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New England Patriots star tight end Aaron Hernandez is facing his second bout with legal issues in as many days. New York attorney David Jaroslawicz confirmed to ESPN’s Ed Werder that a lawsuit was filed Wednesday on behalf of Alexander S. Bradley, who claims he was shot in arm by Hernandez in February.

The timing of this lawsuit couldn't be any worse for Hernandez. Massachusetts police just searched his home and rental car earlier this week during an investigation for a homicide of a 27-year-old Boston man. Hernandez is not believed to be a suspect, a source told the USA Today.

But this latest lawsuit claims Bradley, who has been a friend of Hernandez for several years, got into an argument with the tight end in Miami back in February. The lawsuit claims Hernandez shot Bradley in the arm and the bullet traveled up to his head and damaged his eye. Bradley reportedly required surgery to fix the damage.

These are certainly interesting times for Patriots tight ends -- and not in a good way. Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski just had back surgery, and his status is questionable for Week 1. In addition, Hernandez now has two legal issues to face with training camp starting in about five weeks.

One year ago, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski were unquestionably viewed as the most dangerous tight-end duo in the NFL. As cornerstones of the New England Patriots' 2010 draft class, they were expected to dominate the league for the foreseeable future and potentially win multiple Super Bowls together.

With that in mind, New England signed both tight ends to long-term contracts worth a combined $93 million, including $32.5 million guaranteed. But just a year later, both decisions are in question.

Gronkowski has become a human pin-cushion since signing his six-year, $53 million extension last summer. He's had five surgeries since last November. Gronkowski had four surgeries alone to fix his broken forearm and recently had back surgery that puts his status in question for Week 1 of the regular season. Many are wondering if we will see the same dynamic, physical Gronkowski this season. He's missed months of offseason work and conditioning.

Hernandez has offered a mix of on- and off-the-field concerns since signing a five-year, $40 million contract last year. Hernandez suffered a severe ankle sprain last season that caused him to miss six games. In addition, he had offseason shoulder surgery and missed organized team activities and was limited in minicamp. But an incident off the field this week is the most pressing concern for New England. Hernandez was interviewed by Massachusetts police and had his home searched in a homicide investigation. According to a report by Sports Illustrated, Hernandez is not a suspect. But a SUV in his name is being looked into by police.

These are two very important and expensive players the Patriots have their money tied into for the next several years. New England made the investment a year earlier than it had to in an effort to keep both players long-term and fit them under the cap.

But considering recent events, you wonder if the Patriots are starting to have some buyer’s remorse on their $93 million investment.

The New England Patriots are arguably the most disciplined, well-coached team in the NFL. But one area where they struggled mightily last year was tackling in the secondary and preventing yards after the catch.

New England was 27th in the NFL with 1,845 yards allowed after the catch last season, according to ESPN's Stats and Information. The Patriots struggled to cover. But once receivers made the catch, they were oftentimes able to run freely and/or break tackles from New England's secondary. The Patriots were 29th against the pass last season.

The New York Jets, even without star cornerback Darrelle Revis (knee) for most of the season, led the NFL with the fewest YAC in 2012. Here are the YAC totals for all AFC East defenses last season:

• No. 1: Jets, 1,301 yards

• No. 6: Buffalo Bills, 1,482 yards

• No. 25: Miami Dolphins, 1,814 yards

• No. 27: Patriots, 1,845 yards

Tackling receivers and tight ends must become a huge priority for New England’s defense this year. The Patriots’ top-ranked offense carried the team most of last season, but personnel changes and injuries may force this group to take a step back. Therefore, New England's defense must make major strides and fix its weaknesses.

This further explains why New England signed physical, hard-hitting safety Adrian Wilson in free agency to add an intimidating presence on the back end of the defense. The Patriots also were wise to bring back No. 1 cornerback Aqib Talib, who was a midseason acquisition last year.

It's been a tough offseason for tight ends of the New England Patriots. The latest situation involves fourth-year player Aaron Hernandez, who was questioned by police Tuesday in relation to a homicide investigation, according to a report by Sports Illustrated.

A source told Sports Illustrated that Hernandez is not a suspect. However, police are investigating a SUV rented in Hernandez’s name that might have a connection to the body found of a 27-year-old man earlier this week in North Attleboro, Mass.

It’s too early to speculate exactly what this means for Hernandez. But this is yet another dose of bad news for New England’s talented duo of tight ends. Hernandez being questioned by police happened on the same day that teammate Rob Gronkowski just completed back surgery -- his fifth surgery since last November.

It turns out former New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins wide receiver Chad Johnson only spent one week in a Florida jail. He had his month-long sentence reduced Monday after issuing an apology to the judge, who felt Johnson’s pat on the butt to his lawyer was a sign he wasn’t taking his court appearance seriously.

Johnson stayed out of legal trouble most of his career but has suddenly fallen on hard times in the past year. He got into a domestic dispute with his former wife, Evelyn Lozada, which led to a divorce and probation. Johnson also violated that probation, which led to a police warrant for his arrest, his infamous court appearance and a subsequent jail sentence.

There's a very good chance that Johnson may never see an NFL field again. He’s a 35-year-old wide receiver past his prime, and many NFL executives view him as immature and a potential headache. Johnson did nothing to dispel those labels during his recent court appearance.

But this is about more than football for Johnson. Hopefully, he learned a life lesson that playtime is over. It's time for Johnson to grow up and be more responsible.

DAVIE, Fla. -- NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino showed up to Miami Dolphins' minicamp on Wednesday. There was no major announcement or holding court with the media. Marino simply arrived, kept close tabs on second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill and the offense, then quietly left about two hours into practice.

Marino's mere presence was symbolic of the pressure Tannehill faces in Miami. No Dolphins quarterback has come close to filling the large shoes of Marino after he retired after the 1999 season. Miami’s quarterbacks in this millennium have either been awful (Cleo Lemon, Joey Harrington), former draft busts (Chad Henne, John Beck) or caretakers who couldn’t consistently take over games (Chad Pennington, Jay Fiedler).

But something appears different about Tannehill. He is more Marino than Harrington in arm strength and physical ability. The 2012 first-round pick was also taken higher than Henne, but you don’t get that same feeling of bust potential. Unlike Fiedler, Tannehill has already demonstrated that he can take over a game and explode for 400 yards, as he did in September in an overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

But what are realistic expectations for Tannehill in Year 2? Fellow rookies Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson each led their teams to the playoffs last season. Tannehill showed promise but was a couple of notches behind his peers. He threw for 3,294 yards but had more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12). Tannehill also had a losing record (7-9) and was left on the outside looking in during the postseason.

However, the Dolphins are showing the same confidence in Tannehill that the Indianapolis Colts are showing with Luck or the Washington Redskins are with RG III. More than anything, Miami’s coaching staff said, they love Tannehill’s work ethic and mental approach. Combine that with Tannehill’s athleticism and ability to make all the throws, and the Dolphins believe the sky is the limit for their young quarterback.

“One thing about Ryan is he never gets too high and he never gets too low,” Miami quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor told the AFC East blog this week. “Last year things never got too big for him. It’s not that he never made mistakes -- there were drives and stretches here and there. But I don’t think it ever got too big where he totally broke down, and that’s encouraging for a rookie quarterback. With all the looks that he saw, I thought he handled it pretty well.”

Taylor was a former assistant coach at Texas A&M and has been around Tannehill since he was 19. Taylor watched Tannehill, 24, grow from a redshirt freshman who played receiver his first two years in college to an NFL quarterback with high expectations. According to Taylor, Tannehill is much more comfortable in his position as a building block in Miami.

It was noticeable in organized team activities and minicamp that Tannehill is in control of the offense. He’s more vocal with teammates and has a quiet confidence that this is his team.

Miami is in search of leaders after several veterans like Reggie Bush, Karlos Dansby and Kevin Burnett were released or didn’t return in free agency. Tannehill is one of the young, inexperienced players who must fill that void.

“It’s night and day compared to last year,” Tannehill said of his standing on the team. “Just the confidence and the knowledge of the game and what is going on. I still have a lot of work to do, but I am comfortable with where I am at and where this team is at. Anything we can do to get better, myself included, it’s easier to build this year compared to last year.”

Tannehill has all the tools to succeed this year. The Dolphins have put together as nurturing an environment as possible to ensure Tannehill takes the next step in his development. Miami spent $60 million to land free-agent receiver Mike Wallace and an additional $15 million total to land starting tight end Dustin Keller and slot receiver Brandon Gibson. Tannehill now has deep speed at receiver and a safety valve at tight end that he lacked last season. The Dolphins were 26th in passing in 2012 and scored only 18 points per game.

If minicamp is any indication, the Dolphins will not be afraid to air it out this year. Tannehill is taking his shots deep and throwing the football all over the field in practices. Tannehill is also routinely making more checks and changes at the line of scrimmage to get out of bad plays, an area where he struggled in 2012.

“He can see a safety start to creep up or lean a certain way, or a linebacker's depth from the line of scrimmage from the heels of his defensive lineman,” Dolphins offensive coordinator Mike Sherman said. “Determining whether we turn and protect there or do we go the other way because that guy is in coverage, which I think [is] more recognition of defenses. ... We threw the book at him last year in the hopes that he would get to a point where we are at right now, where now he is just focused and not so much on the offense but on the defense.”

It also doesn’t hurt that Sherman and Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin know what a talented quarterback looks like. They have coached future Hall of Famers Brett Favre (Sherman) and Aaron Rodgers (Philbin) during their stints with the Green Bay Packers and know how to make it easy for quarterbacks. The fact that they both view Tannehill as a franchise starter carries a lot of weight.

“They’re able to relate those experiences with Ryan and the struggles [Favre and Rodgers] had and the success they were eventually able to achieve,” Taylor said. “So they’ve kind of seen the step-by-step process those guys took and [are] able to use that to relate it to Ryan.”

The Dolphins are going all-in with Tannehill, and much is expected this season. On paper, Miami looks like a team ready to make a playoff push in 2013, and much of that will come down to Tannehill’s development and improvement.

Tannehill may not get the same press and national attention as other quarterbacks in his draft class, but his goals are the same.

“Ryan wants to win Super Bowls at the end of the day,” Taylor said. “I do think he has a long ways to go right now. He knows that. So every day he’s just trying to become a better player, and be better than the day before and don’t make the same mistake twice.

“What that ceiling is, it’s hard to predict. Time will tell.”

Injury-plagued Rob Gronkowski is back in the news again. The New England Patriots’ Pro Bowl tight end is scheduled to have back surgery Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. This provides Gronkowski and New England with a firm timeline to begin the recovery phase.

If the Patriots are smart, the game plan for Gronkowski’s rehab is simple: Keep him away from all live action until Week 1 of the regular season.

Gronkowski needs rest more than he needs training camp. He’s been a human pin cushion this offseason. Next week will mark his fifth surgery since November. Gronkowski will simultaneously rehab his back and his surgically repaired arm this summer. Putting Gronkowski’s beat-up body through the grind of training camp is pointless. Playing him in the preseason also is an unnecessary injury risk. A player as talented as Gronkowski doesn’t need either to have a successful season.

Keeping Gronkowski sidelined this summer also provides more reps for fellow Patriots tight ends Aaron Hernandez and Jake Ballard. Those two will get a chance to grow and work together for the first time. Ballard, in particular, missed the entire 2012 season with a knee injury and could use the extra playing time and attention. Considering Hernandez's and Gronkowski's lengthy injury histories, there’s a good chance Ballard will be asked to fill in this season.

As Reiss mentioned in his analysis, there will be 83 days between Gronkowski’s surgery and New England’s Week 1 AFC East showdown with the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots should be all about getting Gronkowski ready for Sept. 8 from this point forward. Anything before that date is unimportant.

It didn’t take long for the New York Jets to make up their mind on tight end Kellen Winslow. The Jets signed Winslow to a contract just one day after their mandatory minicamp, the team announced Friday evening.

Winslow, who arrived this week on a tryout basis, was one of the few consistent playmakers for the Jets during their three-day minicamp. Many Jets receivers struggled with consistency and catching the football. That made it easy for Winslow to stand out.

New York lost former starter Dustin Keller in free agency to Miami and was looking for someone who could make plays over the middle. Winslow, a former Pro Bowler, caught 75 passes for Tampa Bay in 2011, his last full season. He will join a thin tight-end group in New York that includes Jeff Cumberland and Hayden Smith.

The Buffalo Bills have signed first-round quarterback EJ Manuel to a five-year contract, the team announced. Manuel was the No. 16 overall pick of the Bills last April.

Manuel was the final unsigned draft pick for the Bills. Buffalo now has its entire 2013 draft class under contract before the team takes about a six-week break before training camp.

Manuel will compete with veteran Kevin Kolb for the starting quarterback job in Buffalo this summer. Kolb is the favorite in the short term, but the Bills expect Manuel to eventually become the long-term solution.

In other draft-related news, the Miami Dolphins also signed third-round pick and offensive lineman Dallas Thomas to a four-year contract Friday.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

The major question facing each team in the AFC East as summer break looms.

Buffalo Bills: By all accounts, the Bills had a productive minicamp. But a huge question remains about the future of Buffalo Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd. He was a no-show this week in a clear show of displeasure over receiving the franchise tag. Byrd also skipped all organized team activities and has yet to sign the tag. However, because of his refusal to sign, the Bills could not fine him for skipping mandatory minicamp. The Bills have plenty of cap room, and Byrd is one of their core players entering his prime, so it makes sense for both sides to reach an agreement. However, time is running out -- training camp is coming up at the end of July.

Miami Dolphins: I’ve spent a lot of time at Miami’s practice facility for the past month during minicamp and OTAs. The Dolphins met my expectations in improving their passing game and defensive playmaking, but here is a question I didn’t get answered: Is the running game better in 2013? Miami lost tailback Reggie Bush in free agency, and I thought I would see more big plays from running backs Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas and rookie Mike Gillislee. However, they were rather pedestrian this week. That being said, Miami’s run defense is very stout, and players aren’t practicing in pads, so it’s hard to gauge fully the progress of the running game until there’s live hitting in training camp.

New England Patriots: The wide receiver position is still a work in progress. Outside of free-agent pickup Danny Amendola, New England still hasn’t figured out its No. 2 and No. 3 receivers. These are important positions for the Patriots, who led the NFL in total offense in 2012 but lost Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker and veteran Brandon Lloyd, leaving huge voids that need to be filled. Unproven veterans, such as receivers Donald Jones, Michael Jenkins and Lavelle Hawkins, are competing with rookies Aaron Dobson and Josh Boyce. It will take a full training to pick the best two or three options from this group. Also, the Patriots need Amendola to play all 16 games this season, which is a risky proposition. I fully expect New England’s passing game to take a step backward in 2013. The receivers aren’t as talented, and tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez also have injury concerns.

New York Jets: Can the Jets win this season with Mark Sanchez as the starter? It’s early, but it appears New York is heading in that direction. Sanchez relied on his experience to win the quarterback battle this week in minicamp over rookie second-round pick Geno Smith. Heading into training camp, Sanchez is now the favorite to win the starting job in Week 1. New York already is discussing whether to implement a read-option offense for Smith. That would get Smith involved in the game even if he’s not the starter. All in all, there are not a lot of reasons to be confident in New York’s offense this season. Sanchez is winning a lukewarm quarterback battle but must improve from the last two seasons.

According to New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan, his wide receivers could barely catch a cold in this week’s minicamp.

Is anyone surprised by this revelation?

Ryan is coming to the realization of what most people outside the Jets already knew: the offense is a train wreck.

There are too many holes on that side of the football. The quarterback competition has been lukewarm at best, there are off-the-field issues with Mike Goodson at running back, and the wide receivers are either banged up (Santonio Holmes) or experiencing butter fingers in practice (Stephen Hill, Jeremy Kerley).

Let's be frank: New York's offense desperately lacks playmakers. The Jets better fix it ASAP if they want to score enough points to be competitive this season. Two ideas I can think of off the top of the my head would be to add former Pro Bowl tight end Kellen Winslow, who had a terrific tryout this week, as well as former Jets receiver Braylon Edwards. These are two proven playmakers who will make life easier for quarterbacks Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith.

Ryan is in a must-win situation in 2013. Waiting on Holmes (foot) to get healthy or for Hill to come around are dangerous propositions for New York’s head coach. Hill, in particular, is a raw prospect with a lot of measurables. Yet he struggled with drops, injuries and adjusting to the NFL last season. It’s fair to give a rookie a pass, but so far it’s been more of the same for Hill in Year 2.

New offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is a solid coach. His schemes have worked in the past, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t have the proper personnel. Right now, the Jets are running thin on offensive talent in what amounts to a rebuilding year. However, New York can do a little more this offseason to at least avoid a weekly embarrassment on offense in the fall.

 
The New England Patriots made a controversial decision to sign popular quarterback Tim Tebow to a two-year contract earlier this week. It’s the kind of move that doesn’t happen unless everyone in the organization is on the same page.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who drafted Tebow three years ago with the Denver Broncos, have always spoken highly of Tebow. On Wednesday, Patriots owner Robert Kraft weighed in on the new addition.

“If you want to win in this league, you need quality depth management,” Kraft explained. “In the age of the salary cap, whenever you can get a competitive, first-grade person to join your team, you never know what happens. But for me personally, having Tim Tebow on this team, he’s someone who believes in spirituality, he’s very competitive and works hard and has a great attitude and he’s a winner.

“Having him as part of our franchise is great but he has to compete just like anyone else. We’re blessed to have a lot of people like that, but the fact that spirituality is so important to him is very appealing to me.”

At best, Tebow is New England’s No. 3 quarterback. Future Hall of Famer Tom Brady is the unquestioned starter and Ryan Mallett is a promising backup. Belichick would not shed light on what Tebow’s role with the team would be. Tebow must first make the 53-man roster in training camp.

But Tebow has the support of New England’s owner, the man who signs the checks. That’s obviously a good sign in Tebow's favor.

Kraft said he saw “two or three” of Tebow’s games in person at the University of Florida. Kraft also met Tebow during the pre-draft process and has always been impressed with the quarterback.

“I think he’s hard-working and very cooperative,” Kraft said. “I don’t think there’s any coach who wouldn’t like to have a team full of people like he is. Like Brady, he comes out there and works hard or Vince Wilfork, Jerod Mayo. They come in, they work hard, they prepare hard and they’re all business. You can’t get enough people like that on your team. We’re honored that he’s with us.”

 
The New York Jets are in the middle of a two-man quarterback battle between incumbent Mark Sanchez and rookie Geno Smith. However, it appears the Jets could set up a package for Smith even if he doesn’t win the job.

New York is contemplating adding the increasingly popular read-option to its offense in 2013. New offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg is bringing a West Coast offense to the Jets this year. New York does not have a lot of dynamic weapons -- meaning any creative ways to score points are welcome.

Will the read-option offense work in New York with Smith? ESPN’s "NFL Live" crew offers opinions.

When a big-name free agent is available this offseason, there is a good chance the Miami Dolphins have interest.

The free-spending Dolphins, who have already handed out contracts worth more than $200 million this year, will host Pro Bowl fullback Vonta Leach on Wednesday, according to the Baltimore Sun. Leach was released Tuesday by the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens after the sides could not agree on a restructured contract.

Miami entered free agency with plenty of room under the salary cap and has signed big-name free agents such as receiver Mike Wallace, cornerback Brent Grimes, tight end Dustin Keller and linebackers Philip Wheeler and Dannell Ellerbe, a former teammate of Leach. The Dolphins have been extremely aggressive in an effort to make the playoffs for the first time since 2008 and close the gap with the New England Patriots in the AFC East.

Leach, a three-time Pro Bowler, would definitely be an upgrade over what Miami currently has a fullback. Jorvorskie Lane is still young -- 2013 will be his second NFL season -- and has battled weight issues in the past.

The Dolphins also claimed former Chicago Bears fullback Evan Rodriguez off waivers -- a clear sign Miami is looking to improve the position.

New England Patriots quarterback Tim Tebow met with Boston media for the first time Tuesday. Tebow didn’t field questions but made a statement that he is “thankful” and “honored” to play for the Patriots and head coach Bill Belichick.

Tebow signed a two-year contract with no guaranteed money, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Tebow must first make the 53-man roster this summer and earn a role on the reigning AFC East champs.