Roundtable: Have AFC East rivals closed gap on Buffalo Bills this offseason?
News sports writers Jay Skurski, Ryan O’Halloran and Katherine Fitzgerald give their take on the division.
Teams are still working to acquire players, but following the first waves of free agency in mid-March and last weekend’s NFL draft, it’s time to take a look at the AFC East.
The Buffalo Bills have won five consecutive division titles, but have the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots or New York Jets closed the gap at all this offseason?
News sports writers Jay Skurski, Ryan O’Halloran and Katherine Fitzgerald give their take on the division.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye will enter his second season with a new coach (Mike Vrabel) and offensive coordinator (Josh McDaniels). Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Jay Skurski
The Bills won the AFC East on Dec. 1 last season. I repeat, Dec. 1. That’s absolutely embarrassing for the other three teams. So, yes, the other three teams closed the gap, but it’s hard to imagine any way it could have gotten much wider. With more than $100 million in cap space and the No. 4 overall draft pick, the Patriots generally have been considered an offseason “winner.” They certainly appear to have gotten better, starting with Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach, but even if they win five more games than they did last season, which would be a massive improvement, they’d still finish 9-8. It feels like New England is at least a year away from seriously challenging the Bills. As for the Dolphins, I was wrong about them last year. I thought they could challenge the Bills for the division. Whoops. Turns out they are overly reliant on an injury-prone quarterback and led by a head coach who has done a bad job of building the right culture. They look like a 9-8 team. The Jets, meanwhile, finally got out of the Aaron Rodgers circus, but starting the season with Justin Fields at quarterback isn’t going to scare the Bills (or any other team). It might come closer to Christmas this year, but the Bills should win a six-pack of AFC East titles.Katherine Fitzgerald
Saying the other teams closed the gap feels a bit like a participation trophy. Sure, they made some good moves, but the gap is still wide and in the Bills’ favor. I do like what New England is doing, but I don’t think the Patriots are anywhere close to Buffalo right now. The Dolphins fooled me once. I like their pick of defensive tackle Kenneth Grant, but they won’t fool me again. They’re still too shaky to challenge the Bills. As for the Jets? There is little to nothing they can do – even on paper – to make me believe they are contenders. The Bills can keep their minds on the rest of the AFC – the East is still all theirs.
The New York Jets hired coach Aaron Glenn during the offseason after he served as the Detroit Lions’ defensive coordinator. ASSOCIATED PRESS
