During 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 every offense in the AFC East. The breakdown will contain “the best” at each unit and “the rest” in descending order.
READ MORE: AFC East Defense Breakdown by Position
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2022 AFC East Offense Breakdown by Position
Quarterback
The Best: Buffalo Bills
The Rest: New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
Josh Allen leads the quarterbacks for the AFC East offense breakdown while also becoming one of the best quarterbacks in all of the NFL. Even though his numbers declined slightly from his 2020 season, he did pass for 4,407 yards and 36 touchdowns in 2021. Allen continued to produce with his legs as he rushed for 763 yards, a career-high, and six rushing touchdowns. He has carried the ball at least 100 times in each of the last three seasons. It is this dual-threat ability that has made him a top quarterback.
Mac Jones had an outstanding rookie season, having had the second-highest completion percentage (67.6%) and sixth-highest passer rating (92.5) for a rookie quarterback with at least 300 attempts in NFL history. Tua Tagovailoa was the best RPO quarterback in the NFL in 2021 and should be even better with Tyreek Hill in town. Zach Wilson looked to improve in his second year, but an injury in the first preseason game may hamper his progress. An MRI confirmed a bone bruise and a meniscus tear but not an ACL tear, but his Week 1 status is still up in the air.
Running Back
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
The Patriots get the slight nod in this category, led by the loaded backfield of Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson. They will also be joined by a promising rookie in Pierre Strong. Strong was a solid pass catcher at South Dakota St. and should fill a void left by two veteran departures. Last season the Patriots had the second most rushing touchdowns and the eighth-highest run play percentage at 45.73%. Their depth will allow them continued success in 2022.
The Bills will be led by Devin Singletary and rookie James Cook. Singletary put up career-best numbers in 2022, while Cook should provide the Bills with excellent pass-catching out of the backfield and possibly the slot. The Dolphins re-worked their running back corps by adding Chase Edmonds and Raheem Mostert. Edmons and Mostert have had an outstanding camp, giving the Dolphins hope for an improved running attack. Jets’ round 2 pick Breece Hall brings high-end speed and athleticism with the production to match.
Wide Receiver
The Best: Buffalo Bills
The Rest: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
The Bills have one of the best wideouts in all of the NFL in Stefon Diggs. Since joining the Bills in 2020, Diggs ranks seventh or higher in separation rate against single coverage, contested-catch grade, and grade versus man coverage. All of this allowed him to catch 103 passes for 1,225 yards, with a career-high 10 touchdown receptions. Gabriel Davis had a breakout season in 2021, further providing the Bills with excellent depth at the position.
Not far behind the Bills in wideout excellence are the Dolphins, who acquired Tyreek Hill in the offseason. With Hill and Jaylen Waddle, they have an excellent 1-2 punch, but it will be interesting to see if Hill has as much success without Patrick Mahomes throwing him the ball. Former Dolphins wideout DeVante Parker joins Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers in New England, giving them nice receiver depth. The Jets drafted the dynamic rookie Garret Wilson to bolster their passing attack and could make for an exciting passing attack in the future.
Tight End
The Best: Miami Dolphins
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets
Mike Gesicki is a tight end in name only, with over 85% of his receiving snaps coming from the slot or on the outside. Nevertheless, he is still listed officially as a tight end and gives the Dolphins a slight edge in this category. Over the past two years, he has racked up the third-most receiving yards against single coverage among tight ends as he is beast to single cover. His ranking is based on past performance, as with new coaching staff, reports out of training camp have the Gesicki struggling with blocking in the Dolphins’ new offensive scheme.
Hunter Henry and Dawson Knox can easily make their case for the best tight end in the division. Henry played all 17 games last season, which allowed him to rank among the top 10 overall among all NFL tight ends. Knox did a lot of damage downfield with six touchdowns over 10 yards downfield in the regular season. The Jets overhauled the tight end room with the additions of C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin, an upgrade at that position that was badly needed.
Offensive Line
The Best: New England Patriots
The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets
Finally, the AFC offense breakdown features the Patriots’ offensive line, as they have a strong unit that should be one of the best in the NFL, despite losing two key linemen in the offseason. They have an extremely strong right side, led by Trent Brown and Mike Onwenu. The line is anchored by center David Andrews. They do a good job of opening holes for their backs and protecting their quarterback and will continue to do so in 2022.
The Bills will send out a more than adequate line but have question marks on their right side. If second-year tackle Spencer Brown develops, they could end up as a top-10 offensive line by the end of the season. The Dolphins bolstered their line by adding free agents Terron Armstead and Connor Williams. They suffered a huge blow to their line when they lost left tackle Mekhi Becton to a right knee injury.
READ MORE: AFC East Defense Breakdown by Position
