Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

The Dolphins sound like they want to go with the younger, cheaper alternative. Upside is a dangerous word to kick around, but Miller has loads of potential and showed it last year in minimal snaps. But Bush has been the Dolphins only true playmaker on offense over the past two seasons, even if he had a down year in 2012. The Dolphins are looking to add playmakers on both sides of the ball and seemingly have their eyes set on Greg Jennings, and the Dolphins plan might be to allocate the money that would have went to Bush on a true No. 1 wide receiver to help out Ryan Tannehill. Whether or not that is the best plan is a discussion for another day.

The Detroit Lions could use another running back, and it sounds like the Lions are interested in adding some speed and pass-catching ability to pair up with Mikel LeShoure. This could be an excellent situation for Bush, and Birkett writes, “Who knows what happens with Bush at the end of the day, but plenty of NFL people at the combine believe the Lions will make Bush a primary target in free agency.”

There are definitely legs to this, and it makes sense for the Lions to give Matthew Stafford a playmaking presence in the backfield who can also help the QB out in the passing game. Bush, according to Birkett, would cost around $5 million per year, but it sounds like the Lions believe Bush is worth the money.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Even though there is all this talk about what the Ravens are doing with Flacco, there is pretty much no chance of him leaving Baltimore. The question is all about how much money Flacco will get from the Ravens organization, because his contract will dictate what the Ravens do with their other players (most notably the receivers) as they have some cap issues. Flacco bet against a top-five QB deal last year, won the Super Bowl, and now he wants an even bigger deal.

2. Miami Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland loves second-year running back Lamar Miller, and it seems like the entire Dolphins organization is extremely high on Miller. They want to give him the chance to start next year, and all this talk about Miller’s upside and how much the Dolphins want him means that Reggie Bush will likely be playing elsewhere next season- even if he really wants to stay in Miami. Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel  tweeted that it is “universally understood” the Dolphins will give Miller “every opportunity” to start next year.

3. WEEI’s Christopher Price tweeted that South Carolina Gamecocks safety D.J. Swearinger met with New England Patriots scouts, while LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu did not. I am extremely high on Swearinger and hope he falls into the Pats laps in the second-round at pick 29, because he has terrific aggressiveness, explosiveness, hard-hitting ability, and enough coverage skills to fit as an SS in the pros. He said he likes New England’s defense, as well as Bill Belichick and his coaching discipline (also from Price).

4. Nick Underhill tweeted that Oregon State Beavers cornerback (mocked to the Patriots by FanSided.com at one point) Jordan Poyer also met with Patriots scouts, but this came during the Senior Bowl. I hope Poyer is available in a favorable spot for the Patriots as well, because he would be a nice selection for this team a bit after the first round (second or third, hopefully).

5. Below are two interesting quotes that Florida Gators safety Matt Elam (another guy I really like in this draft at safety) shared with ESPN Boston.

“My physicality, I play very hard. I love to strike people, I feel like that will help me stand out the most. I’m very versatile, I can cover slot receivers, I can go in the box and tackle, I can play in the post. I feel like that makes me stand out the most.”

“I’m very athletic. Growing up I was very athletic, and I feel like that separates me. I’m not the biggest safety I guess, but I feel like I play hard, and that makes me stand out.”

His older brother, Abram Elam, has been a safety in this league for a while, but Matt Elam said that he molds his game on Ravens safety Ed Reed. So do you want Reed or Elam? Personally, I think this defense needs youth so I’ll take a safety in the draft instead of Reed- even if that safety isn’t Matt Elam.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

According to a source close to one of the Dolphins top beat writers, Ben Volin, Reggie Bush “badly” wants to stay in Miami. Volin provided an example of a tweet from a fan to Bush saying that the Dolphins need Bush, and this tweet was retweeted by Bush. He writes that Bush, “has been essentially campaigning to return on his Twitter feed.”

CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora said that it is “highly unlikely” that Bush stays in Miami, and it sounds like it is the Dolphins reasoning. They don’t want to pay up for the 27-year-old running back, even if he has been the team’s best offensive weapon over the past two years. That’s more of a product of how poor their offense is, because Bush digressed last year and Miller is younger, cheaper, and has more upside. From some of the quotes I’ve read from GM Jeff Ireland, it sounds like the Dolphins think Miller is better overall.

Bush could get offered a team-friendly deal by the team, but they have other free agents to take care of like No. 1 wide receiver Brian Hartline (who really isn’t a No. 1 receiver). Speaking of which, the rumors of the Dolphins going after Greg Jennings and the mutual interest there is also a factor, because the Dolphins desperately need a true No. 1 wideout to help future second-year quarterback Ryan Tannehill out. The Dolphins need playmakers in the passing game even more so in the running game, and Bush might not even be a playmaker anyway. If he is, it sounds like he isn’t better than Miller either. That money that would have gone to Bush will most likely help pay for Jennings’s salary.

We’ll see if the Miami Dolphins offer Reggie Bush something, because they haven’t yet and Bush and his representatives are surprised at that. They really want to stay, but it sounds like Bush will be hitting the open market in March and looking for a new place to play.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.