During the month of August, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be breaking down every division in the league by position. This article contains a position-by-position breakdown of the AFC East offenses. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each unit followed by “the rest” in descending order.
2018 AFC East Breakdown: Defense
2018 AFC East Breakdown by Position: Offense
Quarterback
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Miami Dolphins/New York Jets, Buffalo Bills
From the looks of things, Tom Brady will be the best quarterback in the AFC East for a little while longer. The 18-year veteran is coming off of an NFL MVP season and a 500-yard, three-touchdown Super Bowl loss. It’s nigh impossible to argue that any of the other possible starting quarterbacks in the AFC East could outpace the future Hall of Famer, and anyone would be hard pressed to find a quarterback in this division that could even think of competing with Brady’s career.
The drop-off to second place is extensive, but the next two teams are bunched up tight. The Dolphins have a similarly clear picture at quarterback with Ryan Tannehill set to helm the offense after the Jay Cutler experiment. But Tannehill sat out most of 2017 with a torn ACL, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll be back to 100 percent for the upcoming season. The seats behind Tannehill don’t exactly inspire confidence either, comprising interception king Brock Osweiler, Jets cast-off Bryce Petty, and perpetual backup David Fales. If Tannehill can reclaim his rightful place atop the abysmal quarterback chart in Miami, the Fins have a slight edge over all three options in New York.
The New York Jets quarterback room is worlds different from its 2017 group with no clear answer up front. The Jets are looking at a quarterback room with veteran journeyman Josh McCown and rookie first-rounder Sam Darnold. McCown held his own during the 2017 season before being taken out with a broken hand. He shook off 13 seasons and six teams’ worth of doubt to post career bests in completion percentage, touchdowns, and passing yards. Darnold was deemed the best pro-ready quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft, despite being taken after Baker Mayfield in the first round. Darnold has the nod for week one, and the Jets recently jettisoned Teddy Bridgewater, which speaks volumes about their confidence in the rookie.
The Bills far and away have the most unfortunate situation at quarterback in the division. Even before the 2018 NFL Draft, there were concerns about Josh Allen‘s ability to perform right away, with most experts writing off the cannon-armed former Wyoming signal caller as a project quarterback. With A.J. McCarron sidelined for the time being, it’s either Allen or Nathan Peterman ahead for Buffalo. And, well…
Nathan Peterman threw more interceptions in the first half than the Cowboys, Patriots and Rams have thrown all season. pic.twitter.com/j93vajF64H
— ESPN (@espn) November 19, 2017
Running Back
The Best: Buffalo Bills
The Rest: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
The Bills have a rushing gold mine with LeSean McCoy leading the attack. McCoy is a perpetual producer and has been running roughshod over the league’s defenses consistently since 2010. Chris Ivory and Travaris Cadet aren’t imposing their will on defenses any time soon, but McCoy should outrush the entire AFC East if healthy.
Frank Gore is the most seasoned rusher in the AFC East and among the more seasoned rushers in the league. His veteran presence is going to elevate Kenyan Drake, who proved himself capable of dangerous bursts in 2017 in the absence of Jay Ajayi, and Kalen Ballage. Although Gore is well on the wrong side of 30 for a running back, his knowledge and experience make the running back stable in Miami a force.
The Patriots drafted an exciting playmaker in Sony Michel after losing Dion Lewis to the Tennessee Titans. James White is one of the more versatile backs in the league, never mind the AFC East. Michel’s contribution to the Patriots rushing attack will depend largely on his ability to stay healthy, but the Patriots aren’t exactly wanting at the position either. Rex Burkhead served his purpose well last season until injury cut him out of the picture, and Jeremy Hill was an exciting name in running back circles once upon a time.
Isaiah Crowell. Bilal Powell. Thomas Rawls. Elijah McGuire. There is nothing flashy about the Jets running back stable. Crowell looks like he should beat out Powell for the top spot, which is unfortunate for the Jets. Crowell was a four-year grinder for a Cleveland Browns squad that had to rely on its running game to make up for a string of weak quarterbacks. Despite this, Crowell barely cracked the 950-yard mark only once in his career there. Rawls has a shot at redemption after being misused by the Seattle Seahawks, but there isn’t much hope for him to beat up defenses on the ground for New York.
Wide Receiver
The Best: Buffalo Bills
The Rest: Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, New England Patriots
None of the wide receiver groups in the AFC East really stand out, but the Bills have the highest ceiling in terms of potential.
The Bills obtained Kelvin Benjamin last season and did very little with him. Benjamin recently expressed that he felt Cam Newton wasn’t a good fit at quarterback for him, and he still produced 1,950 yards and 16 touchdowns for the Carolina Panthers in two seasons. Granted, Benjamin won’t find a better quarterback situation in Buffalo (see above), but his potential is sky-high. Zay Jones has youth and athleticism on his side, and the Bills recently acquired Corey Coleman, who never quite lived up to his enormous potential in Cleveland. The potential for this receiver corps is unbelievable, but unfortunately for the Bills, potential does not always match performance.
Danny Amendola is a Miami Dolphin now. That means that Amendola is a top wide receiver in Miami. That’s almost laughable, given that Amendola’s true time to shine is the postseason and the Dolphins need a true top wideout to get there. Jarvis Landry is out of the picture now, which means that Kenny Stills and DeVante Parker will get their moments in the sun. Amendola’s presence is going to help open Parker and Stills up even more, proving troublesome for opposing secondaries, but the receiving corps in Miami still doesn’t live up to the potential or star power in Buffalo or New England.
As with the Bills, there is potential at wide receiver that may never materialize on the field. Robby Anderson appears to be primed to be the top receiver in New York with Quincy Enunwa and Jermaine Kearse just behind. Anderson has loads of talent, but his inconsistency is a touch concerning. Terrelle Pryor joined the Jets receiving corps this season, but his breakout moment as a wideout has yet to appear. The Jets would have done well to snag a fancy new receiver along with their first-round quarterback, but they didn’t and Darnold are going to have to make do.
Julian Edelman will return from his PED violation suspension in week five against the Indianapolis Colts. With the absence of a true number one, the Patriots still have Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett as possible locks for the top spot, which is a little concerning. The Patriots have speed on their side, especially given Cordarrelle Patterson‘s presence on the depth chart, but it is worth noting that actually catching the ball is a considerable issue (also given Patterson‘s presence on the depth chart). The lack of depth and proven talent should have Patriots fans a little worried. It’s true that Brady’s presence is going to elevate any receiver corps, but he has his work cut out for him.
Tight End
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
Just like at quarterback, there’s no competing with the Patriots at tight end. Rob Gronkowski will go down as one of the greatest tight ends of all time at the end of his career. Jacob Hollister is going into his second year as a New England Patriot tight end under Gronk’s tutelage, and he’s already making a splash in the preseason. Dwayne Allen‘s blocking is better than his receiving, but he still stands head and shoulders above the other TE2s in the AFC East.
Buffalo has an advantage over the remaining two teams in the division with Charles Clay. There really aren’t two ways about it. Clay is a great tight end. But that’s really where it ends with Buffalo. The Bills are rather weak at tight end, but Clay’s presence more than makes up for the fact that their second-best option at the position is Nick O’Leary.
The Dolphins have one of the best rookie tight ends in Mike Gesicki but are otherwise rather weak at the position. They lost Julius Thomas in the off-season and have made sub-par attempts to replace him. Gesicki was a monster of a receiver at Penn State, but only time can tell if that talent will translate well to the NFL.
Chris Herndon might try and make a splash for the Jets at tight end, but their best option at the position may be Clive Walford. That’s how dismal the situation is for New York. Walford was mediocre for the Oakland Raiders, and there does not seem to be much hope for him in New York. Jordan Leggett is an intriguing option, but he sat out the 2017 season with injury and there are some concerns about his work ethic.
Offensive Line
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets
Two words for the doubters: Trent Brown. Six feet and eight inches of pass-rush blocking glory. Even with Isaiah Wynn out for the season with a blown Achilles, the Patriots retained most of the offensive line that allowed Brady to achieve an NFL MVP season at 200 years old. David Andrews is one of the best in the business at center, and the plug-and-play guys across the offensive line play like their careers depend on it when healthy.
Miami might have finally found a solution at guard with Josh Sitton, who has allowed only 60 quarterback pressures in the last five seasons. But Jesse Davis is also projected to be a starting offensive lineman for the Dolphins, and, well, that’s just okay. Davis is reportedly performing much better than he has in the past after a permanent move to right guard. Laremy Tunsil and Ja’Wuan James aren’t really much to write home about at this point, and Daniel Kilgore has huge shoes to fill at center after the departure of three-time Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey.
The Bills’ quarterback room waved tearful goodbyes to Richie Incognito, Cordy Glenn, and Eric Wood this off-season. It doesn’t even matter that Glenn didn’t have a full 2017 season because the Bills are replacing him with his back-up for the 2018 season. Dawkins isn’t awful, and he consistently plays through the whistle, but this is a serious step down from Glenn. Pro Football Focus has projected starting right guard John Miller at a whopping 39.1. Woof.
Spencer Long is guaranteed to be better than Wesley Johnson because, well, you can’t get a whole lot worse than Wesley Johnson. That’s where the good news ends for the Jets offensive line. Their offensive line was easily one of the worst in the league last year, and things aren’t looking up for the unit this year, especially with injuries plaguing both Kevin Beachum and Brian Winters. Winters has an abysmal grade of 36.8 at right guard from PFF. Expect whoever starts at quarterback in New York to get a little banged up this season.
2018 AFC East Breakdown: Defense and Special Teams
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