During the month of August, Last Word on Pro Football will be breaking down every position in the league by division. This article contains an in-depth, position-by-position breakdown of the AFC East defenses. This breakdown will consist of “the best” of the AFC East at every position followed by “the rest”.
2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Offense
2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Defense
Defensive Line
The Best: New York Jets
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins
The New York Jets should have a ferocious defensive line if Quinnen Williams can play up to his potential. Williams has a chance to be a top-five defensive lineman in football, and he’s surrounded by above-average players. Leonard Williams can get to the quarterback and play the run, while Henry Anderson is one of the more underrated defenders in the league. Steve McLendon is a solid starter in his own right and the entire depth chart is filled with competent players.
The Bills aren’t far behind the Jets, as Ed Oliver, Star Lotulelei, Trent Murphy, and Jerry Hughes form a formidable front four. Hughes and Oliver in particular should be a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen. The Patriots effectively replaced Trey Flowers with Michael Bennett while Lawrence Guy and Mike Pennel are both above-average starters. Deatrich Wise and John Simon will hold down the fourth starting spot, and both players are better used as rotational pieces. The Dolphins have first-round pick Christian Wilkins and not much else.
Linebackers
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins
The New England Patriots might have the best linebacker depth chart in all of football. Dont’a Hightower started off slow in 2018 but returned to form as the season progressed. Kyle Van Noy is a perfect fit in New England’s defense and has the positional versatility that Bill Belichick craves. Ja’Whaun Bentley looked like a future star in 2018 and is completely healthy heading into 2019. Jamie Collins is back in New England and will probably play like his 2015 self before hitting the open market again. Elandon Roberts could start for half the teams in the league and might not even make the roster.
Tremaine Edmunds is a tackling machine for the Buffalo Bills, while Matt Milano isn’t far behind him. Lorenzo Alexander might not have another 12.5-sack season in him, but he’s still a solid player. C.J. Mosley was a bit of an overspend, but he helps solidify a Jets linebacker core which also includes decent players in Avery Williamson and Brandon Copeland. Once again, the Dolphins are at the bottom. Kiko Alonso has clearly lost a step over the years, and nobody else on the depth chart is good enough to surpass him.
Cornerbacks
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
The New England Patriots probably have the best cornerbacks in all of football. Stephon Gilmore is a genuine stud who is coming off an All-Pro season. J.C. Jackson looks like yet another undrafted steal, while Jason McCourty still has something left in his tank. Jonathan Jones is one of the better slot cornerbacks in football and the Patriots invested a second-round pick in cornerback Joejuan Williams.
The Bills have a strong starting duo in TreDavious White and Levi Wallace, although the depth behind those two has room for improvement. Similarly, the Miami Dolphins have a legit CB1 in Xavien Howard but questions throughout the rest of the depth chart. For the purposes of this exercise, Minkah Fitzpatrick is a safety. The New York Jets need help at cornerback. Darryl Roberts is an NFL-caliber cornerback, but he’s better coming off the bench. Trumaine Johnson looks like a bust after one season in New York but is still penciled in to start on the outside.
Safety
The Best: New York Jets
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots
The safety talent in the AFC East is absolutely ridiculous. If Marcus Maye can stay healthy, the Jets take the top spot. Jamal Adams is a top-five safety and can do everything he’s asked at a ridiculously high level. Maye isn’t quite as good, but he has the skills to be a top-15 safety if he can stay healthy and productive in 2019.
If he can’t, the top spot goes to the Buffalo Bills. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer have both been incredible over the past two seasons and would get a lot more attention if they didn’t play in Buffalo. Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung, and Duron Harmon are a fantastic trio whose skills perfectly complement each other. Reshad Jones is still a good player, and Minkah Fitzpatrick should thrive under first-year head coach Brian Flores.
2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Offense
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