This week and next, leading up the kickoff of the 2018 NFL season, I’ll be looking around the grand landscape of the league. We’ll preview all 32 teams, division by division – up next, it’s the AFC East.
Buffalo Bills
Bills Mafia is undoubtedly happy after their playoff drought ended in 2017. But, heading into 2018, this team is a prime candidate for a major regression. The Bills will ebb and flow as the defense does in 2018, and man – they have a ton of talent on that side of the ball. It starts with Tre’davious White, who announced himself to the football world as one of the best corners in the NFL last season. The secondary is tight with Micah Hyde at safety and the addition of cornerback Vontae Davis. The team added Tremaine Edmunds and Harrison Phillips in the draft. If the defense is consistently good, it could carry this team to more than a few victories.
The offense is a completely different story. They have more questions than answers at wide receiver – Kelvin Benjamin figures to be “the guy,” and the team traded for talented Corey Coleman. But, neither guy has lived up to his potential so far. Charles Clay has proven steady at the tight end position, but he’s not winning any games for you. The offensive line has looked pretty bad throughout the preseason so far…..and then, there’s the quarterback position.
The Bills have a full-blown quarterback competition on their hands. The team drafted Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen at #7 overall back in the spring, so you know he’s poised to take the throne at some point. But, the team also went out and got A.J. McCarron as well. McCarron’s the guy, in my opinion, but I don’t know that either man can work miracles with the offensive pieces in place.
All things considered, it’s hard to imagine, but this Bills offense could be even worse than last year’s. 2018 could be a long year for Bills fans if head coach Sean McDermott doesn’t get this mess sorted out.
Miami Dolphins
People are sleeping on the Fins, man. Don’t sleep on the Fins. They’re getting a healthy Ryan Tannehill back – hold your laughter – and the dude’s shown he’s capable of having a good season. Sure, the team lost Jarvis Landry, but if having Landry alone was enough, then why hasn’t this team seen more success with him on it? Let’s not act like Landry made this team. Danny Amendola, Kenny Stills, and Albert Wilson are all serviceable guys, and if DeVante Parker can get healthy, that receiving corps will be okay. Plus, the team drafted Mike Gesicki at tight end.
It’s the potential run game that has me excited for the Dolphins. They bring in Frank Gore, who is apparently an ageless wonder, still having productive seasons 14 years into his career. Paired with potentially electric play-maker Kenyan Drake, the two make quite the duo. If the offensive line can hold up, this could be quite the attack.
On defense, the Dolphins made two important moves: they brought in Robert Quinn to help lessen the blow of losing Ndamukong Suh, and they drafted Minkah Fitzpatrick. Both moves should pay immediate dividends, and really – this defense should improve dramatically if the offense is as improved as I think Tannehill’s return makes it. This is a team that won 10 games and went to the playoffs just two seasons ago.
New England Patriots
There has to be real cause for concern in New England over the issues at wide receiver. They lost Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks. Julian Edelman is serving a four game suspension to start the season. That leaves receiving duties to Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett. The team also signed Cordarrelle Patterson, though he isn’t exactly alleviating all concern. That said, as long as Tom Brady is Tom Brady, Pats fans will rest easy at night.
You have to wonder when Father Time will catch up to Brady, but until it actually starts to happen, I’m going to assume it never will. Regardless, this Pats offense has an absolutely loaded backfield – Rex Burkhead and James White will likely see the bulk of the workload. But, the team invested a first round pick in super talented Georgia running back Sony Michel in this year’s draft. He’s missed time with a knee injury but has since returned to practice. The Pats also attempted to bolster their offensive line by selecting Georgia tackle Isaiah Wynn in the first round, but Wynn is out for the season with a torn Achilles. The offensive line is still a major question mark heading into the season.
On defense, the Pats went out and acquired Danny Shelton and Adrian Clayborn, both of whom should help strengthen what was the unquestioned weakness of the 2017 Pats team: the defense. The thing about these Pats defenses, though, is that they’re prone to “bend don’t break.” They give up a lot of yardage, but don’t give up a lot of points. It’ll be hard to replace former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who is now the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
All of these question marks have folks wondering if this is the year the Patriots come back down to Earth, but I just don’t see it given the relative state of the AFC East.
New York Jets
The Jets are the most intriguing team in the division. They spent the 3rd overall selection on USC QB Sam Darnold back in the spring, and boy – does he look the part or what? They added productive running back Isaiah Crowell – I’m intrigued to see what he can do with a better team than the Cleveland Browns. Terrelle Pryor was added to a receiving corps that includes upstart Robby Anderson (assuming he isn’t serving a suspension) and stabilizing force Jermaine Kearse (assuming he isn’t seriously injured). All in all, this is an interesting looking offense.
They don’t have a whole lot of household names on defense, but the unit is looking strong this preseason so far. I loved the addition of former Titan Avery Williamson to play alongside Darron Lee at ILB. 2017 first round draft pick Jamal Adams has superstar potential at the safety position, and the team added Trumaine Johnson at cornerback. Lots of interesting pieces.
Again, this team is interesting – but for Todd Bowles‘ sake, ‘interesting’ had better produce wins, or he may be on the hot season come season’s end.
Projected finish
- New England Patriots (12+ wins)
- Miami Dolphins (8-10 wins)
- New York Jets (6-8 wins)
- Buffalo Bills (5-7 wins)
2018 NFL Divisional Previews
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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