AFC East Notes: Welker, Jordan, Fitzpatrick

Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph says he has given no thought to what position Dion Jordan would play if he is reinstated, as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald tweets. Jordan, a defensive end, could theoretically be moved to linebacker since the team seems pretty set at DE. A position change could also give him a much needed shot in the arm: the former No. 3 overall pick has totaled just three sacks in 26 career games.

Here’s more out of the AFC East:

  • Wide receiver Wes Welker turned up at Dolphins OTAs and appeared to be working with the team’s wide receivers. However, head coach Adam Gase said that the team will not be signing the veteran wide receiver as a player (link via CBSSports.com’s David Dwork). Welker, a five-time Pro Bowler, recently indicated that he is unsure about whether to continue playing. It’s also not clear if Welker has any clubs interested in his services as a player.
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com weighed in on the Jets‘ ongoing battle with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Corry says that the Jets may come to regret their heavy-handed approach with Fitzpatrick since he is represented by Jimmy Sexton, who handles some of the biggest names in the sport. At the same time, he says that a one-year, $12MM deal is not realistic. To break the impasse, Corry suggests a deal that pays $12MM in year one, but $9MM in each the next two years instead of $6MM. The deal could also include incentives that could boost its max to about $45MM.
  • There’s tons of talk about Malcolm Butler right now, but Dont’a Hightower is the most important player for the Patriots to keep long term, Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com writes. Hannable notes that since Hightower entered the league in 2012, the Patriots have a regular season record of 42-12 in games Hightower appears in, but just 6-4 in games he doesn’t play. Also, the Pats allowed 3.65 yards per carry when Hightower was on the field last year but they surrendered 4.5 yards per carry when he wasn’t. Hightower is slated to hit the open market for the first time following this season. Hannable suggests that Danny Trevathan‘s four-year, $24.5MM deal ($6.1MM/year) with the Bears could be a good comp.
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