The AFC East is Better– But Not Ready

The AFC East probably won’t be the cakewalk division that it was in 2019, the Jets and Dolphins should be better teams on paper– but this is still a two-team race for first place between the New England Patriots and the Buffalo Bills.

The Jets added some nice new pieces to their offense this offseason. Mekhi Becton should be a solid left tackle from opening week, and Denzel Mims can surely make some noise in an otherwise thin New York receiving depth chart. But two rookies taking starting reps can’t solve the problems that the Jets had going on last year– they’re out of contention.

The Dolphins added a lot of nice new pieces this offseason, just like the Jets. But also like the Jets, an influx of rookie talent doesn’t make them instant competitors, especially in the case of Miami. Their prize draft pick Tua Tagovailoa might not even play his rookie year, and their second draft pick Austin Jackson might be too young to see any meaningful time early on. The Dolphins are probably still a couple of years away from putting it all together– they too, are out of contention.

That leaves the Patriots and the Bills, two teams that feel eerily similar on paper. Two top-tier defenses with great, defensive-minded head coaches and two offenses with question marks at quarterback. Granted, Buffalo’s Josh Allen is a safer bet than Jarrett Stidham at this point, but the inaccurate, turnover-prone Allen comes with more than enough concerns of his own (see; completion percentage + fumble total).

Point being, there isn’t a single team in the division that looks like a runaway for the playoffs, and half the teams in the AFC East look like longshots at best to even break .500. And with New England’s defense, the Patriots are on even footing with the Bills for the division crown.