NFL Rumors: Peyton Manning, Randy Moss and the Latest from Pro Football

For those that haven't been able to keep up with the NFL's offseason, it's been rather hectic to say the least.

Still, interestingly enough, a lot has yet to commence, and with free agency beginning on Tuesday as well as the draft just around the corner, pro football never leaves the forefront of water-cooler discussions. 

So, to get everyone caught up with what's going on in the NFL, here are some of the most recent stories.

Peyton Manning

No, it's not over yet and even whenever Peyton Manning does land with a new team, his coverage will only increase. Until then, we can only wait. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN, Manning isn't done meeting other personnel:

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Among the coaches Peyton Manning plans to personally meet with during the next three days include Joe Philbin of the Miami Dolphins and Mike Munchak of the Tennessee Titans, according to sources.

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So, if we want to narrow down Manning's list, it would include the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos, in addition to the Dolphins and Titans. Both are solid fits for Manning, however, the Dolphins have the edge over Tennessee.

For one, Miami has a much better core of receivers, better tight end and, last season, a better rushing attack. Chris Johnson is definitely better than Reggie Bush, but there's no denying Bush's potential after closing out the 2011 season with 519 yards in the final four games.

With Manning at the helm, both rushing offenses would drastically improve, though, the Dolphins also have a slightly better defense to rely on and are positioned better in the draft.

Randy Moss

According to Matthew Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the San Francisco 49ers were expected to see Randy Moss on Monday:

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Moss, 35, flew to the Bay Area on Sunday and is scheduled to meet with, and run routes for, 49ers officials today.

News of Moss' visit was first reported by ESPN.

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With their cap space and desperate need for a speedy deep threat, Moss makes perfect sense for the 49ers. Plus, head coach Jim Harbaugh is a tough guy that, much like New England's Bill Belichick, isn't going to have any of Randy's excess baggage.

San Francisco was within one fumbled punt of the Super Bowl without Moss, so surely they can make another run without him again. That said, having Moss out wide will benefit the ground game even more and provide quarterback Alex Smith with a downfield target.

Moss's presence will derive attention from Michael Crabtree and tight end Vernon Davis, therefore, it's simply a matter of executing. If Moss does in fact become a 49er expect them to become the immediate NFC favorites.

Alex Smith

In other news regarding the 49ers, it's appears that quarterback Alex Smith is returning. According to Kim Coyle of CBS 5 San Francisco, a deal could get done this week:

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Coyle said her conversation with Smith gave her the impression that the quarterback could sign a deal before hitting the free agent market Tuesday. Smith said San Francisco is his home and he is looking forward to playing here for a long time.

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Certainly a smart move by Smith and the 49ers to try and remain together. Everything that Alex Smith has done up to this point in his career has a legitimate excuse as he's played under seven different offensive coordinators in seven seasons.

Still, Smith, for the position he was thrown into, has been efficient enough to remain in the Bay Area. And as evidence by how well he and the 'Niners performed in 2011 under Jim Harbaugh, the immediate future has a lot of potential.

Provided that Smith's receiving corps gets upgraded via free agency and/or the NFL draft, San Francisco's offense is on the brink of completion. The defense is set, so completing the puzzle and fielding that stud No. 1 receiver will easily boost the offense.

Smith proved he has developed to be a legit NFL quarterback. Now, it's just comes down to consistency.

Gregg Williams

The defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams, as well as the culprit in the "Bounty-Gate" scandal, Gregg Williams, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Dispatch, is expected to get his penalty this week.

And, in addition to Williams, Mike Florio of NBC Sports is anticipating others to hear from the league as well:

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Unless Goodell plans to hand out punishment in piecemeal fashion, this means that all of the other various sanctions on folks like Saints coach Sean Payton and G.M. Mickey Loomis and the Saints organization itself will come out this week, too.

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Obviously, not the best of situations and considering how poor the Rams defense performed in 2011, not much can be expected in 2012 at this point either.

New head coach Jeff Fisher will definitely improve the unit and if need be, appoint an interim defensive coordinator depending on Williams' penalty.

Either that, or Fisher could just play the head coach and defensive coordinator role, which sounds like the next best alternative. Nonetheless, don't expect the St. Louis defense to open any eyes in 2012.

Last season the Rams allowed 25.4 points per game (ranked No. 26), 358.4 total yards per game (ranked No. 22) and recorded just 12 picks (ranked No. 23). In other words, it's going to take at least a year or two before any significant improvement.

Cowboys and Redskins

With the NFL draft around the corner and free agency starting on Tuesday, the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins needed to make some moves to improve on their 2011 campaigns. Now, it seems those moves, if any, will be restricted.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Cowboys and Redskins are getting hit from the league in regards to their salary caps:

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The NFL is taking away millions of dollars of salary-cap space belonging to the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins for front-loading contracts during the uncapped 2010 season, according to league sources.

The salary cap is projected to be $120.6 million in 2012, but the Cowboys will lose $10 million, while the Redskins will be docked $36 million in cap space, sources said.

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With that, we can't expect much noise from either franchise this offseason, which will definitely have an impact on how each team's 2012 season pans out.

Already having to play the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants twice, the Philadelphia Eagles have a lot of momentum rolling into next fall after finishing on a four-game win streak.

Now, include other NFC title contenders, such as the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers and the Cowboys and Redskins sit back even further. It will definitely be interesting to see how each franchise strategically approaches the draft, free agency and the season all-together.

John Rozum on Twitter.