Rhodes in Orchard Park Tuesday

Free agent running back Dominic Rhodes (right), he of Super Bowl XLI lore, has apparently emerged as Buffalo's next free agent target. NFL Network's Adam Schefter reports that Rhodes is scheduled to arrive in Buffalo for a visit sometime Tuesday morning.

Once expected to be one of the hottest free agent commodities available, this is just the second scheduled visit made by Rhodes. The versatile runner was wooed by the New York Giants last Friday, but has not yet received a formal offer from that club. In addition, Rhodes has only seen passive interest from other clubs, including the Ravens, Raiders and Jets.

Diverse Skill Set
Rhodes is an intriguing option for the Bills. At 28 years of age and with only 550 career rushing attempts, Rhodes has plenty left in the tank. He has the type of versatility that offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild loves in his backs - Rhodes set a career high with 36 receptions last season while splitting time with rookie Joseph Addai (who had 40 receptions). More intriguing yet is the fact that for his entire career, Rhodes has been part of a two-back system; he is an expert at working with another back and could excel in that role in Buffalo.

It's also important to note Rhodes' kick return ability. Buffalo's primary kick returner, Terrence McGee, is now the #1 corner on the roster with the free agent defection of Nate Clements. As devastating as McGee is on kick returns, I can't see the coaching staff risking injury to their top corner on special teams. McGee's backup last season, Andre' Davis, is a free agent. My guess is that if Rhodes is brought in, he could return kicks the majority of the time, while McGee would get the nod in important situations.

For me, bringing Rhodes in is strange. Yes, he is a great team performer and would be a valuable addition to our team. But don't we still have Willis McGahee? And don't we have big needs on defense, especially at linebacker and cornerback? Unless Marv Levy has a potential trade with McGahee brewing, I don't see the Bills signing Rhodes to the big(gish) deal that he likely covets.

Jordan Re-Ups with Oakland
Forget about the LaMont Jordan in Buffalo idea. Due to count $4.75 million against this year's cap, Jordan yesterday restructured his deal with the Raiders. His new contract will keep him in Oakland for the remainder of his contract. Oh well - Dominic Rhodes is in town.

Could Clements Still be a Bill?
Reports out of PFT (Pro Football Talk) indicate that the Bills may have been able to re-sign CB Nate Clements during the regular season last year. Rumors have it that if the Bills had put down the same deal they gave OG Derrick Dockery last week, Clements would have taken that deal. This appears to be speculation on their part, but is intriguing nonetheless. The report is quoted below.

BILLS COULD HAVE KEPT CLEMENTS?

One of the specific criticisms we've heard in the past few days is that the Buffalo Bills likely could have kept Nate Clements if they'd offered him the same jaw-dropping package that was paid to Derrick Dockery.

The Bills, whose owner has a recent history of crying poormouth, pasted together a seven-year, $49 million package for Dockery, an interior offensive lineman who wasn't expected to be a big player in free agency -- and of whom most casual non-Redskins fans had never even heard before March 2.

If that same money had been put on the table during 2006 for Clements, the thinking is that Clements would have taken it.

Signings Update
Here are the latest signings from around the NFL:

- DE Patrick Kerney, Seattle (Atlanta) - 6 year deal
- FB Paul Smith, Denver (St. Louis) - TBA

Expect an update on Rhodes later on today as information is made available.