Lammey: Buzz around the league ahead of the NFL Scouting Combine

Author’s note: Covering the NFL since 2003, I’ve been able to generate contacts with every team in the league. This is the time of year when those relationships come in handy.

NFL teams have entered the offseason mode, and information is swirling around the atmosphere of the league. If you know who to ask, you can learn some interesting things about the direction of these franchises as they prepare for the 2017 season.

Here’s some of the latest buzz I’m hearing from around the NFL with its scouting combine two weeks away.

Could Reuben Foster fall to the Broncos?

After undergoing rotator cuff surgery, Alabama inside linebacker Reuben Foster will not be participating in the NFL Scouting Combine, which starts Feb. 28. However, he will be at the combine and interview with teams.

Foster is the best inside linebacker in this class, and he plays with natural violence as a run defender. He’s got the athleticism and football intelligence to excel in coverage, too.

The Denver Broncos could certainly use a talent like Foster on its world class defense.

Buzz: The severity of Foster’s injury is unknown, but it did require surgery, which will cause his draft stock to fall.

Those in the scouting community I talk to believe Foster will not fall to No. 20, where the Broncos sit in the first round. However, he could fall within the range of the team and that could prompt another trade up in the first round to acquire elite-level talent.

Each of the last two years, the Broncos have moved up in the first round and may jump at the chance for a player like Foster.

Chiefs could release Jamaal Charles

With less than $1 million in cap space, the Kansas City Chiefs will be looking for ways to free up more money.

They are trying to find a way to keep both free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe and safety Eric Berry this offseason, and the franchise tag is an option for one of those players, but not both. Not to mention they still need the money to sign one after the tag.

One way they could free up a little bit of room is to release running back Jamaal Charles before the start of free agency. Charles has a $6.1 million cap number in 2017, and there’s no dead money remaining on his contract.

Buzz: Charles is not the same player he used to be, and the speedy veteran may have lost a step or two. He’s been limited to just eight games during the past two seasons due to knee injuries. Charles underwent knee surgery in November, and he had to have a second scope later in the year.

Teams in need of a change-of-pace back could be interested in Charles, as he may no longer be reliable as a full-time back. However, I’ve heard from team sources that Charles could remain with the Chiefs if he agrees to a new deal with a lower price tag.

Potential suitors for Tyrod Taylor

The Buffalo Bills are not locked into keeping quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Even though they added former Broncos offensive coordinator Rick Dennison to run their offense under new head coach Sean McDermott, the team remains lukewarm about Taylor’s future in Buffalo.

Dennison and Taylor worked together when the two were in Baltimore with the Ravens.

According to the Buffalo News, the idea of starting 2016 fourth-round pick Cardale Jones at quarterback is “appealing” to general manager Doug Whaley.

Buzz: There are more than a few teams interested in adding Taylor. Whether he is a trade target or can be acquired on the open market remains to be seen.

Due a whopping $30.5 million guaranteed in 2017, Taylor is reportedly unwilling to restructure his contract. That may prompt the Bills to let him go before his option becomes guaranteed on March 11.

I’m told the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets might be the most interested in adding the athletic quarterback.