AFC East: Josh Allen and Bills to come out on top
Buffalo Bills
VS. RAIDERS: N/A
ADDITIONS: DE Gregory Rousseau, G Forrest Lamp, RB Matt Breida, QB Mitch Trubisky, WR Emmanuel Sanders
SUBTRACTIONS: WR John Brown, DL Quinton Jefferson, TE Tyler Kroft, WR/KR Andre Roberts
OUTLOOK: After a playoff drought of nearly two decades, the Bills have been in the postseason in three of the last four seasons. While history would suggest some regression from quarterback Josh Allen, who followed up two subpar seasons with an MVP-caliber campaign, the organization showed it believes his breakout was for real by signing him to a massive long-term deal. Allen’s improvement coincided with the team landing an elite wide receiver in Stefon Diggs. The duo should be enough to keep the offense among the league’s best. The Bills should also be better defensively, so now is the time to try to win a title before Allen’s big money kicks in and it becomes more difficult to build a team around him.
FINISH: First
New England Patriots
VS. RAIDERS: N/A
ADDITIONS: OL Trent Brown, TE Jonnu Smith, TE Hunter Henry, LB Matthew Judon, DB Jalen Mills, WR Nelson Agholor, WR Kendrick Bourne, C Ted Karras, LB Kyle Van Noy, LB Raekwon MacMillan, QB Mac Jones, DT Christian Barmore
SUBTRACTIONS: OL Marcus Cannon, OL Joe Thuney, WR Marqise Lee, S Patrick Chung, TE Ryan Izzo, WR Donte Moncrief, LB Brandon Copeland
OUTLOOK: It was a rare down year for the Patriots, though there is plenty of reason to expect a bounce-back season. While Tom Brady went to Tampa Bay to win another Super Bowl, the Patriots dealt with an impressive crew of players electing to opt out of the season and went to work on fixing their salary cap situation. Bill Belichick is now armed with a full war chest between the returning players and a deep free-agent class. The biggest question remains the quarterback situation. The Patriots hope either former MVP Cam Newton returns to form or first-round pick Mac Jones is ready ahead of schedule.
FINISH: Second
Miami Dolphins
VS. RAIDERS: Sept. 26, Allegiant Stadium
ADDITIONS: QB Jacoby Brissett, RB Malcolm Brown, DT Adam Butler, CB Justin Coleman, WR Will Fuller, DT John Jenkins, C Matt Skura, WR Jaylen Waddle, DE Jaelan Phillips
SUBTRACTIONS: RB Matt Breida, OL Julien Davenport, QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, DT Davon Godchaux, LB Kamu Grugier-Hill, P Matt Maack, C Ted Karras, LB Shaq Lawson, LB Kyle Van Noy
OUTLOOK: It’s time for the training wheels to come off of Tua Tagovailoa. The Dolphins used a cautious approach with the former Alabama star last season and even pulled him from a few games late in his rookie year to give Fitzpatrick the chance to rally the team in the midst of a playoff chase. Now that Fitzpatrick is in Washington, the burden will fall entirely on Tagovailoa and a defense that forced a league-high 29 turnovers.
FINISH: Third
New York Jets
VS. RAIDERS: N/A
ADDITIONS: QB Zach Wilson, OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, WR Elijah Moore, RB Tevin Coleman, WR Corey Davis, DT Sheldon Rankins, TE Tyler Kroft, DB Lamarcus Joyner, WR Keelan Cole, OL Dan Feeney, DE Carl Lawson, OL Morgan Moses
SUBTRACTIONS: DE Henry Anderson, WR Breshad Perriman, LB Jordan Jenkins, QB Joe Flacco, DB Matthias Farley, OL Pat Elflein, LB Tarell Basham
OUTLOOK: A funny thing happened on the way to the top pick in the draft. The Jets started last season 0-13 and were a clear front-runner for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence before they somehow found a way to win a couple games, a brief sign of life that forced the organization to settle on Zach Wilson. While the Brigham Young product possesses an absurd amount of talent, he may be more of a project than Lawrence. The front office did a decent job surrounding him with weapons, including potential No. 1 receiver Corey Davis. Defensively, the Jets have the potential to be solid in the front seven despite losing key free-agent signing Carl Lawson to injury.
FINISH: Fourth
