Lammey: NFL buzz as the scouting combine kicks off in Indianapolis

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 the Scouting Combine getting underway this week.

C.J. Anderson to be cleared soon

Denver Broncos running back C.J. Anderson is currently recovering from surgery last year to repair a torn meniscus.

The offense wasn’t the same after Anderson hurt his knee in Week 7 against the Houston Texans. In that game, Anderson injured his knee in the first quarter but finished with 107 yards (on 16 carries) with one touchdown in the victory.

He underwent surgery soon after that game and missed the rest of the regular season as he recovered.

Buzz:  Sources indicate that he could be cleared in the next week or two. In fact, if the team wasn’t traveling to the combine this week they might have already cleared the veteran back.

That’s great news for the Broncos as Anderson will be ready well ahead of the start of OTAs at the beginning of April. This means Anderson should be the clear-cut favorite for carries over Devontae Booker in 2017.

From bad to worse with Brock Osweiler

The Houston Texans may be giving up on quarterback Brock Osweiler. Sources tell me the relationship between Osweiler and Texans head coach Bill O’Brien is “terrible.”

Just last year, Osweiler was signed to four-year, $72 million contract with $37 million guaranteed. No firm decision has been made, but Osweiler could be one-and-done in Houston.

Buzz: The Texans are considering cutting Osweiler and just eating the dead money remaining on his contract. Osweiler has a cap number of $19 million in 2017 and there’s $25 million remaining in guarantees to be paid.

They want to look at a rookie quarterback with the 25th pick in the 2017 NFL draft. I hear the locker room has already soured on the former Broncos quarterback, and sources tell me the Texans don’t want Osweiler to be a bad influence on a young passer added to the building.

Is Bucky Hodges a wide receiver or a tight end?

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter writes that “teams must satisfy their questions about what role (Virginia Tech wide receiver/tight end Bucky Hodges) will play in an NFL offense before using a premium pick to bring him aboard.”

This is arguably the greatest tight end class in NFL history, and Hodges may go off the board in the third round.

Buzz: Scouts tell me Hodges is one of the most impressive tight ends in this historic draft class.

A converted quarterback, Hodges has an amazing size/athleticism combination. Measuring in at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds, Hodges can line up inside or outside of the formation.

At the combine, he can quiet the talk about him playing wide receiver by showing good routes and consistent hands.

An NFC West executive told me Hodges is “an instant impact player in the red zone” for whatever team drafts him.

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