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 defenses and special teams. This breakdown will contain \u201cthe best\u201d at each position followed by \u201cthe rest\u201d in descending order.<\/p>\n
AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Offense<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n The Best: Buffalo Bills<\/a><\/p>\n The Rest: New England Patriots<\/a>, Miami Dolphins<\/a>, New York Jets<\/a><\/p>\n The Buffalo Bills are the clear frontrunners in this regard, although nobody in the division has an elite defensive line by any means. Jerry Hughes<\/a><\/strong> is still as effective as ever and has quietly been one of the team’s best acquisitions of the past decade. Mario Addison<\/a><\/strong>, meanwhile, is a fine starter while rookie defensive lineman A.J. Epenesa<\/strong><\/a> has the raw talent to step in and contribute right away.<\/p>\n The New England Patriots have a great interior duo in Lawrence Guy<\/a><\/strong> and Adam Butler<\/a><\/strong>, but the edge is a major question. Chase Winovich<\/a><\/strong> looked good in a small sample last year, but only time will tell if he can handle starting duties. The Dolphins had perhaps the worst defensive line in the league last year, but free agent additions like Kyle Van Noy<\/a><\/strong> should improve the unit. The Jets, meanwhile, better hope that Quinnen Williams<\/a><\/strong> can start playing as he did back at Alabama.<\/p>\n The Best: Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n The Rest: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets<\/p>\n Despite the missed tackles, the Buffalo Bills still managed to have the best linebackers in the division. Tremaine Edmunds<\/a><\/strong> and Matt Milano<\/a><\/strong> are both above-average starters, with Edmunds showing notable growth during his second season. Milano, meanwhile, is one of the better coverage linebackers in the league, which is far more valuable than tackling.<\/p>\n The rest of the linebacker corps in the division are underwhelming, to say the least. Raekwon McMillan<\/a><\/strong> had a solid year, and the addition of Elandon Roberts<\/a><\/strong> should help the run defense in Miami. The Patriots won\u2019t have Jamie Collins<\/a>, <\/strong>Kyle Van Noy, Dont\u2019a Hightower<\/strong><\/a>, or Elandon Roberts in 2020. Ready or not, this is Ja\u2019Whaun Bentley<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s show. The Jets lost C.J. Mosley<\/a><\/strong>, but they made do without him for most of the 2019 season.<\/p>\n The Best: New England Patriots<\/p>\n The Rest: Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets<\/p>\n Top to bottom, the New England Patriots probably have the best group of cornerbacks in the league. Stephon Gilmore<\/a><\/strong> is the best in the league, while guys like J.C. Jackson<\/a>, Jason McCourty<\/a>, <\/strong>and Jonathan Jones<\/a><\/strong> are all above-average starters. Joejuan Williams<\/a> <\/strong>looked good in limited playing time and provides valuable depth in case injury strikes.<\/p>\n Byron Jones<\/a><\/strong> and Xavien Howard<\/a><\/strong> are not better than Tre\u2019Davious White<\/strong><\/a>. However, their combined skills, along with the promise of first-round pick Noah Igbinoghene<\/strong><\/a>, give them the second spot on this list. As previously mentioned, Tre\u2019Davious White has a good case to be the second-best cornerback in football. Levi Wallace<\/a> <\/strong>is a fine starter and Josh Norman<\/a><\/strong> is a worthy redemption project, if nothing else. The Jets don\u2019t deserve to be included on this list.<\/p>\n The Best: Buffalo Bills<\/p>\n The Rest: New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins<\/p>\n The starting safety duo of Micah Hyde<\/a><\/strong> and Jordan Poyer<\/a><\/strong> is arguably the best in the league. These two excel in just about every type of coverage and are a key reason for Buffalo\u2019s defensive success over the years.<\/p>\n The Patriots could\u2019ve challenged for the top spot if Patrick Chung<\/a><\/strong> didn\u2019t opt out. Devin McCourty<\/a><\/strong> is still a great player, but they\u2019ll need to find someone to fill Chung’s role, especially with Duron Harmon<\/a><\/strong> in Detroit. Kyle Dugger<\/strong><\/a> profiles as a Chung replacement, but can the second-round pick make an impact that quickly?<\/p>\n Trading Jamal Adams<\/a><\/strong> is a good way to fall down this list. Fortunately for New York, Marcus Maye<\/a><\/strong> is still good and Bradley McDougald<\/a><\/strong> is a solid player. The Dolphins take last place again, as both Eric Rowe<\/a><\/strong> and Bobby McCain<\/a><\/strong> are nothing to write home about.<\/p>\n The Best: New England Patriots<\/p>\n The Rest: New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins<\/p>\n Nobody cares about special teams more than Bill Belichick<\/strong>. Even without Stephen Gostkowski<\/a><\/strong>, it\u2019s hard to bet against his hand-chosen successor. Additionally, Jake Bailey<\/a><\/strong> looked like the real deal as a rookie, and Matthew Slater<\/a><\/strong> is still around to lead the coverage team.<\/p>\n The New York Jets have a solid kicker and punter and actually finished as the fourth-best special teams unit, per Football Outsiders\u2019 DVOA. Ditto for the Bills and Dolphins, albeit their kick coverage units aren\u2019t quite as reliable.<\/p>\n AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Offense<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Main photo:AFC East Breakdown By Position: The Defense<\/h2>\n
Defensive Line<\/h4>\n
Linebackers<\/h4>\n
Cornerbacks<\/h4>\n
Safeties<\/h4>\n
Special Teams<\/h4>\n
\nEmbed from Getty Images<\/a>