Here are some whispers we've been hearing from around the AFC South:

• Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver has said that he plans to sell the team eventually but he is not thinking about doing so right now. Some of the Jaguars' offseason moves, however, hint at the possibility that Weaver is planning to sell after a new Collective Bargaining Agreement is reached. We're hearing that Weaver's reluctance to fire head coach Jack Del Rio and his refusal to extend the contracts of the coaching staff could be a sign that the owner is trying to clear the decks before a potential sale.

• The Colts' inability to lock up QB Peyton Manning to a long-term deal until now could make taking care of their other key free agents this offseason more difficult, the way we hear it. Indianapolis has several valuable contributors who are scheduled to hit the market, but it can't begin the process of re-signing them until Manning's deal is finished.

• At the end of a recent interview focusing on RB Arian Foster's breakout 2010 season, RB coach Chick Harris, unprompted, offered the following endorsement of another of his charges. "One other thing, too — that Derrick Ward is a good player, too, OK?" Harris said of the Texans' backup running back. "He does a good job for us." Ward impressed in limited touches this season, rushing for 315 yards on 50 carries (6.3 avg.). Slated to become an unrestricted free agent, Ward could find a bigger role with another club. No matter where Ward plays in 2011, we're told he made a very positive impression with Houston this season, producing whenever given a chance to play. Harris believed the presence of Ward and Steve Slaton, both former 1,000-yard rushers, helped Foster. "Anytime you have competition at a position where there are good people in those positions and depth, it makes you better," Harris said. "And these guys work so well together in trying to help improve each other."