AFC East: Biggest Questions For The 2022 Season

The AFC East had a decent shakeup this offseason and is now their second year in a row after Tom Brady left. The division was left up for grabs when that happened, how will the teams respond to yet another offseason of changes?

Buffalo Bills Lose Brian Daboll

The turnaround for the Buffalo Bills was mostly credited to their OC elevating their offense to play to the strength of their weapons. The Bills have a comfortable lead on the rest of the AFC East, but only as the season hasn’t started yet. They’ve dominated the division the past two seasons but we’re yet to see what a post-Daboll lead offense looks like. After 4 seasons under Daboll, Josh Allen entered the elite QB conversations with authority. With Ken Dorsey the Bills will be relearning a whole new style. Their offense might look the same, but new plays, lingo, and responsibilities will happen with change. How quickly will the Bills transition?

Miami Dolphins Gain Mike McDaniel

The spark in for the Miami Dolphins won’t be Tua Tagovailoa this offseason, it will be the new HC Mike McDaniel. Yes, Tua will make tremendous strides this season but it will be with McDaniel exploiting his strengths. Already the Dolphins will streamline their gameday prep with McDaniel stating he’ll be the one to call the plays in for Tagovailoa. With all the speed the ‘Phins have this year and faster playcalling, Miami will look to keep the intensity up and create mismatches. The only immediate concern of this strategy is how fatigue will show up later in the season. The Dolphins might be used to the heat where other teams aren’t on game day, but multiple weeks of heat and practice should be monitored for injuries, etc.

More AFC East: Will The Pats Be Worst In The Division?

New York Jets Add Playmakers

The Jets spent the offseason improving their offense, and they needed to. Their offensive line needed an upgrade. Zach Wilson needed more weapons. The team needed an identity. Falling far behind the rest of the AFC East, the team went into the offseason making waves. They made a big splash with Garrett Wilson, added playmakers such as “Sauce” Gardner and Jermaine Johnson II. They picked up a running back early choosing Breece Hall and finally a TE Jeremy Ruckert. The Jets might have had a “safe” offseason, but they chose their playmakers strategically and might have had their best offseason in some time.

New England Patriots’ New Weapon

A move like adding Devante Parker in the offseason is pretty standard in the NFL. What isn’t usually in the cards is trading with a division rival. The Miami Dolphins moved on from Parker but decided to keep him in the AFC East. Parker was inconsistent with the Miami Dolphins but is only partially to blame. He was consistently on the field during his time in Miami due to injuries. However, when he was on the field, he did have sparks of greatness, while again suffering from consistency, something that could be attributed to multiple OCs and the instability of the Miami Dolphins.