2012 NFL Free Agents: Buzz and Speculation for AFC East Teams, February 8

Miami Dolphins: Peyton Manning, quarterback

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are "infatuated with the idea" of signing Manning and are willing "to wait as long as necessary" to land Manning on their roster for 2012.

And why the heck not?

The Dolphins have been starved for a quarterback since Dan Marino retired in 1999 and have had 13 starting quarterbacks since then. 

In seven of the 12 seasons since he retired, the Dolphins quarterbacks have combined for more interceptions than touchdowns.

And with a quick glance at the averages, it's not hard to see why Manning would be considered an upgrade.

There are already a bunch of great weapons in place—look no further than Brandon Marshall and Reggie Bush for evidence of that. But Manning has been known to make other weapons look great as well. If the Dolphins were to add Manning, Davone Bess could be a strong choice for a breakout candidate in 2012.

There's a strong case to be made for Manning in Miami, and to cap it all off, he already owns a house in South Beach. As candidates begin to emerge for Manning's services, the Dolphins have to be near the top of the early short list.

New England Patriots: Brandon Lloyd, wide receiver

In the wake of Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots are once again staring down the barrel of a long offseason with questions about their weapons on the outside.

It's become clear over the years that quarterback Tom Brady doesn't do his best work with young receivers but with experienced veterans that can:

• quickly get on the same page with Brady.
• quickly learn a difficult playbook.
• line up at multiple receiving positions.

There are no guarantees that Brady and Rams wide receiver Brandon Lloyd would get on the same page immediately, but there are reasons to be confident that such a move could work.

For one, Lloyd has excelled in the past under Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. In fact, the receiver went as far as to proclaim that he would follower McDaniels whereever he went, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It just so happens the former Broncos head coach and Rams coordinator landed back with his old team.

The Patriots had a chance to land Lloyd before the trade deadline, but the deal fell through before he ended up with the Rams. With a second opportunity, though, the Patriots could show some interest.

New York Jets: LaRon Landry, safety

There's absolutely nothing linking Landry to the Jets just yet. The Jets love being active in free agency, but they don't have the resources to make any big splashes this year.

Fortunately for the Jets/unfortunately for Landry, the Redskins safety doesn't appear to be a big splash player in free agency. After spending big money on O.J. Atogwe in free agency last year, it's not likely that the Redskins will spend heavy at safety once again.

Landry was limited by an Achilles injury for much of the 2011 season, and he went against doctor's orders to play through the injury in hopes it would heal on its own. With the affects of the injury still lingering, the Jets may be able to get Landry on the cheap. The question then becomes whether his impact on the defense would be worth the risk.

He's not exactly the best receiver in coverage, as evidenced by his four career interceptions in five years in the league. Fortunately for both parties, he wouldn't be asked to do much in coverage, as the Jets run mainly a Cover 1 scheme with a single-high safety, which allows the strong safety to play more in run support.

Buffalo Bills: Stevie Johnson, wide receiver

For Bills fans fearful that Stevie Johnson could be on his way out, fear not. The mercurial receiver proclaimed that he wants to remain with the team in 2012 and beyond, according to the Buffalo News.

Of course, wanting to remain with the team is different than actually remaining with the team, and there's that whole issue of a contract. The Bills have been known to play it close to the vest when it comes to long term deals, but an offense that relies as heavily on the passing game as the one Chan  Gailey runs simply can't afford not to have a top-end receiver. 

The question then becomes whether Johnson wants to get paid like one of the best in the league, which would put him at around $13 million.

The franchise tag isn't out of the question for Johnson, but this is certainly a situation to watch in the coming weeks.

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