NFL Betting: AFC East Offseason Changes

After the NFL Draft, the pro football community settles in for the offseason. Rookie minicamp is a noteworthy event, but the next big occurrence in the NFL is summer training camp, when battles for roster spots begin in earnest. Let’s look at the offseason changes for each of the NFL’s 32 teams, starting with the AFC East, a division which no longer belongs to the New England Patriots. The Pats had won the East 16 times in a 17-year span from 2003 through 2019. Last year, they lost to the Buffalo Bills, with the Miami Dolphins finishing second. It feels like a new era, but now the Bills and Dolphins need to build on last season.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills didn’t radically remake their roster, and they didn’t need to. They finished second in the AFC last season and won two home playoff games to reach the AFC Championship Game for the first time since the 1993 season. Josh Allen made the leap to the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL. If he continues to play at the level he displayed in 2020, the Bills will be a title contender.

Buffalo drafted pass rushers with its primary picks in the NFL draft. Greg Rousseau and Carlos Basham were picked so that they could pressure Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Baker Mayfield of the Cleveland Browns. The Bills think they are set in the secondary. Otherwise, they would have drafted defensive backs and safeties in the early rounds of the NFL draft. Mitchell Trubisky joined the roster as the backup to Allen at quarterback. Matt Barkley is out.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins made a massive improvement in 2020, finishing 10-6. That would normally be enough to make the playoffs, but the AFC was deep and loaded last year. The big question in 2021 is if Tua Tagovailoa can take this team to the playoffs. Remember that Ryan Fitzpatrick won several games for Miami last year. Tua contributed to the team but was not an elite quarterback. Now it’s his team, with Fitzpatrick in Washington with the Football Team in the NFC East.

The Dolphins gave Tua a former Alabama receiver, Jaylen Waddle, as a new target in 2021. Waddle has elite speed and will be a quality playmaker. The Dolphins also drafted a safety, Jevon Holland, to defend the Bills’ passing game.

New England Patriots

The Patriots drafted Mac Jones from Alabama as their possible quarterback of the future. Cam Newton is still the projected starter, but Jones could be the guy for 2022, and if anything goes wrong this season, Jones could step in and get lots of snaps. Newton has to prove he can still get the job done as an NFL starter. He labored through a bad 2020 season and knows he is on a short leash.

The Patriots were very active in free agency, signing tight end Hunter Henry, receiver Nelson Agholor, tight end Jonnu Smith, and – among others – linebacker Matt Judon. The roster is better than last year, but it’s uncertain how big the upgrade will be, especially since the offense and the passing game in particular are still question marks.

New York Jets

The Jets have a new head coach, Robert Saleh, with a new coaching staff which includes two new coordinators. The Jets are seeking a complete remake of their team, going for a new starting quarterback. Zach Wilson was taken with the No. 2 pick in the draft. Sam Darnold went to the Carolina Panthers. The Jets drafted four offensive players in the first 120 picks of the draft, taking offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker at No. 14 and receiver Elijah Moore of Ole Miss in the second round.