The AFC East has made some splashes during the first wave of this year’s offseason. The Miami
Dolphins sent shockwaves through the league when they traded for All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill.
The reigning division champion Buffalo Bills added Von Miller with a lucrative 6 year 120-
million-dollar contract. The New England Patriots got involved by trading for wideout DaVante
Parker. The New York Jets did the rebuild a little different. The Jets are the clear cut most
improved team on paper after the draft. Will that be enough to challenge Buffalo for the top
spot?
The New York Jets held two picks within the top 10. Spending those picks on Sauce Gardner and
Garrett Wilson respectively. With the addition of Sauce and D.J. Reed (3 years 33 mil) the Jets
are not to be overlooked by Quarterbacks again. The departure of Marcus Maye is unfortunate,
but the jets have more than made up for it. The Jets added depth to the receiver with Ohio
State wideout Garrett Wilson. Very solid to go along with Corey Davis and Elijah Moore. Zach
Wilson also gained a reliable piece in his offense with 2nd round pick Breece Hall. The Jets hit
their needs all around during the draft and have since became an exciting team to look out for
in the upcoming season.
The Miami Dolphins added Terron Armstead, Chase Edmonds, and Tyreek Hill before last
month’s draft. The latter of which was the reason why they only had 4 picks in this draft. Their
best pick came on the defensive side of the ball. Channing Tindall from Georgia is a bulldog (no
pun attended). His speed adds a much-needed element to that linebacking core. Miami has
built a roster that can win, I don’t think there’s a more pressure situation for a quarterback than
what Tua Tagovailoa has on his shoulders. Can he bring it all together to lead Miami back to the
postseason?
The New England Patriots had a interesting take on draft night drafting Cole Strange 29th
overall. He was regarded as a late round pick. Maybe it was a reach but it some security that
Mac Jones needed as he was constantly under duress during those tilts with the Dolphins and
Bills last season. The pats best pick comes in the 3rd round with defensive back Marcus Jones
from the University of Houston. Jones is solid in the slot and dynamic in the return game.
Belichick will use him very systematically.
The Buffalo Bills probably had the safest draft of any team in the division. There weren’t any
splash picks. They made picks that made sense and filled the spots needed in order to complete
what most people think should be a deep playoff run. James Cook adds that element that JD
McKissic would’ve brought in. Their first-round pick Kaiir Elam posted 4.39 40-yard dash and
provides that speed to keep up with the speed that is in the rest of the division. TreDavious
White should be available to play around the beginning of the season. The Bills made the
necessary for all sides of the ball, that’s apparent with their 6th round pick the “Punt God” Matt
Araiza.
This is an interesting division that should be overlooked. Expect all four of these teams to be
tough and compete with any team in the league. Each team addressed the needs of their
respective squads. The AFC East is one of the best divisions in football on paper right now and
each team used the draft to solidify that.
