The State of the AFC East

On paper, the AFC East might be the strongest division in the NFL this upcoming season. One could argue that every team in the division got stronger this past off season and that every team has a real chance to win the division. Well, maybe not the Patriots, but with Bill Belichick at the helm you can never rule them out. Let’s take a look at some of the new faces that have joined the AFC East and what each team might look like this season.

Buffalo Bills

First, let’s take a look at the Bills.  Overall, this year’s Bills roster appears much deeper than last seasons. They are deeper at the defensive tackle and defensive end positions, wide receiver and tight end positions, the interior offensive line, and due to guys being healthy this year much deeper in the secondary. Poona Ford and Leonard Floyd should provide help along the D Line, with Ford being a massive space eater at nose and Floyd having 9+ sacks each of the last three seasons in LA. The additions of Trent Sherfield, Deonte Harty, and the drafting of Dalton Kincaid and Justin Shorter should give Josh Allen quite a bit more weapons to throw the ball to this year. And with Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and Dawson Knox the Bills pass catchers this year should be amongst the best in the league.

The two biggest areas of concern are at the middle linebacker position and at right tackle. When Tremaine Edmunds signed with the Bears in the off season there was really no clear answer to who his heir apparent would be. Terrel Bernard, Tyrel Dodson, AJ Klein and Baylon Spector all competed for the job and no one really pulled away and took it, causing the Bills to bring in veteran linebacker Christian Kirksey when he was cut by the Texans. While it is still unclear who the starter will be for much of the season, it appears Kirksey could be that guy once he is up to speed. The concerns at RT are basically the same concerns as the last two seasons, and that is if Spencer Brown is healthy and can take the next step into being a solid NFL tackle. If he can, then the O Line should solid, but if he cannot then they may need to get creative at that RT position.

Also new this year, Sean McDermott will be calling and running the defense full time. When former DC Leslie Frazier stepped away from the team the Bills elected not to replace him and have McDermott act as the Head Coach and DC. The Bills have had one of the top defenses in the league over the last few seasons, so it will be interesting to see what changes are made. Based on camp and the preseason it looks like the Bills will play a more aggressive style this season.

If the Bills want to win their fourth straight division title they will have to go through the strongest AFC east in years. The Bills are the odds-on favorite going into the season, but will have to beat some really good teams in divisional play.

New York Jets

The Jets should be a very interesting team this season. This offseason, the media crowned them Super Bowl champions after trading for superstar QB Aaron Rodgers.  And it appears we will get our answer to the question, “what happens when a team that is ‘just a quarterback away’ gets their quarterback?”

The Jets return their young core of talent and added some veteran pieces as well, bringing in Rodger’s guys Allen Lazard and Randal Cobb. They also brought Aaron Rodgers’s preferred offensive coordinator and former Bills OC Nathaniel Hackett after his attempt at being a head coach last season with the Broncos. Basically, it appears the Jets offseason plan was get Aaron Rodgers and then get whoever Aaron Rodgers wanted, and to be honest, it’s not a bad plan. Rodgers has won two of the last three MVPs and is clearly an upgrade over Zach Wilson, but at 39 years old (40 in December), how much does he have left?

The Jets started off very strong last season, but closed with a six-game losing streak to finish at 7-10. They had WR Garrett Wilson and CB Sauce Gardner win Offensive ROY and Defensive ROY and if those two can continue to develop and have better seasons this year than they did last, the Jets should have a major improvement in that 7-win total from last year. They also return veteran defensive leaders in Quinnen Williams and CJ Mosley and on paper should have one of the better defenses in the AFC. They also added running back Dalvin Cook and are getting Breece Hall back, who impressed last season before tearing his ACL.

One thing that this young Jets team has this year that they have not had in a while is expectations. And with expectations comes pressure, and with pressure comes growing pains, and it will be interesting to see how much patience Aaron Rodgers has for these growing pains. If they get as a team and take the next step with their new star QB, then the Jets could be a very dangerous team, but if they struggle and Rodgers grows frustrated it could be another long season in New Jersey.

Miami Dolphins

It was also an eventful offseason for the Miami Dolphins, after squeaking into the playoffs last season and playing the Bills VERY tough in the first round with third string QB Skylar Thompson.  The Dolphins went into the offseason thinking they might be just a couple moves away from taking the next step. One of those moves was signing veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey.  Unfortunately, due to a meniscus tear, Ramsey will miss some of the season, but when he gets back he and Xavien Howard will be one of the top corner duos in the league.

The biggest question mark for the Dolphins this year has to be the health of QB Tua Tagovailoa. When he was healthy last year the Dolphins had one of the better offenses in the AFC and if he is fully healthy this year with receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle the Dolphins offense should be on that same level. But that is a big “if” as Tua suffered multiple, very dangerous, concussions last season that caused him to miss four games and parts of others, as well as the team’s playoff game.

The Dolphins were in conversations to acquire one of the major running backs that were on the market in Dalvin Cook and Jonathan Taylor, but after failing to land either player it appears it will be a running back by committee approach with Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson (when he is healthy) getting the majority of the carries. We know coach Mike McDaniel draws up some very creative running schemes, so it really is just plug and play in that system at the RB position.

After finally breaking through and making the Playoffs last season the Dolphins are hoping to take the next step and make a run at the division this year, and with the roster they have, they could have a real shot at it. But if guys can’t stay healthy, or do not live up to the expectations from last year, they could be closer to the bottom of a very competitive AFC East.

New England Patriots

This brings us to the final team in the division, the team that ran the AFC East for the better part of twenty years. But this team no longer has Tom Brady and this is not the same AFC East. The Patriots are hoping that Mac Jones takes a step forward this season and he looks more like he did in his rookie year when they made the playoffs. They bring back familiar face Bill O’Brien to be the OC after last season’s co-Offensive Coordinators did not really work out for them.

With last season’s top receiver Jakobi Meyers leaving to join Josh McDaniels in Vegas the Pats brought in veteran and Super Bowl champion JuJu Smith-Schuster to try and take over the top spot for Mac Jones. They also brought in veteran running back (and occasional center) Ezekiel Elliot as they hope he has some left in the tank to form a running back duo with Rhamondre Stevenson.

The Patriots, a team where the defense has been the team’s strength over the last few seasons, also have some serious questions on that side of the ball as well. With the retirement of 13-year vet Devin McCourty the team has lost their leader in the secondary and they are hoping Jabrill Peppers and Jalen Mills can step up and fill that hole, as well as rookie first round pick Christian Gonzalez who was a standout corner at Oregon last year.

Most experts have the Patriots picked to finish last in this loaded AFC East, and if their offense plays like it did last year that is very possible. But if Mac Jones can take a step forward under Bill O’Brien and the defense like a top ten unit, they Pats could have a chance to surprise some people this season.