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Although most of the marquee talent has already been spoken for, the NFL’s free-agent signing period rolls on. And there were some interesting moves today.

We'll get the ball rolling tonight in Buffalo, where -- just four days after Willis McGahee was traded to Baltimore for three draft picks -- Buffalo brought their own free-agent rusher back into the fold early Monday by signing Anthony Thomas to a two-year contract.

"We were hopeful of retaining Anthony Thomas' services," said Bills GM Marv Levy. "And now we have."

According to NFL Network insider Adam Schefter, the contract is worth $2.8 and includes a $400,000 signing bonus.

"It feels good," said Thomas of his return to Buffalo. "I feel I know the system a lot better now the second time around."

Thomas, who backed up McGahee this past season, immediately becomes the No. 1 back, at least for the time being. Shaud Williams, a third-stringer last season, is the only other experienced running back currently on the team's depth chart.

As BuffaloBills.com staff writer Chris Brown noted, head coach Dick Jauron, who made Thomas a second-round draft pick of the Bears in 2001 as Chicago's head coach, has always believed in the former NFL Rookie of the Year.

"Anthony is somebody with whom I'm very familiar," said Jauron. "I talked to him a few times through free agency. I was pretty confident we had a good chance to get him.

"He's a terrific team player. ... He'll play the role he's asked to play and play it as hard as he can. I'm just really pleased that we have him re-signed."

Thomas had 378 yards rushing for the Bills in 2006 and two touchdowns in a reserve role. But he knows things won't be the same as they were heading into last season.

"I think it will be a little different with Willis not there," said Thomas. "Now it's time to go out there and prepare myself to go out there and play."

And as Brown suggested, when Thomas had the chance to play he played well for Buffalo last season. He had a big three week stretch of games in the season's second half when McGahee went down with three cracked ribs.

Against Green Bay, Thomas stepped in for McGahee and finished with 95 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown in a 24-10 win. The following week he had his first 100-yard rushing day since 2004 as he rolled up 109 yards on 28 carries at Indianapolis.

At Houston the next week, Brown reminded readers that Thomas showed his versatility with 56 yards rushing and a career-high seven catches for 33 yards, four of which came on the team's game-winning drive in Buffalo's dramatic, 24-21 comeback win over the Texans.

According to Brown, offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild praised Thomas for his pass protection savvy particularly in the Houston game last season.

"I think my teammates know what I can do," said Thomas. "I didn't get a lot of opportunities to do it because of Willis. He was a great guy and he did a lot of things for us, but now I should be able to show more of my talents and what I can do."

Thomas' veteran presence also proved valuable on the field last season for up and coming quarterback J.P. Losman.

"He knows when he's supposed to stay and when to get out," said Losman of Thomas. "He knows when he has to chip, when he has to help a guard, if he has to help a tackle. He knows where to be and when to be there and it was very, very helpful to rely on him.

"He recognizes things with a defense and knows when he's supposed to stay in and protect or when it's better to get out in a route and get open for me."

For what it's worth, the team appears to be leaning in favor of a running back by committee approach in 2007.

"We do think it's in everybody's best interest that we do have more than one back that carries the load," said Jauron.

That being the case, don't be surprised if the Bills add another back -- whether through free agency or April's draft -- to the mix before all is said and done.

The Bills entertained free agent running backs Dominic Rhodes, a member of the Super Bowl champion Colts, and Chris Brown, formerly of the Titans, last week. Rhodes has since signed with the Oakland Raiders.

Brown's agent, Ryan Morgan, told the Nashville City Paper he believes is client would sign with one of the teams visited last week -- the Bills or Lions -- and didn't expect the Titans to play a major factor in his decision.

"Right now, after our visits, I would say that Buffalo and Detroit are the front-runners. I don't really know what is going on with Tennessee," Morgan said.

Detroit's backfield seems a bit crowded with Buffalo's obviously less so -- especially in light of Jauron's comment about relying on a rotation. ...

In New England. ... As ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli framed it today: "Continuing the wholesale overhaul of their wide receiver corps," the Patriots on Monday reached a contract agreement with unrestricted free agent Kelley Washington

According to Schefter, Washington, who played the first four seasons of his career with the Bengals, received a five-year deal worth up to $22 million, including a $300,000 signing bonus.

Schefter went on to explain the deal is similar in structure to the one that Donte' Stallworth signed with the Patriots on Sunday.

It contains a $4 million roster bonus payment that the Patriots will have to decide whether they want to pay a year from now.

Washington turned down the chance to play in Miami, opting instead for New England.

"I am happy to be a part of such a great franchise, and to have the opportunity to help the Patriots get back and win another Super Bowl," Washington said. "The privilege to play with arguably one of the best quarterbacks of all time, Tom Brady, and to be coached by someone like Bill Belichick is a blessing.

"I am very excited about contributing to the New England Patriots."

The Pats have clearly emphasized improving their lot at wideout this month. In addition to signing Stallworth and Washington, the Patriots acquired restricted free-agent receiver Wes Welker from the Dolphins last week for second- and seventh-round choices in this year's draft.

According to Pasquarelli, the gamble on Washington is a solid one, given that the Patriots appear to have made a fairly modest initial investment for a player who has enormous physical upside if he can stay healthy and play to his potential.

Washington brings size (6-3, 218) and athletic ability to the table, excelling in jump ball situations, but consistency problems have hampered him over his career. Injuries have also been an issue at both the pro and college level.

The former University of Tennessee wideout played only one full season for the Volunteers before leaving school early for the 2003 draft.

A third-round choice of the Bengals in 2003, he has 72 receptions for 893 yards and nine touchdowns in 44 games, including six starts. Hamstring problems firebombed his 2005 and ‘06 seasons, but he showed promise with 53 catches, seven for touchdowns, in his first two seasons as a pro.

His best season was in 2004, when Washington registered 31 receptions for 378 yards and three touchdowns.

Agent Chad Speck recently conceded that it would fair to say his client was caught in a game of musical chairs in Cincinnati, where he appeared to have no chance of moving into the regular rotation with Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Henry in front of him.

Bottom line? As Boston Herald staffer Albert Breer recently suggested, though an injury risk, Washington is likely viewed by the Patriots as a diamond-in-the-rough type worth taking a shot at. ...

Meanwhile, in a related note. ... With Stallworth, Welker and now Washington on board, that could factor into whether veteran Troy Brown returns.

Brown, who would enter his 15th NFL season, has taken a wait-and-see approach to retirement.

Many observers expected Brown to announce his retirement already, but that hasn't been the case so far. Herald beat man John Tomase recently suggested that had New England won the Super Bowl, the belief is that Brown would have walked away.

The fact they fell just short leaves the door open a crack for his return, but that door appears to be closing.

And in a semi-related note. ... Profootballtalk.com is reporting that Randy Moss very much wanted to be traded from Oakland to New England.

A league source told the site Moss "really wanted" to play for the Pats.

PFT editor Mike Florio went on to note the Patriots simply were not interested -- presumably due to his history of on-field histrionics, which ranged from squirting an official with a water bottle to periodic nonchalance.

This despite local reports suggesting Belichick loved the mercurial wideout's on-field abilities. ...

In Detroit. ... The Lions agreed to terms on a two-year contract with free agent Shaun McDonald on Monday, strengthening a receiving corps that includes Roy Williams and Mike Furrey.

According to Schefter, the contract is worth $2.8 million and includes $1.5 million in guaranteed money.

In four seasons with St. Louis, McDonald had 106 receptions for 1,215 yards and four touchdowns. McDonald will reunite with former Rams head coach Mike Martz, Detroit's offensive coordinator.

The 5-10, 183-pound receiver had just 13 catches for 136 yards and a score last year after two productive seasons for a reserve. He had 46 receptions for 523 yards in 2004 and had three of his 37 catches were for TDs in 2003. ...

It's still not clear where the other former St. Louis wideout and current unrestricted free agent, Kevin Curtis, will land.

The Lions, Vikings and Eagles are all interested.

Previous reports have indicated that adding McDonald wouldn't keep the Lions from adding Curtis, but I continue to hear that Philadelphia is the leading candidate to secure Curtis' services.

In fact, a deal could be imminent. ... Stay tuned.

In Houston. ... The Texans on Monday re-signed veteran tight end Mark Bruener. Financial terms were not disclosed.

The Texans use Bruener as a blocking tight end to complement Owen Daniels, who caught 34 passes for 352 yards as a rookie. Bruener had just nine catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns last season.

A first-round pick in 1995, Bruener spent nine years with the Pittsburgh Steelers before signing with the Texans in 2004. ...

In Indianapolis. ... As first reported by Schefter, the Colts signed free agent quarterback John Navarre, a one-time starter for the Arizona Cardinals on Monday.

Navarre will provide depth behind Peyton Manning and Jim Sorgi in Indianapolis.

Held in high esteem by the previous Cardinals staff, some believe Navarre might have finished 2004 as Arizona's starter had he not suffered a broken bone in his hand in his lone start as a pro.

The Cardinals now will search for a No. 3 behind Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. ...

In Denver. ... The Broncos re-signed wide receiver/kick returner Quincy Morgan, who joined the Broncos last season.

Morgan joined Denver after being released by the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 2. Entering his seventh NFL season, Morgan also has played for Dallas and Cleveland.

In 86 career games, including 53 starts, Morgan has 164 receptions for 2,466 yards and 17 touchdowns.

Morgan came on in a kickoff return role late last season. But the decision to retain him was said to hinge on whether the Broncos believe he can contribute as a reserve receiver, too.

Apparently they do. ...

That's all for now. ... As always, you'll find breaking items in the News & Views section of the site with more in-depth reviews of top stories available here in the Headline News section, where you'll also find the weekly Fantasy Notebook each Sunday during the offseason.