NFL Rumors: Reggie Wayne, Alex Smith and the Latest Buzz in Pro Football

Aside from Peyton Manning, there's quite a bit of interesting news surrounding the NFL world. After all, free agency is right around the corner, and the 2012 NFL draft is closing in fast.

Let's get caught up with the latest from the NFL.

Reggie Wayne

According to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Peyton Manning's former teammate, Reggie Wayne, may end up with the Miami Dolphins:

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Reggie Wayne has called South Florida home every offseason since entered the league back in 2001 [sic], and sources say the former Miami Hurricanes standout is open to making Miami his in-season home, signing with the Miami Dolphins.

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This is an interesting twist to the NFL free-agency period, because the Dolphins are expected to bring in another quarterback.

And, although the Dolphins aren't technically in need of a standout receiver, pairing Wayne with Brandon Marshall certainly creates a great tag-team receiving duo, regardless of who's under center.

This, however, would make Miami a lot more appealing to Manning and would likely get him off the market quicker. If there's one franchise to keep a close eye on right now, it's Miami.

Alex Smith

This comes as no surprise, especially after the season Alex Smith had with Jim Harbaugh as his head coach. According to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, the San Francisco 49ers want to retain their quarterback:

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The 49ers have an "offer on the table" to scheduled free agent Alex Smith and the club is not interested in signing veteran quarterback Peyton Manning, a well-placed source told CSNBayArea.com on Wednesday.

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A smart move by the 49ers, because Smith is the future and Manning won't be around for the next seven to 10 seasons. With excellent development throughout the course of the 2011 season, the 49ers have every reason to believe in Smith.

He threw five touchdowns to zero interceptions in two playoff games and basically kept the Niners offense in position to win the NFC. What San Francisco needs is a stud No. 1 receiver who can start fast, remain consistent and finish strong.

Whether it's via free agency or the draft, the 49ers must get that guy for Smith before 2012 kicks off.

New York Jets

As expected, one of the franchises interested in Manning isn't hesitating. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post, the Jets remain interested in Manning:

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A source said last night the Jets definitely will explore the possibility of signing Manning. The team needs to see how healthy he is coming off neck surgery before deciding its level of commitment, but it will be in the mix.

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Costello goes on to point out one key thing to keep in mind:

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The bigger question than how interested the Jets are in Manning is how interested Manning is in the Jets.

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Manning will obviously start over Mark Sanchez for Gang Green, but there are more appealing situations than New York right now. Without much of a ground game or consistent reliability from the offensive line and receivers, Manning would be taking a risk in playing for the Jets.

The Jets, if anything, need to focus on improving the rush offense and rush defense. It's a big reason why they failed to hit expectations in 2011 and was not indicative of their 2009 and 2010 performances.

During those seasons, Gang Green could slam the rock and shut it down just as effectively. Without the ability to control the trenches, the Jets will remain mediocre.

Mario Williams

Mario Williams of the Houston Texans is one of the best free agents available. According to an article by Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, he may just be playing elsewhere next year:

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It is considered practically a given around the league that Mario Williams will be playing for a new team in 2012...

Meanwhile, the Chargers have assigned an (unknown) price they would be willing to pay for Williams.

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For the Chargers, Williams would be a major acquisition as he would be a countermove to Denver's Von Miller and Kansas City's Tamba Hali.

In other words, he is a pass-rushing specialist who can significantly boost the defense's ability to apply constant quarterback pressure and be more reliable in stopping the run. San Diego was vulnerable to the run in 2011 by allowing over 120 rush yards per game (20th in the NFL).

Additionally, the Bolts recorded just 32 sacks (tied for 23rd with Cleveland) and need a guy like Williams to slow down the power-rushing attacks of the AFC West.

Thomas DeCoud

The Atlanta Falcons retained Thomas DeCoud, and it was something that had to be done. According to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Falcons and DeCoud met on common ground earlier this week:

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Falcons free safety Thomas DeCoud agreed to terms with the team on Tuesday.

“Thanks for all the congratulations everyone…looking forward to taking my game to the next level and help the falcons take that next step,” DeCoud sent out in a tweet on twitter. com from @TwentyAte28.

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For the past three seasons, DeCoud has been a reliable defender, recording eight interceptions and 180 tackles while forcing four fumbles.

Certainly not overly dominant production, but those numbers are not so bad that they warrant a departure. DeCoud could certainly improve in both man and zone coverage, but with solid consistency built from 2009-2011, we can only expect more from him in 2012.

The Falcons definitely need to improve on their No. 20 pass defense ranking, though part of that can be attributed to the lack of a consistent pass rush; that forces a secondary to play in coverage a lot longer than usual.

For Atlanta to even see minimal improvements at getting more quarterback pressure, DeCoud must make impressive strides next fall.

John Rozum on Twitter.