Biggest remaining needs for each AFC East team
Now that we've gone over to the AFC, we will move clockwise through the divisions, which brings us to the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots and Jets. At this point, the majority of the work on the rosters has been done, but each of these teams have a serious positional need, that they should address until week one.
Buffalo Bills – Wide receiver
The drought is over. The Bills finally made the playoffs again for the first time since 1999 and still this feels like a totally different team. They traded quarterback Tyrod Taylor to the Browns, which always felt like the move they wanted to make, left tackle Cordy Glenn was sent to Cincinnati for a swapping of first-round picks, linebacker Preston Brown was let go in free agency and Richie Incognito surprisingly decided to retire or so it seems.
Still, this is a promising young bunch. Buffalo moved up in the draft twice to get their franchise guys at quarterback (Wyoming’s Josh Allen) and middle linebacker (Virginia Tech’s Tremaine Edmunds). While the super-talented backer will step right into the starting lineup, A.J. McCarron should be the day-one starter under center. I think defensively they have a good mix of veterans and young players. On offense however, I’m not quite sure about the passing game.
LeSean McCoy has been one of the most heavily utilized RBs ever since he moved up North, but they need to take some pressure off him by adding some weapons on the outside. When the Bills traded away Sammy Watkins a year ago, it seemed like they were counting on a rookie in Zay Jones to take over as their featured guy. They made a much-needed move for Kelvin Benjamin in the midst of the season, but especially with Jones out for the offseason programs, they need another pass-catcher to build chemistry with the quarterbacks.
Andre Holmes appears to be their starting slot receiver, but you can’t work with him and guys like Brandon Reilly, Kaelin Clay or Jeremy Kerley as your number two option. A guy I really like that they picked up as an undrafted free agent is former Virginia Tech receiver Cam Phillips, who always was counted on in the Hokies’ offense. Of course, the loss of Richie Incognito leaves a hole at one of the guard spots, but I’m a big fan of fifth-round pick Wyatt Teller, who has a similar nasty attitude of mauling people.