The Patriots ran this division since the turn of the century but now it seems it may be the decade of the Bills. What will the Patriots have to say about that? Will the Dolphins be in the mix? Will the Jets ever go above .500 again?
New York Jets
Offense Overview: The Jets lost the Trevor Lawerence sweepstakes and ended up taking Zach Wilson #2 overall. Wilson has given off mixed feelings this offseason. In training camp, he did not look great but ended up doing well in the actual games. Time will tell how he will truly perform. Tevin Coleman fits in nicely in the backfield and could be poised for a breakout year. The addition of Corey Davis is a very nice target for Zach Wilson. Grabbing Elijah Moore at 34th overall could end up being a great number 2 option, maybe even a number 1 option by the end of the year. The offensive line is not as bad as you may have thought. Mekhi Becton is a great up-and-coming tackle and George Fant and on the right side fit well in this athletic friendly offensive scheme.
Defense Overview: Losing Carl Lawson is a huge blow to the Jets defense. However, they still have Quinnen Williams who can still make a big impact. C.J. Mosley returns after opting out due to COVID-19. He will provide a huge spark in the front seven. The Jets don’t have eye-opening corners but the safety tandem of Marcus Maye and LeMarcus Joyner helps raise the status of the Jets secondary.
Overall Assessment: The Jets finally seem to have a trajectory. They have a solid young core to work with and a well-respected coach in Robert Saleh. The team is a few years away but I expect some good fights from the Jets this season. Projected Finish: 4-13, 4th in the AFC East.
Miami Dolphins
Offense Overview: Is Tua poised for a breakout year? So far in the preseason, he has looked great for the Dolphins. Tua was constantly battling with Fitzpatrick for the starting QB spot last year but now it is his to lose and he doesn’t look ready to give it up with what we have seen in the preseason. Myles Gaskins and Malcolm Brown are an off-the-radar good running back duo. I expect them to take some pressure off of Tua. Speaking of taking pressure off of Tua, the receiving core will help him out. Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker, Will Fuller V, and Mike Gesicki are a great unit. Hopefully, Waddle’s injury isn’t too serious but even without him, they have great depth. The offensive line is the weak point here. They were 15th in sacks allowed and 30th in run blocking last year. With that being said, not much was done to improve the unit.
Defense Overview: The defensive line has potential. If Jaelen Phillips can stay healthy and Emmanual Ogbah can produce like he did last year, this defensive line could cause havoc. Jerome Baker leads the linebacker core and will most likely continue to do so as he improves each year. The secondary is elite. Lead by Xavien Howard and Byron Jones as CB1 and CB2, this secondary has elite depth. Strong safety belongs to Eric Rowe while the free safety spot is up for grabs but seems likely to go to Jason McCourty.
Overall Assessment: Brian Flores is building a great team down in south Florida but there are 2 teams in the division ahead of them as of now. That being said this football team is great and could easily prove me wrong. My biggest concern is how the offensive line holds and how consistent Tua can be. Projected Finish: 10-7, 3rd in the AFC East.
New England Patriots
Offense Overview: Cam Newton will most likely start week 1 and rightfully so. He has had a great training camp and seems way more comfortable with the Patriots this year. Damien Harris leads the backfield as he looks sharp out the gate in the preseason. Wideouts are questionable even before N’Keal Harry’s injury. Luckily they added two great tight ends in Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith. The offensive line is great as always even without Joe Thuney. Isaiah Wynn, Mike Onwenu, David Andrews, Shaq Mason, and Trent Brown can easily be argued as a top 5 offensive line unit in the league.
Defense Overview: The defensive line was mediocre last year but it is important to remember that the Patriots had 8 COVID opt-outs. Hopefully, that isn’t a concern this year. The linebacker depth is great. Matthew Judon and Donta Hightower are a great duo to have. Not to mention they retained Kyle Van Noy as well. Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson lead a very talented secondary. This duo can easily be argued as a top 5 CB duo in the league. I expect Kyle Dugger to make a big leap this year alongside veteran Devin McCourty.
Overall Assessment: Never count out Bill Belichick. Cam Newton looks more comfortable, O-Line looks great, defense is restocked and ready to go. No reason this team can’t make a playoff run. Projected Finish: 11-6, 2nd in the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills
Offense Overview: Josh Allen had an MVP caliber season last year and a lot of people expect regression. Not me. Allen has improved mightily since coming into the league and has plenty of weapons around him to succeed. Starting with the halfbacks, Devin Singletary and Zack Moss are a respectable duo but not elite. Stefon Diggs leads a talented receiving including newly acquired Emmanual Sanders and slot receiver standout Cole Beasley. The offensive line has the same five starters returning which is huge for the entire offense.
Defense Overview: The defensive line wasn’t great last year but getting Star Lotulelei back is a huge addition to the defensive line. Gregory Rousseau is a breakout candidate and hopefully, Ed Oliver and Jerry Hughes can bounce back. Matt Milano is the glue of this linebacker core. Having him back alongside Tremaine Edmunds is scary. Continuing the trend of elite secondaries in the AFC East, the Bills are no different. Tre’Davious White is an elite corner. Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer may be the best safety tandem in the NFL.
Overall Assessment: The Bills are set on all fronts. Elite QB, WR, CB, MLB, FS, and SS followed by solid players in every other position. They are well-coached and play with passion each game. No reason they can’t contend for the Super Bowl. Projected Finish: 14-3, 1st in the AFC East.
The CloudZeroSports Team Division Predictions:
Stephen’s Pick: Bills The division is extremely talented. The Bills have a solid core that is all returning. No injuries could see the Bills making a Super Bowl run this year. The Patriots and Dolphins are both no pushover. The Patriots have a great core after having 8 COVID opt-outs and the Dolphins need to get consistent play out of Tua to be considered for the AFC East.
Dante’s Pick: Dolphins My pick is the Dolphins. I know that’s not the sexy pick here but listen the Bills really did not do much to get better this off-season. Tua Tagovailoa is going to be much improved in his second season, he has tons of weapons around him including his former Alabama teammate Jaylen Waddle. The defense is going to be one of the best in the league with Brian Flores and that coaching staff. They have really turned things around and have something brewing down there in Miami. That team works hard and we will see it translate to more wins in year 3 of the Flores era.
Puggy’s Pick: Dolphins When I was about to write this, I thought I had a clear decision on who would win this division, but after doing some research my decision changed completely. At first, I would have said the Bills would win the division, especially after making the AFC championship game last year, but now my decision is the Dolphins. The reasoning behind this is that no one completely knows Tua Tagoviola’s play style. Yes, he may have played 10 games but in 3 of those 10 games, Tua came on as a sub for Ryan Fitzpatrick. In addition to not completely knowing how Tua plays, the Dolphins were able to make key acquisitions this offseason to help boost their team. For starters, the Dolphins strengthened their receiving core with the additions of Jaylen Waddle and Will Fuller as well as strengthened their offensive line with the additions of Liam Eichenberg and Larnel Coleman. Along with the additions on the offensive side, the Dolphins were able to improve their somewhat “weak defense” by drafting Jaelan Phillips and signing, the former Lion DB, Justin Coleman. While this division won’t be easy I still believe heavily in the Dolphins.
Zach’s Pick: Bills I think the Buffalo Bills will win the AFC East once again. Josh Allen is phenomenal at QB and is poised to have another great year with Stefon Diggs, Emmanuel Sanders, and Devin Singletary. Their defense is just as perfect as their offense. I do think the Patriots will improve no matter if it’s Cam Newton or Mac Jones as the starting QB. Their offense is a sleeper in terms of talent. Hunter Henry joins the team along with Nelson Agholor, who put up his best career receiving yards last year. Of course, let’s not forget who their head coach still is, Bill Belichick. The Dolphins look to improve with a solid lineup of Tua, Gaskin, Parker, and a brand new signing of Will Fuller. The defensive side of the team looks to improve as they were around mid-pack last season in terms of stats, although I expect them to remain there. The Jets might be a sleeper. Zach Wilson might have an incredible rookie season with the likes of Tevin Coleman and Corey Davis also joining their team, but can their defense keep up?
Ryan’s Pick: Bills My pick is easily the Buffalo Bills for the AFC East. With Josh Allen leading the offense and in line to get MVP, their offense and defense are favorable over the Dolphins and Patriots. It is worth it to mention that the Buffalo Bills almost won the AFC Championship game sending them into the Super Bowl. Seeing their performance last season, we should see a repeat this year. Overall, this is a well-rounded team that I believe will win the division.
Micky’s Pick: Patriots The AFC East is becoming more competitive than ever with Josh Allen taking command in Buffalo. Tua Tagovailoa and Miami are dark horses. The Patriots made a splash in free agency. This could be anyone’s division, except the Jets. Ever since Tom Brady left New England, the Bills have seemed to take over his reign of destruction on the division. However, the Patriots finally seem fed up and ready to make a comeback, signing players like Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Kyle Van Noy, Matthew Judon, Jalen Mills, Kendrick Bourne, Nelson Agholor, and others as well as drafting Mac Jones with the fifteenth overall pick. The Bills reign of destruction on the AFC East may be short-lived.
Dustin’s Pick: Bills While I like the competition in the AFC East, I still think the Bills are the team to beat. They have a great quarterback who appears to be getting even better, a star receiver, and a good offensive line. If the defensive line can get more pressure, they may have a shot at the number 1 seed in the AFC. I don’t think the Patriots are too far behind but, how well they do will be determined by how well their quarterbacks perform.
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