We are now in the nebulous, in-between stretch of the NFL calendar. The draft is done, all but a handful of the consequential free agents have signed, and training camp is still a ways off.
We don't get much in the way of breaking news in May and June, and what we do get is mostly hearsay. But still, sometimes players significantly deviating from their August projections send their first indications well in advance. Here's a non-exhaustive report from the frontlines of the AFC East's hopefuls.
Buffalo Bills
If Buffalo needed something to drive home the urgency of their mission, franchise icon Josh Allen officially being on the wrong side of 30 certainly crystallizes things. Replacing a popular, consistently successful head coach that couldn't get the team to the promised land, new head honcho Joe Brady has essentially admitted that, while he'd prefer that his quarterback get more contact-averse, when push comes to shove this is still the Josh Allen Show. ... Despite being hobbled by knee problems for a second consecutive season, Dalton Kincaid once again opted against surgery for a PCL injury verging on 'chronic' status. Hugely efficient on a per-play basis last year, his health will be worth monitoring extra closely over the summer. Nobody wants to hear the phrase 'load management' this far out. ... The Bills are still saying all the right things about Keon Coleman, but the actions speak louder. Veteran DJ Moore appears set for more run than he got last year, and rookie Skyler Bell is actually a year older than the 'veteran'. With veteran Josh Palmer now all but assured to be back as well (albeit one due for a major pay cut), Coleman is currently on the outside looking in at real playing time. Trade whispers will likely continue into training camp.
Miami Dolphins
Back in the office after briefly no-showing OTAs as his contract situation was worked out, De'Von Achane overtakes both James Cook and the recently-extended Breece Hall as the highest paid back in the division. How exactly the spritely Achane fits on a team that the new braintrust wants to be tougher and more physical than the opposition remains to be seen. Interestingly, Miami's new personnel mission statement would seemingly be better news for sophomore sledgehammer Ollie Gordon. ... With a receiver group bereft unlike any we've seen in quite some time, the pecking order of Miami's gaggle of hens remains unclear. Free agency 'prizes' Tutu Atwell and Jalen Tolbert have drawn some faint early praise, but nothing to indicate they're running away with the jobs; both are making a hair over the veteran minimum. Of a group that largely features guys closer to the UFL than fantasy relevance, third-year mighty mite Malik Washington has played the best actual football. He's a touch under 5-9/191, but his pound-for-pound physicality should impress this new staff. ... If you thought the receivers were rough, wait 'til you get a load of the tight ends. After giving us such fantasy gems as 2024 Jonnu Smith (you heard that one here first) and 2025 Darren Waller, the cap-choked Dolphins are putting Greg Dulcich forward as what they hope will be their next waiver wire hero. Crazy to think a player with 34 catches over the last three years is in the running to lead a team in receptions, but things are just that dire.
New England Patriots
The story in Foxboro for months (well, the other story) has been the worst-kept secret in the league. A.J. Brown is very likely heading to New England, with Kayshon Boutte seemingly tabbed to head the other way as part of the deal. Presumably caught in the crossfire here is free agency prize(?) Romeo Doubs, whom New England just handed big money in March. Frustrated by his role in Green Bay, Doubs' status as top dog with his new team appears to be over before it started.
New York Jets
Hope springs eternal, even in Florham Park. Coming off of a draft that saw them add two new receivers in the first round and on the heels of the Breece Hall extension, the Jets only wish they could stay in the eye of the storm longer. Aaron Glenn being forced to dismiss most of his staff in late January was one thing, but to then also have to relieve OC Tanner Engstrand only to replace him with Frank Reich is very, very difficult to interpret more than one way. Ownership does not expect their head coach is long for the job, and they wanted an interim option on the staff with some real experience. Enjoy the summer, Jets faithful. ... On a positive note, Day 3 find Cade Klubnik has already captivated Jets Twitter to a degree that is hard to overstate. Klubnik is no threat to unseat the veteran Smith prior to Week 1, but should the Jets dog it out of the gates (unthinkable, I know), expect the calls for Smith to sit to be even quicker than expected. The Jets will clearly need to take a real look at this kid in live fire drills. ... While the Hall extension formally blocks him off from starter's volume anytime soon, worth noting that Braelon Allen is back from last year's MCL tear and still big as an ox.
—Luke Wilson
