NFL Predictions 2018: AFC East

The New England Patriots enter the season as heavy favorites to reclaim the AFC East, having won the past nine division titles. While the Patriots' run of success is likely to continue, questions remain for the other three teams in the division. Can the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins or Buffalo Bills make noise in 2018? Here is a preview of the AFC East:

1. New England Patriots (12-4)

The Patriots will win their 10th straight division title, as they own the East—at least until Bill Belichick and/or Tom Brady retires.

The Patriots are noticeably thin at wide receiver—especially in the wake of Julian Edelman’s four-game suspension—putting the onus on All-Pro tight end Rob Gronkowksi and wideout Chris Hogan to shine in the passing game.

2. New York Jets (8-8)

The Jets have exceeded expectations under Todd Bowles in two of his three seasons as head coach. They won 10 games in 2015 behind then-quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and last season managed to win five games despite some experts predicting them to finish winless.                                                                                 

Outperforming the projections of most in what was a rebuilding year, Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan received contract extensions at the end of last season.

Rookie Sam Darnold has the chance to be a franchise quarterback for New York. The third overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft impressed in the preseason and beat out Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater (traded at the end of the preseason to the New Orleans Saints) to claim the starting job.

Sam Darnold could be the face of the Jets franchise for years to come. (Julio Cortez/AP)

The Jets feature a dynamic young secondary spearheaded by the second-year safety duo Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye.

The lack of a pass rush is the team's kryptonite and ultimately holds them back from reaching the postseason for the first time since 2010.

3. Miami Dolphins (7-9)

Ryan Tannehill returns for Miami after missing all of last season—and while a return to the playoffs is possible for a club that earned a Wild-Card spot in 2016—the offense may hold them back as they adjust to life without superstar wide receiver Jarvis Landry.

The Dolphins will rely on their deep running back rotation—Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore and Kalen Ballage—to carry the load on offense.

The strength of the Dolphins' lies in their defensive line, headlined by Cameron Wake and new addition Robert Quinn—the former first-round pick who was acquired in a trade from the Los Angeles Rams in the offseason.

4. Buffalo Bills (4-12)

Despite making the playoffs last season, the Bills are quietly in rebuild-mode.

Nathan Peterman begins the year as the starting quarterback, though rookie Josh Allen is expected to eventually take over. No matter who is under center, Buffalo will be woeful on offense after losing three starting linemen from last season (left tackle Cordy Glenn, left guard Richie Incognito and center Eric Wood) on a roster that lacks playmakers outside of LeSean McCoy. 

Tyrod Taylor Offers Bills Most Hope for QB Stability in 2015 and Beyond

                      Rex Ryan has finally decided who will be under center when the Buffalo Bills open the regular season on Sept. 13 against the Indianapolis Colts. Tyrod Taylor has been chosen as the team’s starting quarterback, Jay Glazer of Fox Sports reported Monday.

                      Taylor won the job over EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel. He has completed 24 of his 34 pass attempts with zero touchdowns and zero interceptions for 236 yards in the preseason. Taylor has made his mark in the running game in the Bills’ three exhibition contests, rushing for 108 yards on 11 carries.

                      A fifth-year pro out of Virginia Tech, Taylor has not started a game in the NFL. The 26-year-old spent the first four years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, with whom he played 14 games.

                      The Bills are a team built on defense and their ability to run the football. Buffalo has put together a perfect offense to compliment a mobile quarterback like Taylor. LeSean McCoy, acquired in a blockbuster trade from the Philadelphia Eagles in the offseason, will take up much of the burden on offense. The receiving core—Sammy Watkins, Percy Harvin, Charles Clay and Robert Woods—should be dangerous targets for Taylor as well.

                      Cassel, who has recorded 33 wins against 38 losses in his career, no longer seems like a viable option at starting quarterback. Meanwhile, Manuel’s days as the team’s first-string QB seem over before they had even started. The 2013 first-round selection has been wildly inconsistent this preseason, with most of his reps coming with the third-string offense.

                      Ryan should be applauded for not going with the percieved safe choice in Cassel, a veteran and one-time Pro Bowler whose career has trended downward in recent seasons. Taylor is a boom-or-bust candidate that can make plays on his feet. He can succeed in the offense if he takes care of the ball, presents a threat to run and keeps the defense honest in the passing attack. Taylor represents the Bills’ best hope at quarterback this season and the only player on the roster that offers any optimism for stability at the position in the foreseeable future.

Philadelphia Eagles Win McCoy-Alonso Trade

USA Today Sports

            In a blockbuster move, the Philadelphia Eagles will trade star running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso.

            There are rarely player-for-player deals of this magnitude executed in the NFL. This deal is particularly intriguing because two well-known players were swapped by two high-profile coaches—the Bills’ Rex Ryan and the Eagles’ Chip Kelly.

            McCoy instantly becomes the face of the Bills’ offense, which ranked 25^th in rushing in 2014. In his six seasons with the Eagles, McCoy posted four 1,000-yard rushing campaigns, including a career-best 1,607 yards in 2013. Over the past five years, McCoy has rushed for more yards (6,155) than any other running back in the NFL. Overall, the former second-round draft pick rushed 1,461 times for 6,792 yards and 44 touchdowns in his tenure in Philadelphia. He also hauled in 300 receptions for 2,282 yards and 10 touchdowns.

            Alonso—the former Oregon Duck who played his senior season under the tutelage of Kelly—joins a strong linebacker crew in Philadelphia. Alongside Mychal Kendricks, Alonso can help form one of the fastest interior linebacker duos in the NFL. Alonso finished as the runner-up to New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2013. In his rookie season, Alonso led the Bills with 159 tackles and was tied for the team lead with four interceptions. He had two fumble recoveries and appeared in all 16 games. However, the 24-year-old sat out the entire 2014 season after suffering a torn ACL in his left knee in a July workout at Oregon.

Who Won the Trade?

            The stunning trade leaves the Eagles thin at running back with just Darren Sproles and Chris Polk on the depth chart. Kelly, though, can address this in the upcoming draft—one that features plenty of talent at tailback. The Eagles could wait until the second or third-round and still land an explosive halfback. University of Miami’s Duke Johnson, Indiana’s Tevin Coleman and Auburn’s Cameron Artis-Payne all possess the necessities to fit in with Kelly’s unique offense—that is line up out of the shotgun often, run inside and outside the tackles and be a reliable threat in the passing game.

            The Eagles moved on from McCoy at the right time. He turns 27 in July and has a $10.25 million cap hit for 2015. His current contract runs through the 2017 season, earning base salaries of $6.9 million in '16, and $7.6 million in '17. McCoy had no interest in restructuring his deal—signed in May 2012—so the Bills must pay a hefty price for their running back over the next three seasons. Alonso, meanwhile, is still on his rookie contract, which pays him just under $1 million next season.

            Alonso will fit well in the Eagles 3-4 defense. Alonso and his soon-to-be-teammate Kendricks are both quick with great coverage skills. Reuniting with his college coach should help further develop Alonso, who will likely improve Philadelphia’s struggles against the run (15^th) and pass (31^st) from last year.

            McCoy is still a top-flight halfback with the potential to 
thrive in a ground-and-pound offense that the Bills are expected to utilize next season. But the career lifespan of running backs in the NFL is not long. Come next season McCoy will be 27—the cliff age of running backs, according to ESPN’s Kevin Seifert. And as good as McCoy has been for the Eagles, he is not irreplaceable. 

            Acquiring a rising star in Alonso—who has shown flashes of Luke Kuechly—puts the Eagles in great shape for the future. Shedding immense salary cap is an added bonus in a fantastic trade for Philadelphia. The Bills may win the trade in 2015—but in five years we are more likely to be raving about Alonso, the stud linebacker who reformed Kelly's defense for several seasons.