AFC EAST
TEAM TO BEAT
New England. Nothing new here. Even with the departures of left tackle Nate Solder, cornerback Malcolm Butler, tailback and receivers and , the Patriots will remain the division favorite as long as quarterback is functional. That also says a lot about the state of the division.
NEW FACES
Buffalo:ϳܲٱ , cornerback Vontae Davis, center Russell Bodine, defensive tackle Star Lotulelei and tailback . None of the additions move the needle a little, if at all, but Ivory will start in Week 1.
Miami: Tailback Frank Gore, center Daniel Kilgore, back-up quarterback , defensive end Robert Quinn, left guard Josh Sitton and receivers Danny Amendola and . The Dolphins quietly did a nice job in the offseason, particularly in adding Kilgore and Sitton, to rebuild the offensive line.
New England: Left tackle Trent Brown, defensive end Adrian Clayborn, tailback , receiver , kick returner Cordarelle Patterson, cornerback Jason McCourty and nose tackle Danny Shelton. The Patriots shopped at the discount free-agency/trade aisle of the offseason market.
: Cornerback Trumaine Johnson, tailback , receiver Terrelle Pryor and linebacker Avery Williamson. Johnson played 2016-17 with the Rams on the franchise tag and Crowell could be productive.
IMPACT ROOKIES
Buffalo: The Bills had to go quarterback in Round 1 and they chose Wyoming’s . Second-rounder Tremaine Edmunds (inside linebacker) will start immediately and third-rounder Harrison Phillips (defensive tackle) will be in the rotation.
Miami: Cornerback/safety Minkah Fitzpatrick fell to the Dolphins at No. 11 overall and he is expected to be the nickel. Tight end Mike Gesicki was a look-ahead pick in the second round. Seventh-round pick Jason Sanders began camp as the team’s only kicker.
New England: The Patriots did their usual wheeling and dealing on Draft Weekend and it resulted in just three picks in the first four rounds. Isaiah Wynn could start at guard and be moved to tackle in the future and tailback Sony Michel should be the starter.
New York Jets: Their ultimate draft class grade will depend on because he’s a quarterback and because the Jets had only three picks in the first five rounds. Tight end Chris Herndon could replace Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who signed with Jacksonville in free agency.
ON THE HOT SEAT
Jets coach Todd Bowles. He is 20-28 in three years with New York. If he can get to .500 he could possibly stick around to watch quarterback Sam Darnold take over the offense. Another bad year and the Jets will look for an offensive-minded head coach.
PREDICTED ORDER OF FINISH
1. New England: A 10th consecutive division title and its 15th in 16 years
2. Miami: An under-the-radar team that is a permanent member of the NFL’s middle class (at least six wins but no more than 10 since 2013).
3. Buffalo: A surprising AFC wild card team last year, the Bills take a step back. Therefore, they should start quarterback Josh Allen immediately.
4. New York Jets: They have an emerging safety group (Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye), but simply do not have enough playmakers at receiver and tight end.
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