Please join me with my last Divisional Preview… The AFC East, with this I have finished my NFL Analysis and Predictions series.
We still have a lot of questions regarding how the NFL season will be played. Some players have taken the Opt-Out option due to COVID-19. It seems like the season will be played without fans, at least until the vaccine is ready and applied to the general population. We hope to have it sooner rather than later, but everything looks good now towards the start of the regular season.
Buffalo Bills
Key Arrivals
- WR Stefon Diggs
- OT Daryl Williams
- DE Mario Addison
- DT Quinton Jefferson
- DT Vernon Butler
- LB A.J. Klein
- CB Josh Norman
Key Departures
Best Draft Picks
- AJ Epenesa, Iowa, DE (Rd 2)
- Zack Moss, Utah, RB (Rd 3)
- Gabriel Davis, UCF, WR (Rd 4)
- Jake Fromm, Georgia, QB (Rd 5)
Analysis
- The Bills enter this season with great expectations; They finally have a No. 1 Receiver in the figure of Stefon Diggs, and they also have a good offensive line and a young and promising running back.
- It will all depend on Josh Allen taking a step forward and be the QB the Franchise has been waiting for since the great Jim Kelly.
- Defense is the strong point of this team and has the blueprints of HC Sean McDermott.
- A very solid and aggressive unit from which great things are expected this season, as it has been reinforced with the arrival of Josh Norman, AJ Klein, and DT’s Butler and Jefferson.
- The Bills have everything to win the AFC East and finally end the Patriots’ great streak of 10 consecutive titles.
2020 Projection: 10-6
Miami Dolphins
Key Arrivals
- RB Matt Breida
- RB Jordan Howard
- G Ereck Flowers
- DE Shaq Lawson
- DE Emmanuel Ogbah
- LB Kyle Van Noy
- LB Kamu Grugier-Hill
- CB Byron Jones
Key Departures
Best Draft Picks
- Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama, QB (Rd 1)
- Austin Jackson, USC, OT (Rd 1)
- Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn, CB (Rd 1)
- Robert Hunt, Louisiana, OG (Rd 2)
- Raekwon Davis, Alabama, DT (Rd 2)
- Brandon Jones, Texas, S (Rd 3)
- Solomon Kindley, Georgia, OG (Rd 4)
Analysis
- The Dolphins are in full rebuilding and are on the right track. They depend on their first round selection this year, QB Tua Tagovailoa, to recover 100% from his injuries and be the leader of this franchise for many years.
- With many high-round picks in the 2020 Draft, 3 of them in the first round, having even more picks accumulated for next year and reinforced by great veterans in free agency, such as CB Byron Jones and LB Kyle Van Noy, this team is starting to take shape.
- This season looks very difficult for them to compete for a playoff spot, but in a couple of years they will be very competitive.
2020 Projection: 6-10
New England Patriots
Key Arrivals
Key Departures
- QB Tom Brady
- OT Marshall Newhouse
- C Ted Karras
- DT Danny Shelton
- LB Kyle Van Noy
- LB Jamie Collins
- S Duron Harmon
- K Stephen Gostkowski
Best Draft Picks
- Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne, S (Rd 2)
- Josh Uche, Michigan, DE (Rd 2)
- Anfernee Jennings, Alabama, OLB (Rd 3)
- Devin Asiasi, UCLA, TE (Rd 3)
- Dalton Keene, Virginia Tech, TE (Rd 3)
Analysis
- The Patriots lost many valuable players both on offense and defense.
- Starting with their QB, Tom Brady, not much was expected of them with Hoyer or Stidham as QB, but they signed Cam Newton and things changed, they were contenders again…
- … Or at least they were, until Dont’a Hightower, Patrick Chung, Marcus Cannon, Danny Vilale, Brandon Bolden, and a few other players, have chosen not to play this season because of COVID-19.
- So far New England is the team more affected in that aspect and with all these losses.
- I do not expect them to win the AFC East this season, however they will be competitive if Newton remains healthy and manages to regain his level.
2020 Projection: 8-8
New York Jets
Key Arrivals
Key Departures
Best Draft Picks
- Mekhi Becton, Louisville, OT (Rd 1)
- Denzel Mims, Baylor, WR (Rd 2)
- Ashtyn Davis, California, S (Rd 3)
- Jabari Zuniga, Florida, DE (Rd 3)
- La’Mical Periné, Florida, RB (Rd 4)
Analysis
- The main problem with this team has a name and it’s Adam Gase, which unfortunately for the Jets, still has the position of Head Coach. What has Gase done to deserve another opportunity as HC in the NFL?
- I don’t know, but he has it and is not taking advantage of it.
- There is talent in the team, but Gase is not the leader that the franchise needs. I think the players know it and are not giving their best for being dissatisfied.
- I see the Jets in the basement of the AFC East.
2020 Projection: 4-12
That’s all for this week, please join me next week with my last divisional analysis. Please be safe.
For more coverage on the AFC East and all other divisions, visit our NFL archives, and if you want to listen to some cool sports shows, check out the Belly Up Podcasts Network.
