Buffalo
Bills

News: Williams denies ever contemplating suicide, and says private comments he made in text messages are being taken out of context by his ex-fiancee in a lawsuit over the possession of a $785,000 diamond engagement ring. Calling himself "completely fine," Williams says he was "venting" his feelings to someone he thought he trusted.
Impact: Williams spoke after practice Monday, in his first chance to respond since Erin Marzouki's attorney released a series of texts the two exchanged in November. The texts portray Williams as being despondent over their breakup. In one text, Williams writes: "No money in the world should leave me with suicidal thoughts." Williams says he wrote that out of anger. He adds the decision to release the texts reveal Marzouki's true character.

News: Woods, the 41st pick in the draft last month, signed his rookie contract Monday, BuffaloBills.com reports.
Impact: That leaves first-rounder EJ Manuel as the only pick the Bills have left to sign. As for Woods, he comes into a good situation since the Bills really only have one established receiver in Stevie Johnson. There are several rookies in camp with a legit shot to make the roster - namely speedsters Marquise Goodwin and Da'Rick Rogers - but Woods is seen as the most polished of all of them at this stage and has a decent chance of starting the season as the team's No. 2 wideout.

News: The Buffalo Bills reached an agreement early Monday to sign receiver Robert Woods, their second-round draft pick, according to a person familiar with negotiations.
Impact: Woods spent this past weekend taking part in the NFL Players Association-sponsored "Rookie Premiere" festivities in Los Angeles. He was scheduled to return to Buffalo for the start of the team's three-day minicamp Monday. Selected 41st overall out of Southern California last month, Woods was regarded as the most polished among the draft-eligible receiver prospects following a solid three-year college career.

News: When the Bills use a 3-4 defensive front this season, Bradham looks to be one of the starting inside linebackers, The Buffalo News reports.
Impact: It seems like the Bills will be using multiple looks this season (both 3-4 and 4-3) under new coordinator Mike Pettine, but without much overall experience at linebacker Bradham has the ability to get a strong share of the play count if he remains productive. He appears to be a great bet to improve on the 47 tackles he put up as a rookie last season.

News: The Buffalo Bills have signed Alonso.
Impact: Selected 46th overall, the 6-foot-3 and 238-pound Alonso was a hard-hitting tackler during three seasons at Oregon. He had 143 tackles, six interceptions and 3 1/2 sacks in 36 career games, including 17 starts. He was the 2012 Rose Bowl defensive player after having an interception and 1 1/2 sacks in a 45-38 win over Wisconsin.

News: Anderson, who was only able play in five games in his first season with the Bills due to a knee injury that ultimately required two surgeries, is on the field this week for OTAs, BuffaloBills.com reports. Said Anderson: "Right now we're just taking it slow with limited reps. I'm out here going through the plays and just getting used to the defense and trying to move around a little bit and I'm starting to feel better."
Impact: Anderson is not 100 percent, but this is a big step and we assume he'll be in decent shape by the time training camp rolls around. The bigger question may be how the team pictures him in a brand new defense, as he was brought in as a high-priced free agent last season for a different role.

News: The Buffalo Bills have claimed Shuler off waivers after he was released by the Oakland Raiders.
Impact: Listed at 6-foot-4 and 247 pounds, Shuler spent the final 11 weeks of last season on Oakland's practice squad. He was selected by Minnesota in the seventh round of the 2010 draft out of Penn State. He split his rookie season with Minnesota and Miami, where he had two catches for 44 yards in six games. He split the 2011 season between Cincinnati, Minnesota and Miami.

News: Coach Doug Marrone says that the injury keeping Johnson sidelined is a strained back, BuffaloBills.com reports.
Impact: Considering he suffered the injury last month during a team workout and it doesn't sound like some chronic thing, that seems a little more positive. We'll feel more comfortable, however, if Johnson is able to jump in with the new coaching scheme at some point ahead of July training camp.

News: The Bills claimed Shuler off waivers Tuesday, according to BuffaloBills.com.
Impact: Shuler was drafted by the Vikings in 2010, but has never really stuck in stints with the Vikings, Dolphins, and Raiders. The Bills have issues at the tight end spot with Scott Chandler coming back from injury and a host of unprovens behind him, so at least Buffalo offers Shuler a chance to gain a roster spot.

News: Johnson will sit out the OTAs this week due to continued issues with his back, BuffaloBills.com reports.
Impact: There is still plenty of time before the important work begins for a veteran like Johnson, but this is starting to become a small concern considering he missed the last offseason team work. Coach Doug Marrone will provide a status report on Johnson in the near future.

News: With veteran Scott Chandler coming off of ACL surgery, Gragg, the team's seventh-round pick in April, is expected to see increased reps throughout the offseason, BuffaloBills.com reports.
Impact: The Bills don't have much in the way of pass catchers behind Chandler on the TE depth chart, so they may be looking for Gragg to fill that role. If he can catch on to the pro game quickly and display the good hands he had at times at Arkansas, he could land a spot on the Week 1 roster.

News: Buffalo Bills coach Doug Marrone is keeping his expectations in check when it comes to assessing quarterback Manuel. Marrone wasn't in a position to award Manuel the starting job when the Bills drafted him in the first round out of Florida State two weeks ago. And the coach certainly didn't have a change of heart after keeping a close eye on the quarterback Friday, when the team opened a three-day rookie minicamp.
Impact: Marrone credited Manuel for making some "nice throws" and was pleased with what he saw. But he also noted Manuel needs help with his footwork and mechanics. That's the type of performance Marrone says he was expecting from a quarterback who wasn't regarded as the most "polished guy."

News: Williams, who had surgery on his right Achilles in February, has still not been cleared to participate in offseason activities with the team, BuffaloBills.com reports.
Impact: Williams had a similar procedure done on his left Achilles the previous season and came back strong, and since it's not a full-blown tear (it's frayed and not a rupture) we're not worried about his status for 2013. He's a good IDP guy from the defensive tackle spot and should continue to perform at a high level in new coordinator Mike Pettine's defense, but health has definitely been an issue with Williams the last few seasons even though he tends to play through injuries.

News: The Buffalo Bills are wasting little time locking up their rookie prospects after signing four more draft selections, including receiver Marquise Goodwin. The signings were announced Friday morning, hours before the Bills were set to open a three-day rookie camp. Buffalo has now signed five of the eight players it drafted two weeks ago.
Impact: Doubling as a track star, Goodwin is a speedy yet raw prospect who was drafted in the third round, 78th overall, out of Texas. The Bills also signed fourth-round pick Duke Williams fifth-round pick Jonathan Meeks and sixth-round pick Dustin Hopkins.

News: Goodwin signed his rookie contract Friday, according to BuffaloBills.com. The team also signed fourth-round defensive back Duke Williams, fifth-round safety Jonathan Meeks, sixth-round kicker Dustin Hopkins, and seventh-round tight end Chris Gragg within the last 24 hours.
Impact: It's very unlikely under the new CBS that third-rounders like Goodwin would need to hold out, but at least that's out of the way. The best thing the speedster from Texas has going for him is he's going to a team with no receiver spots locked up once you get past Steve Johnson. The bad news is the Bills have a number of other young receivers he'll be competing with, such as better polished rookie Robert Woods, second-year speedster T.J. Graham, and then a finally healthy Marcus Easley. Brad Smith is also in the mix.

News: The Buffalo Bills have signed rGragg.
Impact: He was chosen 222nd overall out of Arkansas, and becomes the first of Buffalo's eight draft picks to sign with the team. Gragg had 72 catches for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns in 43 career games, including 20 starts. Gragg will have an immediate opportunity to earn a regular role because the Bills lack depth at tight end.

News: Byrd has yet to sign the one-year, $6.9 million, non-exclusive franchise tag the Bills placed on him this offseason, according to The Buffalo News.
Impact: We're not sure if Byrd is willing to fight this out into a holdout situation, but it seems pretty clear that he and his agent aren't thrilled with the salary level for a player of his top standing at his position. He seems poised for a big year in the new Buffalo defense, but we'll have to see how the contract situation plays out into the summer. Perhaps the Bills can get what everyone wants and sign Byrd to a long-term deal.