or so, the Bills could have placed the second-round tender on Gillislee and that probably would have kept every potential suitor at bay. Gillislee averaged an NFL-best 5.7 yards per carry on 101 attempts as LeSean McCoy‘s understudy.
Williams, 25, was eclipsed by Jay Ajayi in Miami last year. Ultimately, he finished out with 35 carries for 115 yards (3.3 yards per carry average) and three touchdowns. Although the Dolphins would like to keep him, they would be able to get by just fine with Ajayi and Kenyan Drake holding down the RB position. They can also replenish the RB group in the late rounds of this year’s draft.
It’s fair to wonder whether the Patriots’ interest in either player is sincere. Already, the Pats have free agent addition Rex Burkhead, Dion Lewis, James White, D.J. Foster, and Branden Bolden on the roster and LeGarrette Blount remains available. The Patriots could be taking a real look at guys like Gillislee, Williams, and Adrian Peterson, but they could also be faking it to put additional pressure on Blount to re-sign. It doesn’t sound like Blount has much of an outside market for his services, so that could be an effective strategy for New England.
Shareece Wright Visits Bills
Free agent cornerback Shareece Wright visited the Bills on Wednesday, according to an announcement from the team.
The 30-year-old Wright has been on the open market since the Ravens released him March 7, and he hadn’t garnered any known interest until his meeting with Buffalo. Wright, also an ex-Charger, started between six and 14 games in each of the previous four seasons – including nine in 2016 – so he’d lend some experience to a Bills team that’s largely bereft at corner after No. 1 man Ronald Darby. The six-year veteran has gone three straight seasons without an interception, though, and ranked a below-average 75th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 111 qualified corners in 2016.
If the Bills sign Wright, he’ll go down as the third offseason addition to their cornerback corps, joining free agent pickups Marcus Cromartie and Leonard Johnson. Those two are clear downgrades from the corners the Bills have lost this offseason, however, with Stephon Gilmore having signed with the Patriots and Nickell Robey-Coleman having somewhat surprisingly gotten his release.
Bills Notes: QBs, Humphrey
The Bills have shown significant interest in prospective first-round quarterbacks of late, but it could be a ploy to trade down from the 10th overall pick, suggests Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. By publicly meeting with signal-callers, including North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky, Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, the Bills might be trying to coax a QB-needy team into moving up to No. 10. Head coach Sean McDermott acknowledged that possibility Wednesday, telling WKSE-FM in Buffalo (via Mike Rodak of ESPN): “We’ll take a look at those [quarterbacks], but it doesn’t mean we’re taking a quarterback. Maybe these last three or four trips were just kind of all a smokescreen, right? It’s kind of like hiding your presents from your kids. You kind of put them in different spots and see, right? We’ll just see.” However, the Bills didn’t want the news of their meetings with QBs to leak, according to Greg Gabriel of 670theScore. Further, the fact that owner Terry Pegula has been on hand for workouts with QBs implies the Bills, despite having Tyrod Taylor, view the position as a major need, posits Gabriel (Twitter links).
- Alabama cornerback Marlon Humphrey visited the Bills on Wednesday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Having lost Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman this offseason, Buffalo is in dire need of corners. PFR’s Dallas Robinson currently has Humphrey going 13th overall, right in the vicinity of the Bills’ selection.
Bills Worked Out DeShone Kizer
- Buffalo continues to show interest in potential first-round quarterbacks. The Doug Whaley-led Bills, who are reportedly “in love” with Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, met with Trubisky on Sunday. Before doing that, the Bills worked out Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer on Saturday, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). Team brass, including owner Terry Pegula, also had dinner with Kizer.
Draft Rumors: Watson, 49ers, Texans
Here’s a rundown of the latest NFL Draft news:
- Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson is visiting the 49ers on Monday and Tuesday before meeting with the Cardinals on Wednesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Niners, of course, own the No. 2 overall pick and the Cards are at No. 13.
- The Bills worked out UNC quarterback Mitch Trubisky on Sunday, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Owner Terry Pegula was there, along with head coach Sean McDermott. In our mock draft from last week, Dallas Robinson has the Bills passing on Trubisky in order to take a wide receiver.
- The Texans worked out Alabama left tackle Cam Robinson on Friday before flying to the 49ers over the weekend. Next up is a Panthers workout on Tuesday (Twitter link via Rapoport). Carolina has already met with Robinson, so this could be a sign of serious interest. The Panthers own the No. 8 overall pick.
- Safety Jamal Adams, who had a strong showing at LSU’s Pro Day, is visiting the Panthers today (Monday), Rapoport tweets. Rapoport wonders aloud whether he’ll be available at No. 8.
- Pitt quarterback Nathan Peterman has workouts for Steelers, Bills, Chiefs, and Patriots, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Bills Sign QB T.J. Yates
The Bills announced the signing of T.J. Yates. It’s a one-year deal for the veteran quarterback. 
Yates hooked on with the Dolphins late last season but Miami’s addition of David Fales left him without a spot on the depth chart. Now, he projects to be the Bills’ third option behind starter Tyrod Taylor and youngster Cardale Jones. Of course, if the Bills’ flirtations with quarterbacks in this year’s draft are to be taken seriously, then Yates might not be long for Buffalo.
Yates, 30 next month, has only seven regular starts on his resume. He does, however, have two playoff starts to his credit thanks to his time with the Texans.
Bills Sign DE Ian Seau
The Bills have signed defensive end Ian Seau, according to a team announcement. He is the nephew of the late Junior Seau. 
Seau joined the Rams last offseason as an undrafted free agent out of Nevada. He survived the initial rounds of cuts, but he was let go in advance of the 53-man deadline. Seau went on to audition for teams during the 2016 season, including the Broncos, but he was unable to find a new team.
Seau, a 6’3″, 250 pound lineman, had 10 sacks, 18.5 tackles for a loss, and 43 total tackles as a senior at Nevada. The Bills’ offseason workout program is already underway, so Buffalo will quickly find out what he has to offer.
Late last week, the Bills signed cornerback Marcus Cromartie plus seven other players. They also hosted quarterback T.J. Yates on a visit, but there’s no deal yet.
Vet: McDermott's Defense Easier To Grasp Than Rex's
- The Bills are going to feature an easier-to-comprehend defense under Sean McDermott, according to Breer. “You can see the schemes are simple, and intended to help the players play fast,” a Bills veteran informed the reporter. Rex Ryan‘s defenses were not known for their simplicity. Buffalo ranked 19th in total defense in each of the past two years.
Bills Sign Marcus Cromartie, Seven Others
The Bills have announced the signings of eight free agents. Cornerback Marcus Cromartie headlines a group that also includes offensive linemen Cameron Jefferson and Jordan Mudge, defensive end Jake Metz, defensive back Bradley Sylve, and linebackers Jacob Lindsey, Junior Sylvestre and Eddie Yarbrough.
Cromartie, who worked out for the Bills on Friday, only appeared in 21 games and made one start with the 49ers during his first three NFL seasons, but the 25-year-old could find more playing time as part of a largely untested Buffalo secondary. Thanks to the departures of Stephon Gilmore and Nickell Robey-Coleman, the club is lacking at corner aside from No. 1 man Ronald Darby, with Cromartie joining the likes of Kevon Seymour, Leonard Johnson and Marcus Roberson behind him. There’s not much at safety other than Micah Hyde, either, as the Bills jettisoned Corey Graham and Aaron Williams earlier this offseason.
Another name of interest among these pickups is Metz, if only for where he played last season. Metz, 26, was with the Eagles for less than a week last summer, and he then went on to spend the year with the Qingdao Clipper of the China Arena Football League. The 2014 undrafted free agent from Shippensburg previously played arena football in the United States from 2014-15.
Bills Host QB T.J. Yates On Visit
The Bills hosted free agent quarterback T.J. Yates on a visit today, per a team announcement.
Yates was effectively displaced in Miami this offseason when the Dolphins signed quarterback David Fales as their new QB3. Now, Yates might have an opportunity to serve as an emergency option behind Tyrod Taylor and Cardale Jones in Buffalo. It has been said that the Bills are very high on Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, so it’s not clear if they would be willing to give guaranteed money to a reserve signal caller. A player of Yates’ caliber, however, might not require any type of guarantee.
Yates, 30 in May, has only started seven games during his regular season career. Interestingly, he also has two playoff starts on his resume from his time with the Texans.