The seemingly endless period between the NFL Draft and the beginning of the preseason can be a boring time for many NFL fans. But it is never too early to analyze the best players in the league. This week, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be compiling a list of the ten best players in each division heading into the 2016 season. The focus in this article will be the AFC East.
Top Players of the AFC East Heading into 2016
1. Tom Brady
Yes, Brady is expected to miss the first four games of the 2016 season. Yes, he’ll be 39 years old the next time he takes the field for the Patriots in games that matter. But until we start seeing legitimate signs of decline, there can’t be anyone else on the top of this list.
Combining both regular season games and the playoffs last year, Brady led the NFL in passing yards (5,382), completions (457) and touchdowns thrown (39). And for the 13th time in Brady’s tenure as starting quarterback, the Patriots won the AFC East. His poise, pocket presence and overall leadership are major components in the success of this organization. But it helps that he has a target to throw to like the following player on this list.
When he’s fully healthy, there isn’t a better tight end in this league. Gronk proved it in 2015. He led all players at the position during the regular season with 1,176 yards receiving. Though Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert had more receiving touchdowns (13 to Gronk’s 11) in the regular season, Gronkowski added three in the playoffs. His two touchdown performance in the AFC divisional round against the Kansas City Chiefs proved crucial in enabling the Pats to come out on top.
Going forward, there’s little doubt that his big personality will continue to be a big part of this team’s identity. And the fact he’s on the cover of Madden next year demonstrates his clout as one of the NFL’s most marketable stars.
Some observers questioned Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley‘s decision to trade up as high as he did to pick Sammy Watkins in 2014. There was no doubting his talent. But with the depth at wide receiver in the draft that year, it seemed like trading away your first round draft pick the following year seemed like he was giving away too much.
That said, Watkins’ first two seasons in Orchard Park have been exceptional. His 65 catches and 982 receiving yards were both Bills rookie records in 2014. And despite missing three games due to a calf injury, he finished with over 1,000 yards receiving last season. Based on his average per game, he would’ve finished in the top ten league wide in receiving yards had he played all 16 games. Only 13 other receivers had more touchdown passes than Watkins in 2015 as well.
Like Gronkowski above, staying healthy will be key for Watkins. But already there have been question marks about him being able to consistently do so after he had surgery to repair a broken foot this week. Though he’s expected to be ready for the start of the season, his durability could begin to become a concern. At 100 percent, though, he has all the potential to become one of the league’s most lethal targets.
There’s a reason the Dolphins shelled out nearly $60 million in guaranteed money for Suh’s services. His status as one of the league’s most dominant interior defensive linemen was well-established in his previous five seasons with the Detroit Lions. And despite a year to forget for his team in 2015, Suh pretty much picked up where he left off in Detroit.
Pro Football Focus gave Suh the highest grade among AFC East interior defenders. He also received the third-highest mark in the league for his pass rush. Though he finished with just 6.5 sacks, his ability to disrupt opposing pass games was evident in many other ways. Only six other defensive linemen had as many pass break-ups as Suh. And only during his rookie season in 2010 did he have as many total tackles.
5. LeSean McCoy
It’s a pretty safe bet that we can say McCoy is the top running back in the AFC East. And the 2013 NFL rushing champion will be looking to prove that he still has it next season. The former Eagles speedster battled through multiple injuries in his first season as a Buffalo Bill. He tweaked his hamstring in the preseason which forced him to miss two regular season games early. And he suffered a season-ending sprained MCL in Week 15 against the Washington Redskins.
But at full go, McCoy was a key component in a Bills run game that led the league in rushing yards per game in 2015. He finished as the team’s leading rusher in nine games. That included three where he had over 100 yards on the ground. Though his 895 total rushing yards was his lowest output since 2012 (he missed four games due to a concussion that year), he still remains the feature back on a team whose “ground and pound” offense should continue to be a force in 2016.
After winning a Super Bowl with the Patriots, Revis made a triumphant return to the Meadowlands in 2015. He signed a five-year, $70 million contract with the Jets which pays him $39 million in guaranteed money. This includes the entirety of his salary for 2015 and 2016 as well as half for 2017.
And he played a significant role in a Jets secondary that did plenty of ball-hawking last year. The team finished fifth in the league with 18 interceptions. Revis and fellow corner Marcus Williams combined for 11 of them.
Though he’s now in his 30s, there is no indication that Revis is due for a drop-off in production anytime soon. This means opposing receivers should continue to expect getting stranded on “Revis Island” for the foreseeable future.
The diminutive Edelman remains Brady’s go-to target in the slot. Through nine games in 2015, he had 692 yards and seven touchdown receptions before a broken foot forced him to miss the remainder of the regular season. If you translate his 76.9 yards per game average to a full season, he would’ve finished with over 1,200 yards receiving.
Edelman returned from injury for the playoffs. In the Pats 27-20 win over the Chiefs in the divisional round, he finished with ten catches for 100 yards. The 29-year-old was the only player on the field that day to have a triple digit haul in the receiving yards department.
His elite speed, shiftiness and route-running ability means he’ll continue to be among the top slot receivers in the game.
8. Matt Forte
Perhaps the biggest free agency move on offense in the division was Matt Forte leaving the Chicago Bears and joining the Jets. His arrival should fill the void left by Chris Ivory departing for the Jaguars. And considering Ivory rushed for the fifth most yards in the league last year, Forte has some big shoes to fill.
Some might consider this too low a ranking for Forte. He is a year removed from three straight seasons of over 1,000 yards rushing with the Bears. But the two-time Pro Bowler has hit that worrisome number from an age standpoint: 30. Most of us are familiar with the steep drop-off in effectiveness that can be associated with aging running backs.
Though Forte has stayed relatively healthy throughout his career, he did miss three games last year recovering from a sprained MCL. And his 898 rushing yards in 2015 was the lowest total of his career. The soon-to-be nine-year veteran is certainly approaching that point where he could be considered past his prime. Nevertheless, Jets fans are hoping he has a few good years left in him.
Wilkerson was given the franchise tag by the Jets and he still has yet to sign a long-term deal. If the status quo holds, that means he’ll play on a one-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $15.701 million in 2016. The Jets picked up the fifth-year option on his rookie deal last season.
And in a contract year, the 26-year-old played lights out. Wilkerson finished with 69 tackles and 12 sacks, the latter of which was a career high. He also had seven pass break-ups. The only other defensive lineman in the league to have had more was J.J. Watt.
His season didn’t end well as he suffered a broken leg in the season finale against Buffalo. But barring any setbacks, Wilkerson should be back full-strength to anchor one of the better defensive front sevens in the league.
10. Ronald Darby
Legendary Bills quarterback Jim Kelly announced Darby’s pick at the 2015 NFL Draft. It didn’t take long for the cornerback out of Florida State to make his presence felt on the field. Darby started all 15 games he appeared in as a rookie. And it appears that him and Stephon Gilmore have the potential to form a fairly potent tandem of shutdown corners in Buffalo’s secondary.
Darby totaled just two interceptions last season. But that doesn’t tell the whole story about how effective he was disrupting passes. He also had 21 pass breakups. That total was bested by only four other players in the league in 2015. He took home Defensive Player of the Month honors in September. And Pro Football Focus named the Oxon Hill, MD native their Rookie of the Year.
Honorable Mention: Richie Incognito, Mario Williams, Tyrod Taylor, Brandon Marshall
