The AFC East has belonged to the Patriots for a long time. New England has won the division the past seven years. That’s the definition of dominance. Their path to repeating is in jeopardy, though, as Tom Brady is suspended for the first four games due to the deflategate debacle. Is that enough room for everyone else to catch up, and possibly replace, New England at the top?
Let’s ask the crystal ball.
Best Draft Class: Miami Dolphins. Laremy Tunsil‘s draft day woes are Miami’s gain. Tunsil was graded by many experts as the best prospect in entire the draft and the Dolphins happily grabbed him at 13. Ryan Tannehill has to be happy since he was tied for third in sacked quarterbacks last season with 45. The Dolphins also picked up some much needed cornerback help by drafting Xavien Howard.
Best Unit: New England Patriots Tight Ends. The Patriots already have the most dominate tight end in the game with Rob Gronkowski. They’ve only made matters worse for defensive coordinators but signing Martellus Bennett this offseason. The Patriots look to recreate the two tight end dominance that Gronk and Aaron Hernandez once formed. The Jets’ and Bills’ defense are a close second.
Best Free Agency Pickup: Matt Forte, New York Jets. Last year the Jets ranked tenth in the league in rushing. Adding the do-it-all Forte adds another weapon for the run game and a legit threat out of the backfield. Whoever is playing quarterback for the Jets will find comfort in knowing they can always check down to Forte.
Best Player: Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots. Gronk is the best tight end of this generation and is making an argument for the best tight end ever. This one isn’t even close.
Breakout Player: DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins. The beginning part of Parker’s rookie year was plagued with foot issues. The Louisville receiver only had four receptions during the first eleven weeks. During the final six weeks DeVante had 22 receptions and three touchdowns. He’s been dealing with an undisclosed injury during OTAs but it doesn’t seem to be serious. If Parker can reach 100% then look for him to become a legit threat for the Dolphins.
Best Rookie: Laremy Tunsil, Miami Dolphins. Tunsil wasn’t rated as the best prospect in the draft for nothing. He’ll come in and immediately make his case as one of the best linemen in the league. He’ll be tested quickly, going against Chris Long and, possibly, Muhammad Wilkerson but Tunsil has the skills to excel.
Best Coach: Bill Belichick, New England Patriots. Love him or hate him you can’t deny that Bill is the best coach in the league.
Interesting Storyline: The Jets starting QB. No deflategate here. The Jets are a good team. They have an elite defense, a good wide receiving corp, and a fantastic running game. The main question surrounding the team is who’s going to be calling the shots. The locker room is clamoring for Ryan Fitzpatrick but the business end is keeping him away. Geno Smith was once the anointed one but has fallen into obscurity after an incident that left his jaw in shambles last year. If the Jets can figure out who will be playing quarterback and if that once dominant offensive line can get back to form then the Jets could make a serious push for the AFC East crown.
Biggest X-Factor: Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills. Taylor had a decent season in 2015. He did just enough to get the job done but wasn’t overly impressive. If Tyrod can improve from last year then this Bills offense will be a force and can be a legitimate challenger in the East.
MVP Candidates: LeSean McCoy, Buffalo Bills; Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots; Ndamukong Suh, Miami Dolphins; Muhammad Wilkerson, New York Jets
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Division Winner: New England Patriots. This won’t be a cakewalk like previous years. Every team in the division is better and, as of right now, Tom Brady will be sitting out the first four games. The Patriots still find a way to win the East but not without some bumps in the road.
There you have it. The crystal ball has laid claim to the AFC East. Was it right?
Feel free to let me know @mattgarrett41
Check out the other divisions: AFC West, AFC South, AFC North, NFC South, NFC West, NFC North , NFC East
As always, thanks for reading.
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