Biggest remaining needs for each team in the AFC

AFC East

Josh Allen

Buffalo Bills – Punter

This is a squad that I think could surprise some people in 2019. While I don’t think they have a lot of special guys among their receiving crew, they have certainly improved with those free agent additions, the O-line should be much better with bringing in a top-five center in Mitch Morse and a top 20 draft prospect with guard/tackle Cody Ford from Oklahoma, to go with a restructured backfield behind LeSean McCoy.

Their defense was incredibly underrated with some of the talent they already had and what Sean McDermott did with taking away the staples of opposing teams, yet they just took it to another level with the addition of a true upfield 3-tech in ninth overall pick Ed Oliver from Houston, who will take right over for the retired Kyle Williams. That brings me to special teams for the first time in this article. Who on earth is Corey Bojorquez? I understand the Bills could use a true number one receiver, but I don’t even know who this guy is and that usually never happens to me.

Their new punter went undrafted a year ago and while he never saw any action as part of the Patriots’ 90-man preseason roster, Buffalo claimed him off waivers and is not looking like the guy to flip the field for them. Bojourquez did get plenty of action through the first half of 2018 but went on to go on IR with a shoulder injury and the Bills resigned Colton Schmidt. With this being a team that will be built around running the ball and playing hard-nosed defense, winning the field position level will be crucial for them.

Miami Dolphins – Right tackle

It is kind of ridiculous how everybody is circling on the Dolphins for the first overall pick in the 2020 draft and that general feeling that they would be tanking this entire season. Not only have we never seen an NFL team seriously do that for a full season, but I also hope that whole idea changed when they traded a late second-round pick for Josh Rosen, who I believe can be a franchise quarterback in this league.

The defense is now lead by two alpha guys in Minkah Fitzpatrick and Christian Wilkins and they just signed Xavien Howard to the biggest contract for any cornerback in NFL history when you look at the total numbers. With Brian Flores bringing in that attention for detail and weekly gameplans that include multiple schemes I think they could be a formidable unit.

Offensively, things are still kind of up in the air. I like running back Kenyan Drake and some of the guys they have behind him, but DeVante Parker still has to become that true number one receiver before I buy in on that group and at this moment Ryan Fitzpatrick is still taking all the first team reps. However, giving them the benefit of the doubt at the skill positions and assuming Rosen earns the starting gig eventually, the biggest position of need is a right tackle in my opinion.

Miami let Ja’Wuan James walk in free agency and now is expected to start Jordan Mills coming over from Buffalo. They also drafted Michael Deiter out of Wisconsin, who has starting experience at tackle, but to me is a guard only. The rest of that O-line looks pretty solid, but that spot definitely isn’t settled.

New England Patriots – Return specialist

Once again the Patriots come into the offseason as Super Bowl champs and once again people are trying to find reasons why they will finally end their reign over the AFC. While Brady did fall off a little towards the end of the year, I still trust Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels to outwork and outsmart opponents on a weekly basis, plus they just added five picks within the first three rounds of the draft.

Defensively they put on one of the best shows I have seen in Super Bowl history by shutting down the Rams’ high-powered offense and they only added to it with Michael Bennett coming over from Philadelphia and a true Patriot player in Chase Winovich being drafted in the third down. As long as Dante Scarnecchia is there I feel confident in the offensive line and last year’s first-round pick Isaiah Wynn is finally seeing the field, taking over at left tackle for Trent Brown.

Tight end would be the most obvious need on the champs’ roster with the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, However, they added Benjamin Watson and Austin Seferian-Jenkins and I while I think Trey Flowers was an outstanding player for them, I think Bennett can do some of the things for them, sliding inside on passing downs and being a disruptor on the defensive line. Instead, I went with an area Belichick values highly – special teams.

While Julian Edelman was one of the most underrated return-men in the league for many years, he recently turned 33 years old and the Pats need another dynamic threat, who they can also depend upon to not give away possessions. Cordarrelle Patterson is now in Chicago and there is no obvious replacement.

New York Jets – Cornerback

For as bad a look as it has been with the firing of GM Mike Maccagnan and how much uproar it has led to in the Big Apple, the Jets might have put together their most talented roster in almost a decade. Adding Jamison Crowder to the mix gives them a pretty solid wide receiver trio, even if considered overpaid when Le’Veon Bell was last seen he was the best back in the league and despite some question marks remaining, bringing in Kelechi Osemele for a fifth-rounder from Oakland will definitely improve the O-line.

On defense they added two key pieces with linebacker C.J. Mosley getting a big contract coming over from Baltimore and they got my number one overall player in the draft with Alabama defensive lineman Quinnen Williams to add to maybe the best young safety in Jamal Adams. New defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will give some more attitude to that side of the ball and turn them into one of the better young groups in football.

With that being said, I am not sure with what they have on the perimeter. Trumaine Johnson can be a CB1 in the league, but Morris Claiborne is still on the open market at this point and nobody else fits on the outside really. Gang Green added Brian Poole from Atlanta and they drafted Parry Nickerson out of Tulane a year ago, but both those guys are best in the slot, size-related alone since they both measure in at 5’10”. Their DC likes to play a lot of man coverage and I’m not sure if they have a second guy they can trust one-on-one.