{"id":70310,"date":"2019-08-11T09:26:15","date_gmt":"2019-08-11T13:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=70310"},"modified":"2019-08-11T09:52:18","modified_gmt":"2019-08-11T13:52:18","slug":"2019-afc-east-breakdown-position-defense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/08\/11\/2019-afc-east-breakdown-position-defense\/","title":{"rendered":"2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Defense"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the month of August, Last Word on Pro Football<\/a> 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 \u201cthe best\u201d\u00a0 of the AFC East at every position followed by \u201cthe rest\u201d.<\/p>\n

2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Offense<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Defense<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Defensive Line<\/h3>\n

The Best: New York Jets<\/a><\/p>\n

The Rest: Buffalo Bills<\/a>, New England Patriots<\/a>, Miami Dolphins<\/a><\/p>\n

The New York Jets should have a ferocious defensive line if Quinnen Williams<\/strong><\/a> can play up to his potential. Williams has a chance to be a top-five defensive lineman in football, and he\u2019s surrounded by above-average players. Leonard Williams<\/a> <\/strong>can get to the quarterback and play the run, while Henry Anderson<\/a><\/strong> is one of the more underrated defenders in the league. Steve McLendon<\/a><\/strong> is a solid starter in his own right and the entire depth chart is filled with competent players.<\/p>\n

The Bills aren\u2019t far behind the Jets, as Ed Oliver<\/a>, Star Lotulelei<\/a>, Trent Murphy<\/a>, <\/strong>and Jerry Hughes<\/a><\/strong> form a formidable front four. Hughes and Oliver in particular should be a nightmare for opposing offensive linemen. The Patriots effectively replaced Trey Flowers<\/a><\/strong> with Michael Bennett<\/a><\/strong> while Lawrence Guy<\/a><\/strong> and Mike Pennel<\/a><\/strong> are both above-average starters. Deatrich Wise<\/a><\/strong> and John Simon<\/a><\/strong> will hold down the fourth starting spot, and both players are better used as rotational pieces. The Dolphins have first-round pick Christian Wilkins<\/strong><\/a> and not much else.<\/p>\n

Linebackers<\/h3>\n

The Best: New England Patriots<\/p>\n

The Rest: \u00a0Buffalo Bills, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins<\/p>\n

The New England Patriots might have the best linebacker depth chart in all of football. Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/strong><\/a> started off slow in 2018 but returned to form as the season progressed. Kyle Van Noy<\/a><\/strong> is a perfect fit in New England\u2019s defense and has the positional versatility that Bill Belichick <\/strong>craves. Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley<\/strong><\/a> looked like a future star in 2018 and is completely healthy heading into 2019. Jamie Collins<\/a><\/strong> is back in New England and will probably play like his 2015 self before hitting the open market again. Elandon Roberts<\/a><\/strong> could start for half the teams in the league and might not even make the roster.<\/p>\n

Tremaine Edmunds<\/a><\/strong> is a tackling machine for the Buffalo Bills, while Matt Milano<\/a><\/strong> isn\u2019t far behind him. Lorenzo Alexander<\/a><\/strong> might not have another 12.5-sack season in him, but he\u2019s still a solid player. C.J. Mosley<\/a><\/strong> was a bit of an overspend, but he helps solidify a Jets linebacker core which also includes decent players in Avery Williamson<\/a><\/strong> and Brandon Copeland<\/a><\/strong>. Once again, the Dolphins are at the bottom. Kiko Alonso<\/a><\/strong> has clearly lost a step over the years, and nobody else on the depth chart is good enough to surpass him.<\/p>\n

Cornerbacks<\/h3>\n

The Best: New England Patriots<\/p>\n

The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets<\/p>\n

The New England Patriots probably have the best cornerbacks in all of football. Stephon Gilmore<\/a><\/strong> is a genuine stud who is coming off an All-Pro season. J.C. Jackson<\/a><\/strong> looks like yet another undrafted steal, while Jason McCourty<\/a><\/strong> still has something left in his tank. Jonathan Jones<\/a><\/strong> is one of the better slot cornerbacks in football and the Patriots invested a second-round pick in cornerback Joejuan Williams<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Bills have a strong starting duo in TreDavious White<\/strong><\/a> and Levi Wallace<\/a><\/strong>, although the depth behind those two has room for improvement. Similarly, the Miami Dolphins have a legit CB1 in Xavien Howard<\/a><\/strong> but questions throughout the rest of the depth chart. For the purposes of this exercise, Minkah Fitzpatrick<\/a><\/strong> is a safety. The New York Jets need help at cornerback. Darryl Roberts<\/strong><\/a> is an NFL-caliber cornerback, but he\u2019s better coming off the bench. Trumaine Johnson<\/a><\/strong> looks like a bust after one season in New York but is still penciled in to start on the outside.<\/p>\n

Safety<\/h3>\n

The Best: New York Jets<\/p>\n

The Rest: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots<\/p>\n

The safety talent in the AFC East is absolutely ridiculous. If Marcus Maye<\/a><\/strong> can stay healthy, the Jets take the top spot. Jamal Adams<\/a><\/strong> is a top-five safety and can do everything he\u2019s asked at a ridiculously high level. Maye isn\u2019t quite as good, but he has the skills to be a top-15 safety if he can stay healthy and productive in 2019.<\/p>\n

If he can\u2019t, the top spot goes to the Buffalo Bills. Micah Hyde<\/a> <\/strong>and Jordan Poyer<\/a><\/strong> have both been incredible over the past two seasons and would get a lot more attention if they didn\u2019t play in Buffalo. Devin McCourty<\/a><\/strong>, Patrick Chung<\/a>, <\/strong>and Duron Harmon<\/a><\/strong> are a fantastic trio whose skills perfectly complement each other. Reshad Jones<\/a><\/strong> is still a good player, and Minkah Fitzpatrick should thrive under first-year head coach Brian Flores<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

2019 AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Offense<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Main photo:
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>