When we visited the Buffalo training camp last summer, we came away feeling the Bills were one of the deepest teams in the league. A year later, that depth will be severely tested, but scouts from rival AFC East teams who look at the Bills agree that rumors of their demise in the wake of the departures of Bruce Smith, Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed may be a bit hasty.

"To me, they're still the second-best team in the division, after Indianapolis," said one personnel director in the division. "The offseason created some holes, sure, but they shouldn't be crying poor-mouth, no way. They might miss some of the leadership the 'Big Three' gave them, but I thought it was a smart move the way they just bit the bullet and got rid of those guys. You could not (reconcile) the salary cap cost versus the diminished production you were getting from them."

Assuming the Bills retain guard Ruben Brown, and the signs certainly point in that direction, their offense will be virtually intact. Rob Johnson figures to unseat Doug Flutie at quarterback, but the unit should not miss Reed, who likely will be replaced by second-year pro Peerless Price. And coordinator Joe Pendry should be able to locate a viable replacement to guard Dusty Zeigler, who exited in free agency after reneging on an agreement to re-sign.

Pendry loves to hammer the ball between the tackles and, while Buffalo lacks a true feature back, it has a pretty nice stable of runners. The team made a good move this week, signing a five-year deal with defensive end Pat Williams, who in some stretches last year outplayed starter Ted Washington. Williams and end Marcellus Wiley, who could have a breakout season in 2000, provide Buffalo two excellent young defensive linemen. The linebacker corps, led by inside players Sam Cowart and John Holecek, is very good. And second-year 'backer Keith Newman, who some Bills veterans felt should have been starting ahead of the now-departed Gabe Northern in '99, will add speed.

If there is a question mark hanging over the Bills, it is in the secondary, where it might be tough to replace cornerback Thomas Smith and free safety Kurt Schulz, both of whom signed elsewhere as unrestricted free agents. Last year's first-round pick, Antoine Winfield, moves into Smith's spot and Buffalo coaches are confident he'll play well. Privately, they are more concerned about the free safety spot. For now, it appears special teams player Manny Martin will get first shot at the No. 1 job, but he's not a lock to win it.

Another edge for the Bills is that they continue to have one of the finest scouting staffs -- with general manager John Butler, director of player personnel Dwight Adams and pro personnel man A.J. Smith -- in the entire league. Look for the Bills to emerge from the draft, as usual, with at least two players who will contribute as rookies.

Rushing the rushmen

Next to quarterback, the position becoming most important among personnel chiefs and coaches is the one where players make their living knocking quarterbacks down. Little wonder, then, that as the pre-draft scouting process began to wind down this week, talent evaluators spent plenty of time getting one final assessment of this year's defensive end crop.

Beyond the top two pass rush prospects, Courtney Brown of Penn State and Tennessee's Shaun Ellis, the pecking order is like the rest of the first round, with subjectivity reigning. But a few of the end prospects have enhanced their draft value in recent days with quick 40-yard times and solid overall workouts.

Near the top of the list of ascending players is Erik Flowers of Arizona State, a onetime outside linebacker who has bulked up to 272 pounds and last week clocked a 4.62-4.66 time for scouts. Brigham Young's Byron Frisch also ran in the 4.6's, although some scouts fear he is a little too pumped up and doesn't play as strong as his weight. Darren Howard of Kansas State, who has an explosive first step, already rated high with scouts and has done little to hurt his first-round stock. Ditto John Engelberger of Virginia Tech. Cornelius Griffin of Alabama is a solid tester in drills, but scouts are divided over whether he is an end or a tackle.

Two outside rushers on whom someone will take a chance, probably in the second round, are Adewale Ogunleye (Indiana) and Adalius Thomas (Southern Mississippi). The former is coming off reconstructive knee surgery and the latter is undersized, but both continue to display the kind of pass rush quickness scouts can't ignore.

Rams hurting at end

This offseason hasn't exactly gone the direction the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams might have liked. While they remain a solid pick in the NFC West, there could be some slippage. The latest problem is at defensive end, where both starters could miss significant offseason workout time. Right end Grant Wistrom is out until the start of training camp following shoulder surgery. And then two weeks ago, left end Kevin Carter, the league's sack leader last season, had surprise back surgery that will sideline him until April or May.

The Rams signed Buffalo backup Sean Moran to replace departed No. 3 end and valued reserve Jay Williams, but they might need to do more. Little wonder team officials this week entertained rush end Darren Howard of Kansas State, a player scouts feel might still be available at the end of the first round. Contract negotiations do continue with Carter, who it appears is going to get a long-term extension before camp begins. Nothing is imminent but, when the deal gets done, it will be a blockbuster, perhaps for seven years at $10 million annually.

Niners mining for more picks

No one should yet buy into the notion that San Francisco will select Marshall quarterback Chad Pennington with the 12th overall pick in the draft. For one thing, Pennington might be gone by the time the 49ers go on the clock for the higher of their two first-round choices. More significant is that San Francisco continues to quietly seek a "trade back" deal, one in which it would move back from the 12th spot and perhaps gain an additional second-round choice for doing so.

The goal of the talent-thin 49ers, who desperately need to come out of the draft with both quality and quantity, is to collect four picks in the first two rounds. Currently they have three -- the No. 12 and No. 24 choices in the first round and the No. 4 pick in the second stanza. In theory, what the 49ers would like to do in the first two rounds is get a defensive end, two cornerbacks and then a quarterback with a pick from the middle to late portion of the second round.

One problem for the 49ers is there might be no defensive end, and certainly no cornerback, who is worthy of the 12th overall choice if the club is stuck exercising that selection. Another is that, after Pennington, there is no quarterback with whom coach Steve Mariucci has fallen in love. Mariucci was in Knoxville, Tenn., on Tuesday for workouts by Pennington and Tennessee quarterback Tee Martin. The 49ers like the athleticism of Martin, but he has been inconsistent throwing the ball in auditions. Another possibility for San Francisco is Hofstra quarterback Gio Carmazzi, who doesn't have great arm strength, but is smart and accurate.

Word is that San Francisco personnel director Terry Donahue really likes Joe Hamilton as a possible choice in about the fourth round. But the Georgia Tech quarterback, who measures just a hair over 5-foot-10, hasn't thrown the ball very well in recent workouts.

Bengals settling in on Warrick

Barring a trade offer that knocks their socks off, and perhaps even in spite of one, the Cincinnati Bengals will take Florida State wide receiver Peter Warrick if he slips to the No. 4 spot in the first round, as it appears he will. Nobody in the Bengals' decision-making loop has anything negative to say about Warrick. Owner Mike Brown loves his big potential and the excitement he will immediately bring to the new Paul Brown Stadium, which opens this fall.

Cincinnati officials feel Warrick is the perfect complement to young quarterback Akili Smith and he would afford the club great flexibility at wide receiver. Getting him would permit the Bengals to listen to trade offers for perennial malcontent wideout Carl Pickens. If they opted to retain Pickens, it would seem Warrick would fit nicely with him and Darnay Scott.

Word is that the Tampa Bay Bucs, who had been eyeing the Bengals' first-round choice, have cooled for now on the idea of using their two No. 1 choices to move higher in the round. In fact, the Bucs just might focus on trying to acquire Jets wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson instead.

Mike Brown, meanwhile, figures to be one of the more beleaguered owners at the annual league meetings, which convene Sunday in West Palm Beach, Fla. Brown is set to huddle with Marvin Demoff, the agent for unhappy tailback and restricted free agent Corey Dillon. Brown would like to come away from the meetings with some sort of resolution on Dillon, knowing if the three-year veteran is prepared to sign a long-term offer or will simply settle for a one-season tender. The owner feels it's critical he get a gauge on Dillon's sentiments, so he can address other areas based on the tailback's leanings.

But SportsLine.com has learned Brown figures to be disappointed by any meeting with Demoff. The agent and his client aren't prepared to commit yet and Dillon has not given Demoff permission to negotiate a long-term contract. Brown also figures to get an earful from Pickens' agent, Steve Zucker, as he also did at last year's annual meetings.

The quarterback quandary

In a draft thin on quarterback prospects, Pennington continues to separate himself even more from the other prospects, and no one should be surprised if he goes as high as the eighth pick overall, to the Pittsburgh Steelers. The team continues to publicly support Kordell Stewart and signed journeyman Kent Graham as a supposed insurance policy.

Scouts say teams will regret passing up Marshall QB Chad Pennington in the NFL Draft.(AP)

Pittsburgh has a lot of holes to fill, but none more pressing than landing a quarterback who can perhaps fuel a turnaround that will likely take a few more drafts to consummate anyway. The past week, SportsLine.com spent a few hours each day surveying personnel men on the quarterbacks in this year's draft. The consensus: After Pennington, there might not be another quarterback taken until the bottom half of the second round or maybe even the top of the third stanza. Two general managers insisted the brainy Pennington has as much ability as Tim Couch, the top pick in last year's draft. And by all accounts, the Marshall star has been very solid in every one of his workouts the past two weeks.

"Put him in there with last year's class of quarterbacks and he'd be either No. 1 or No 2, no question," said one NFC West scout. "From a demeanor and a 'smarts' standpoint, he's close to Peyton Manning, has a lot of the same work ethic and things like that. I've looked at him now for two days on tape and he's a lot better than I thought he was. Someone is going to miss the boat on him and end up kicking themselves a few years down the line. Hey, this is just me talking, but I don't see how Pittsburgh can afford to pass him up if he's available at their pick."

If there is one quarterback who has enhanced his draft status in the past two weeks, it's probably Todd Husak of Stanford. Because of his workouts, and the notion he might struggle at first to really assimilate an NFL offense, Tennessee's Martin is sliding.

Raiders on the rise?

Once again bogged down by the salary cap, the Oakland Raiders haven't made much noise during the free-agent signing period. But the team's coaching staff feels very good about the 2000 season. That optimism is echoed by AFC West rivals who feel the Raiders could be the surprise team of the division.

"There's no denying their talent and athleticism, and you could see games last season where they were really starting to come together from a chemistry standpoint," San Diego coach Mike Riley said.

Oakland has done a nice job of retaining its unrestricted free agents and has added a few role players, like cornerback Troy James and safety Anthony Dorsett, over the past month. Truth be told, this was a team that required just a little tinkering to begin with. And while the dismissal of defensive coordinator Willie Shaw confused some veterans, replacement Chuck Bresnahan Jr. has been well received.

Much has been made of the fact head coach Jon Gruden finally is allowing cornerback Charles Woodson to play some on offense in minicamps. More important, however, is that Bresnahan, at least from early indications, will flip sides to get him matched up against the opposition's premier wideout nearly every play. His first two years in the league, Woodson almost always lined up at the left cornerback spot. The proposed switch is twofold: It will keep quarterbacks from being able to throw away from Woodson's side so often and also compensate for the half-step that veteran corner Eric Allen seemed to lose in 1999.

Raye of hope

For anyone who covered the Buffalo Bills over the past 20 seasons, it's difficult to forget former running backs coach Elijah Pitts, who died of cancer in 1998. Now Kansas City offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, one of the NFL's classiest assistants and a longtime confidant of Pitts, is assuring the man who tutored Buffalo runners for 16 campaigns remains in the thoughts of his peers around the league for a long time.

The Jimmy Raye Youth Foundation announced this week it will sponsor the Elijah Pitts Award, to be presented annually to the NFL running backs coach who best exemplifies the qualities of character always displayed by the late assistant.

The winner will be selected by a six-man panel comprised of former NFL stars Marcus Allen, William Andrews, Eric Dickerson, Lawrence McCutcheon and Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, along with Thurman Thomas.

The inaugural winner will be announced at next year's scouting combine in Indianapolis and then presented the award by the Pitts family at the annual Elijah Pitts Memorial Golf Tournament held in Fayetteville, Ark. Raye created his foundation in 1998 to allow underprivileged youngsters to broaden their horizons through golf, his secret passion, and other athletic opportunities to which they might otherwise not be exposed.

Falcons doing a lot of talking

The Atlanta Falcons already have paid out $23.5 million in signing bonus to acquire free agents like cornerback Ashley Ambrose ($7.5 million), wide receiver Shawn Jefferson ($4.5 million), defensive end Brady Smith ($2.5 million), guard Anthony Redmon ($750,000) and linebacker Marcus Buckley ($50,000) and to retain linebacker Jessie Tuggle ($4.4 million), defensive tackle Shane Dronett ($3.5 million), center Evan Pilgrim ($200,000) and running backs Gary Downs ($50,000) and Winslow Oliver ($50,000). Now it appears Atlanta is prepared to dig even deeper into its hardly overflowing coffers to try to keep a few more of its better players locked up.

SportsLine.com has learned that Falcons general manager Harold Richardson has had preliminary discussions with Ray Anderson, the agent for Bob Whitfield, about an extension for the standout offensive left tackle. Whitfield is entering the final season of his contract, is by far the Falcons' top lineman, but wants a lot of money to re-up. Richardson and Anderson probably will huddle at the annual meetings in West Palm, but no deal is imminent and talks likely won't get serious until June or July.

The team also is discussing long-term deals for wide receiver and kick returner Tim Dwight and center/guard Calvin Collins. Because Collins is a restricted free agent and Dwight is under contract for another year, the Falcons don't really have to address their situations yet. The club is taking a proactive approach, however, toward keeping its best players locked up. Collins and his agent have submitted a proposal for a four-year, $7 million contract.

One top veteran entering the last year of his contract, but who hasn't yet been approached about an extension, is cornerback Ray Buchanan.

Philadelphia freedom

It was hardly surprising when the Philadelphia Eagles released linebacker William Thomas just one day after reaching an agreement with former Steelers starter Carlos Emmons on a four-year, $7.4 million contract. Thomas was scheduled to earn $3.25 million in base salary for this season and his performance clearly has dropped off the past two seasons.

The purge, though, might not end with Thomas. Some coaches are hopeful that either Jeremiah Trotter or Barry Gardner, two youngsters who are more effective playing inside, can make the move to weakside linebacker. That would create a starting trio of Trotter, Gardner and Emmons. It also would permit the Eagles to dump three-year veteran James Darling, a former second-round pick who has yet to play up to that lofty draft status.

Thomas, 31, by the way, could end up in Washington. The nine-year veteran would be a terrific tutor for the Redskins' youthful linebacker corps and provide another experienced hand for the team's Super Bowl run. Washington made a similar move this week when it signed tailback Adrian Murrell. He might be a bit used up, but Murrell was a pretty nice addition at the meager price of just $440,000.

Not just your average Jones

It was relegated to the agate type "transactions" section, but the Miami Dolphins' addition this week of offensive tackle Willie Jones was one that could pay big dividends down the road. Signed last year by St. Louis as a free agent, the former Grambling tackle was regarded as one of the top undrafted players of last spring.

Jones played sparingly the first half of the season for the Rams. He fought weight problems and a series of family crises. At midseason, the club was forced to place him on the non-football injury list because of severe depression. Then this spring, after making Jones a one-year qualifying offer, the Rams abruptly rescinded the tender. Seattle grabbed Jones on waivers but agent Harold Lewis made a wise move in challenging the validity of the Seahawks' claim. Lewis prevailed in his arbitration case, claiming Jones was not subject to waiver rules, because he became a totally free agent when the Rams rescinded their qualifying offer.

His past problems seem behind him now and Jones, armed with a cleverly constructed contract that could be worth more than $1 million annually if he achieves certain incentives, could turn out to be a very good player. The Colts also ardently sought him and offered a better contract than Miami. But Jones wanted to be close to his son and opted for the Dolphins, who, years from now, might look back at this deal as a real steal.

Cap pistol

The investigation of the San Francisco 49ers for alleged salary cap violations is heating up. While it might not be completed until after the draft, some former 49ers officials should be uncomfortable about potential fines that almost certainly will be imposed by commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

SportsLine.com has learned there are some so-called "smoking gun" documents that were not purged from files when former Niners personnel chief Dwight Clark departed for Cleveland. And it will be interesting to see if former 49ers team president Carmen Policy, who has the same title in Cleveland, is found culpable of any indiscretions.

Not to be forgotten, as well, is that Pittsburgh is also under investigation for its handling of the contract for former offensive lineman Will Wolford. The Steelers figure to be sanctioned, likely with a fine and the forfeiture of a draft choice, for violating cap guidelines.

Punts

• When the Jacksonville Jaguars convene Monday for the beginning of their formal offseason conditioning program, they can go ahead and start without defensive end Tony Brackens. Tagged as the team's "franchise" free agent, Brackens will sit out the sessions until there is at least some progress made on the negotiation front. There have been a couple discussions, but really nothing of substance yet.
• Funny how some Internet sites keep parroting the spin control from agent Leigh Steinberg's office about the workouts of wide receiver Plaxico Burress. From what we hear, the Michigan State star, whose stock is dipping, has switched agents and now is represented by Mitch Frankel of Impact Sports. Word is that Tennessee safety Deon Grant has also switched to Frankel, leaving former NFL wide receiver Tim McGee.
• Unless the Pats can convince left tackle Bruce Armstrong to re-sign, the New England offensive line could be a mess. For now, the only tackles are recently signed Grant Williams, untested Ed Ellis and former guard Max Lane. That shouldn't be a very comforting thought for quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who now is offering to restructure his contract and help create salary cap room. Williams, who came to the Patriots from Seattle, was viewed by Seahawks coaches as one of the worst players on their roster last season.
• How good was the on-campus workout this week of Alabama offensive tackle Chris Samuels? He ran in the 4.9-second range and one scout called it "the offensive line equivalent of the great workout (defensive end) Courtney Brown had at Penn State." There is little doubt the Redskins will grab Samuels with either the No. 2 or No. 3 pick in the draft.
• Best reason why Deion Sanders will be officially released by the Dallas Cowboys on or around June 2: If he is on the Dallas roster June 3, his 2001 base salary of $13 million is guaranteed.
• When is a $30.75 million contract less than 10 percent of that amount? When it's the five-year deal signed this week by Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Alonzo Spellman. According to the contract documents filed with the NFL Players Association, he will get a signing bonus of $2.3 million and a base salary of $450,000 for the 2000 season. But then for each of the next four years, Spellman has a base salary of $1 million and an annual roster bonus of -- ready for this? -- $6 million payable March 1. So essentially Spellman got a one-year contract. If he plays well this season, the deal will be re-done for 2001, that's all. Contrary to published reports, his salary cap charge this year is only $910,000, not the $2.75 million that some have stated.
• It's not a done deal yet, but the Bills have been faxing contract language for guard Ruben Brown to the NFL Management Council for their scrutiny. If Brown return to the Bills, the deal will be fairly creative, and both sides want to run it by the Management Council now, just to see if it passes muster.
• Contrary to reports out of Carolina, the Panthers no longer have any interest in signing former San Francisco strong safety Tim McDonald. The club remains interested in former Denver and New York Jets safety Steve Atwater, but has some concerns about a knee problem. Best bet for now is that Carolina stands pat. The staff is hopeful that Tony Booth, a 1999 seventh-round pick who showed great potential in camp before sustaining a season-ending knee injury, can play at safety. The addition of Jimmy Hitchcock gives the Panthers three veteran corners so Booth can be moved to safety.
• On at least three draft boards, California standout Deltha O'Neal is rated as the top corner. O'Neal has posted brilliant workouts lately and can also return punts. Another player who has been able to rehabilitate his draft standing is Jackson State wideout Sylvester Morris. He had a terrible combine, but has run consistently under 4.5 in every workout since.
• It probably won't happen, but the Green Bay Packers would love to acquire defensive tackle Russell Maryland from the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders might sacrifice Maryland for the right price, but the Packers haven't made a solid offer yet.
• If you're tuned in to MTV on Monday night for the debut of the new video by rapper Da Brat, you'll spot four current and future NFL players. Featured prominently are San Diego safety Jason Perry and Miami tailback Autry Denson, along with North Carolina State corner Lloyd Harrison and Boston College safety George White. All are clients of Atlanta agent Hadley Engelhard, who last year joined with recording mogul Jermaine Durpi to form So So Def Sports Management.