ESPN NFL

Here are four important players to keep an eye on who are returning from injuries suffered last season:

Buffalo Bills: Defensive end Mario Williams

Injury: Pectoral

Thoughts: Williams was on his way to a dominant 2011 after he recorded five sacks in his first five games. Then he tore his pectoral muscle and was sidelined for the rest of the season. That didn't scare Buffalo away from making Williams the richest player in franchise history. The Bills gave Williams a $100 million contract in free agency to improve their pass rush. Williams will join teammates Mark Anderson, Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams to make up one of the NFL's most formidable defensive lines. There's no reason to think Williams won't be successful with this group as long as he avoids injuries.

Miami Dolphins: Left tackle Jake Long

Injury: Bicep

Thoughts: Long missed two of the final three games last season and was placed on injured reserve last December with a torn bicep. The perennial Pro Bowl left tackle went four straight years without missing a start but played hurt much of last season. Long is entering the final year of his contract, and the rebuilding Dolphins need a healthy season from their best player. Miami general manager Jeff Ireland says he wants to keep Long in a Dolphins uniform for a long time. The team may not extend Long's contract happen this summer, but look for the Dolphins to offer Long a huge extension by next year -- especially if he shows his durability in 2012.

New England Patriots: Tight end Rob Gronkowski

Injury: Ankle

Thoughts: Gronkowski didn't miss any games last season. But he suffered a major ankle injury in the AFC Championship Game against the Baltimore Ravens that hindered his effectiveness in New England's Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants. Gronkowski opted for surgery after the Super Bowl and is in the recovery phase. There is no reason to believe he won't be the same dominant player who set an NFL record for tight ends with 17 touchdown receptions in 2011. Gronkowski is 23 years old. But sometimes with youth comes the propensity to rush back on the field. It will be up to the Patriots' medical staff to make sure "Gronk" takes his time getting back to 100 percent.

New York Jets: Safety LaRon Landry

Injury: Achilles

Thoughts: The Jets signed Landry to a one-year, $3.5 million contract despite knowing he wasn't 100 percent. Landry has already missed organized team activities. The Jets hope his Achilles can be fully healthy by training camp. Landry, when healthy, is a big and physical safety who can blow people up. That would fit in well with New York's defense. But Landry can't help the Jets unless he's on the field. The former first-round pick missed 16 games the past two seasons with the Washington Redskins.

» AFC Scenarios: East | West | North | South » NFC: East | West | North | South

Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Buffalo Bills in 2012.

Dream scenario (11-5): It would be a dream for Bills fans to see their team back in the playoffs for the first time in 13 years. The last time we saw Buffalo make the postseason, the Bills were the victim of the “Music City Miracle” in 1999. It has been a long line of disappointments and underachieving since that historic play. (Many Bills fans still contend that was a forward pass, by the way.) This year’s team looks poised to break the streak. This is the best team, on paper, that Buffalo has had in a long time. The offense will be dangerous if quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick improves his consistency in the passing game and Fred Jackson, C.J. Spiller and the running game stay consistent. Buffalo also made improvements to the defense, including drafting corner Stephon Gilmore in the first round and adding stud defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson. Chances are, everything won’t fall into place for Buffalo. But this is a sleeper team that does have a chance to make a jump and contend for the playoffs.

Nightmare scenario (5-11): Despite all the additions, there is no guarantee the Bills and their coaching staff can bring it all together in one year. What if Fitzpatrick continues to play like the second half of 2011 and is not the long-term solution? What if the defense struggles to make the transition to a 4-3 scheme under new defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt? What if big injuries again decimate this team? A lot can go wrong for the Bills, especially in a division where the reigning AFC champion New England Patriots are expected to dominate. The Bills are trying to catch up and cannot afford to make many mistakes in the AFC East. They were 1-5 against division foes last year. Bills head coach Chan Gailey is only 10-22 in his first two years in Buffalo. He has more talent than he has ever had with the Bills. There are no excuses for Gailey this year. It’s still somewhat of a mystery whether Gailey can coach. But we will find out in 2012.

» NFC pressure points: West | North | South | East
» AFC pressure points: West | North | South | East

Examining who faces the most challenging season for the Bills and why.

Things are looking up for the Buffalo Bills. A team that finished 6-10 and in last place in the AFC East in 2011 had arguably the league's best offseason. The Bills acquired defensive ends Mario Williams and Mark Anderson in free agency, drafted first-round cornerback Stephon Gilmore, and gave contract extensions to in-house stars Fred Jackson and Steve Johnson.

But each move adds more pressure to third-year Bills coach Chan Gailey, who is 10-22 in his first two seasons in Buffalo.

Is Gailey a good NFL head coach? It's hard to say. Gailey was 18-14 in two seasons with the Dallas Cowboys before he was abruptly fired. Gailey still carries that sting after getting relieved without ever posting a losing season in Dallas. Gailey has struggled in Buffalo, but hasn't had nearly the same talent that he had with the Cowboys.

Talent is no longer a question this year in Buffalo. The Bills spent to the cap to nab top free agents, and many in-house players are coming into their own. Buffalo now has enough talent to make a playoff push. The question is, can Gailey and his staff put it all together?

This is a no-excuse year for Gailey. It's time to finally show what he can do in Buffalo with a bevy of talent at his disposal.

The running back class was one of the slowest to develop in the early stages of free agency, and there are still a few capable players available on the market.

Don’t be surprised if some of the AFC West teams look into the position now that the draft is complete. Denver drafted San Diego State’s Ronnie Hillman in the third round, and San Diego draft Michigan State’s Edwin Baker in the seventh. Oakland didn’t draft a running back. Kansas City, which drafted Cyrus Gray of Texas A&M, appears set at the position.

Yet, I could see the Broncos, Chargers and Raiders looking for a veteran with Oakland being the most likely to add a veteran as they try to replace Michael Bush, who left for Chicago in free agency. As of now, Taiwan Jones and Mike Goodson are backing up the great, but oft-injured Darren McFadden

Among the best names available are Cedric Benson, Ryan Grant and Joseph Addai. Other running backs available include Tim Hightower, Justin Forsett and Ronnie Brown.

I think Benson can help any team, and I think he’d be a great fit in Oakland. He had 1,067 yards last season. He’d be a strong insurance policy for McFadden. Finances are an issue for Oakland, but, at this point, Benson would likely take what he can get.

The Addai-Peyton Manning connection from Indianapolis always makes it possible that Addai could join Willis McGahee and Hillman in Denver’s backfield. San Diego could add a veteran, and they have talked to Kansas City free agent Jackie Battle.

Interesting little transaction of NFC East interest today as the Washington Redskins announced the signing of former New York Giants linebacker Jonathan Goff. Nice pickup for the Redskins. A year ago, before tearing his ACL in the preseason, Goff was slated to be the starting middle linebacker for a team that would go on to win the Super Bowl. Now, he comes into Washington as insurance (assuming he's healthy) at a position at which the Redskins suddenly have some interesting depth.

Goff won't be a starting inside linebacker for the Redskins, as those two spots in Washington's 3-4 defense belong to London Fletcher and Perry Riley. But Fletcher's quite old and Riley's still quite young and so you never know when you might need help at one of those spots. Adding Goff to a backup mix that includes Lorenzo Alexander, recently signed Bryan Kehl and fourth-round draft pick Keenan Robinson is a low-risk, high-upside move.

From Goff's perspective, it appears he misread the market. The Giants would have had him back (at their price, which was what they told all of their own free agents), but he wanted to see if he could find greener pastures. But while he visited places like Cleveland and Miami, the Giants went out and traded for linebacker Keith Rivers, likely costing Goff a chance to go back to New York and reclaim his starting middle linebacker job. Now, if he'd like to be an NFL starter again, he'll have to work his way back into such a role from a backup spot. At least the Redskins' linebacker group is a good one around which to spend time. Prolonged exposure to Fletcher is the kind of thing that can help a guy's career if he pays attention.

While most of the attention focused on the Steelers getting the best guard available (Stanford's David DeCastro), they quietly made an important addition even before the draft began. Pittsburgh agreed to terms on a one-year deal with quarterback Byron Leftwich.

Bringing back Charlie Batch less than two weeks ago was an insurance policy if the Steelers couldn't keep Leftwich. Now, Leftwich is the favorite to be the primary backup to Ben Roethlisberger, as long as he remains healthy. He has started 49 games and passed for 10,260 yards and 58 touchdowns.

Leftwich, 32, is five years younger than Batch, and is a more viable option to lead an offense if Roethlisberger went down for an extended period. The Steelers have always preferred Leftwich to Batch. Leftwich was supposed to start for the suspended Roethlisberger in 2010, but he hurt his knee in the final preseason game. He was also projected to be the team's No. 2 quarterback last season before breaking his arm in the preseason.

The Steelers now have five quarterbacks on the roster: Roethlisberger, Leftwich, Batch, former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith, and Jerrod Johnson. Striking a deal with Leftwich decreases the chances of Pittsburgh drafting a quarterback in the later rounds.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Just a quick post here to pass along that, yes, the Minnesota Vikings have agreed to terms with receiver Jerome Simpson on a one-year contract. ESPN's Adam Schefter has confirmed the original report by Fox Sports' Jay Glazer.

As luck would have it, I'm heading into a news conference with Vikings general manager Rick Spielman to discuss this week's NFL draft. I'm sure Simpson, who was released from jail Friday after serving a 15-day sentence on a felony drug charge, will come up.

I realize I said in Tuesday morning's SportsNation chat that there was no rush to get Simpson under contract and that perhaps the Vikings would wait until after the draft. But clearly they wanted him under contract before that. Back in a bit.

Bengals free-agent wide receiver Jerome Simpson received a three-game suspension from the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy, a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Relatively speaking, Simpson couldn't have asked for a better resolution to his legal situation or his discipline from the NFL.

Simpson fared better than most expected after having about two pounds of marijuana shipped to his northern Kentucky home in September. Many presumed the NFL would suspend Simpson at least four games.

This comes in the same month he was sentenced to 15 days in jail and three years' probation for a felony charge. Simpson had struck a plea agreement for 60 days before a judge reduced the jail time.

While the Bengals should part ways with Simpson because of this baggage, his future with the team likely will be determined by the draft. The Bengals have three of the first 53 picks in this week's draft and could use one on a wide receiver to take Simpson's role as the No. 2 wide receiver. If the Bengals don't draft a wide receiver early in the draft, it should increase his chances of coming back to them.

Simpson, 26, recently visited the Minnesota Vikings, but this doesn't rule out his return to Cincinnati. Bengals coach Marvin Lewis sent a letter in support of Simpson to the judge before he was sentenced to 15 days in jail. The Bengals said in a statement after the hearing that they believe Simpson "has, and will continue to, deal accountably with the consequences of his actions."

He has been a disappointment as the Bengals' second-round pick in 2008, but he is coming off his most productive NFL season. After 21 catches in his first three seasons, Simpson set career highs in catches (50), yards (725) and touchdowns (four), which included a sensational somersault flip into the end zone.

A little bit of news on the Saints and, this time, it’s not controversial.

The Saints have re-signed veteran kicker John Kasay to a one-year contract. Kasay, who spent much of his career with the Carolina Panthers, joined the Saints last season after Garrett Hartley suffered a preseason injury. Kasay, 42, went on to set franchise records with 147 total points and 63 extra points last season. He connected on 82.4 percent of his field-goal attempts.

Hartley injured his hip last year and all indications have been that he’ll be ready for this season. The Saints may have brought Kasay back as insurance or they might want to put Hartley in a competitive situation during training camp.

Steelers officials said wide receiver Mike Wallace won't affect the team's draft plans.

Wallace, a restricted free agent, told some within the Steelers organization that he does not plan to sign his first-round tender "until he has to," a source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. This means that Wallace could wind up holding out for some or all of training camp.

"We're not worried about the reports," coach Mike Tomlin said at Monday's pre-draft press conference. "He's still here. We will deal with it day-to-day."

General manager Kevin Colbert reiterated that Wallace remains in the team's future plans.

"Our intension has always been to sign Mike to a long-term contract," Colbert said.

It's clear that restricted free agent Mike Wallace is not happy with the Pittsburgh Steelers right now. He is prepared to sit out offseason drills and at least the start of training camp, league sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Does this hurt the Steelers' chances of keeping him long term? Not at all. Players get upset about their contract status all the time and skip workouts on a regular basis to show their dissatisfaction with their current situation.

Just remember the recent predicament with guard Logan Mankins, who was unhappy and wanted out of New England because he didn't want to play as a restricted free agent. How did that get resolved? Mankins signed a six-year contract last summer that included a $20 million signing bonus.

It was a similar ugly standoff last year between the Tennessee Titans and running back Chris Johnson. In the end, the sides were shaking hands on four-year, $53.5 million contract extension that included $30 million guaranteed.

Wallace wants a long-term deal instead of a $2.7 million first-round tender. He has outplayed his contract, and the Steelers have repeatedly said they want to sign him to a multiyear deal. This problem probably won't get resolved this year, but Wallace would only be hurting himself by dragging this out beyond June 15 (when the Steelers can cut the tender to $577,500 if he doesn't sign).

The Steelers don't a have long history of re-signing their wide receivers in free agency -- only Hines Ward has been retained -- but there's also no reason to doubt the team's desire to keep him. Pittsburgh has rewarded Ben Roethlisberger, Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons with extensions.

Plus, Wallace is a key part of the Steelers' deep passing game. His receiving yards (3,206) and touchdowns (24) both rank as the second most by an NFL receiver in his first three seasons. And, even when Wallace isn't catching the ball, the threat of him running deep opens up the underneath for wide receiver Antonio Brown and tight end Heath Miller.

So, Wallace is ticked off by his contract status, and the Steelers aren't going to like him missing workouts in a year with a new offensive coordinator. But NFL history shows that a multiyear contract can turn a temporarily bad situation into a happy long-term one.

A reduction in pay generally wouldn't qualify as a vote of confidence.

The one Jason Smith accepted from the St. Louis Rams might be an exception.

Smith's return to the team for 2012 once appeared unlikely given his scheduled $10 million salary and concerns relating to concussions and consistency. The Rams' willingness to cut that figure to $4 million and guarantee the money shows the team is serious about Smith returning as its starting right tackle -- consistent with comments from coaches.

Rookie contracts for high draft choices can be notoriously complicated. Brian McIntyre of Mac's Football Blog runs through the details on this one.

The team saves cash and earns a measure of salary cap relief without creating an additional need at tackle. Smith keeps his job, gets a chance to save his career and earns the right to become a free agent no later than 2014.

Smith, the second player chosen in the 2009 draft, has played in 29 of 48 games, starting 26 of them. He joins former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry, chosen fourth overall in the same year, among highly drafted NFC West players to accept lighter contracts after failing to meet initial expectations. Seattle traded Curry to Oakland last season.

Levi Brown, chosen fifth overall by Arizona in 2007, recently took a new deal as well. The Cardinals released him, then re-signed him to a deal affirming his status as the starter, but on terms more favorable to the team.

The New England Patriots have just about everything you want on offense. They have an elite quarterback, two stud tight ends and a good collection of wide receivers, led by Wes Welker and Brandon Lloyd.

But the one thing New England's offense lacks is a solid veteran presence at running back. That is why the reigning AFC champs are wise to kick the tires on free agent tailbacks Ryan Grant and Tim Hightower.

Grant is entering his sixth season, and Hightower is entering his fifth. Either choice would add experience to a young group that includes 2011 draft picks Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen.

Grant, in particular, would be a solid signing if it's at a bargain rate. His best years were in 2008 and 2009, but the Patriots are not a run-heavy team, and only need a complementary rusher. Grant averages 4.3 yards for his career, and could do well in role like the one BenJarvus Green-Ellis filled for the Patriots. Ridley, Vereen and Danny Woodhead also would provide support. The Patriots can continue riding the hot hand out of this group, week to week in 2012.

What the Patriots do not need is another young running back. So don't expect New England to take one high in next week's NFL draft.

We spent some time this spring noting the Green Bay Packers' relatively thin depth in the backfield. This week, we wondered how much it really matters to have an established No. 1 running back in the NFC North.

Perhaps that explains why veteran Ryan Grant remains available on the market more than a month after his contract expired. Grant said last month that his "ideal situation" was to return to the Packers, and seemed satisfied with whatever role they had in mind for him. On Friday, however, he visited the New England Patriots along with veteran Tim Hightower, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Sometimes a visit can jump-start negotiations with the original team, and other times it means the sides have agreed to go their separate ways. In this case, the Packers might want to sit tight and see how they do in the draft before deciding whether to bring back Grant for another season alongside James Starks.

It's also worth noting that 2011 third-round pick Alex Green told the Packers' web site this week that his rehabilitation from a serious knee injury is progressing, and that he'll be ready for training camp. Stay tuned on that front.

I know we've been a little Minnesota Vikings-centric here on Friday, but that's what happens when the commissioner is making emergency trips to the state legislature, and the team is making plans to host one of the more toxic players available on the free agent market.

Receiver Jerome Simpson had 50 receptions last season for the Cincinnati Bengals, and his somersault into the end zone against the Arizona Cardinals was one of the NFL's highlights of the year. But he was sentenced this month to 15 days in jail and three years probation on a felony drug charge, and could be facing an NFL suspension.

That probably means the Vikings could sign him to a minimal-risk contract, or perhaps complete a file on him if they choose to pursue him once he is eligible to play. Simpson is 26 and presumably has a high ceiling for production. The Vikings signed free agent tight end John Carlson last month to give quarterback Christian Ponder another weapon, but it's fair to say that multiple openings remain among their corps of wide receivers.

Simpson pleaded guilty to a prohibited act relating to controlled substances, a felony in Kentucky, after 2 1/2 pounds of marijuana were shipped to his home there. Authorities later found another pound inside his home, but prosecutors determined he was not dealing drugs.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Simpson will visit the Vikings on Saturday. He has already visited the Rams. The Bengals have not ruled out bringing him back.