Miami Dolphins get better but so does the rest of the AFC East
By Brian Miller
The AFC East hasn’t been the best division in the NFL for decades but that could change in the years ahead, with the Miami Dolphins and others getting better.
Last month the New York Jets may have completed one of the best drafts they have had, maybe in the history of their franchise. While we love to poke fun at them and say “well, they are still the Jets”, they improved on paper. In the same way, the Miami Dolphins improved on paper.
Miami’s off-season additions were amazing. Speed on offense, compliments on defense, a defensive unit that stayed almost entirely intact, a new coaching regime, and more. Yet for Miami, it all comes down to quarterback play and a first-year head coach.
In New York, the Jets are hoping to pull themselves out of the division cellar but they are still a long way from contending for the AFC East crown. That clearly belongs to the Bills right now.
The Bills had a good draft last month as well, didn’t lose many players in free agency, added some quality depth, and improved the weakest part of their team, the running back unit. This after coming two games from reaching the Super Bowl.
While Buffalo is the reigning division leader, the gap is closing between them and the others in the division. Once dominated for more than a decade by the Patriots, the AFC East is tightening. The Patriots have a lot of questions, lost quite a few players entering the 2021 season but still managed to make the playoffs and double-digit win totals. Can they do that again after more losses this off-season?
The Patriots draft has been questioned by the media and some are starting to wonder out loud if the game is starting to change for Bill Belichick.
In the AFC, the best division clearly seems to be the West division. All four teams could be in play for a division title this year and three of those four could be the clear favorites for playoff spots but in the AFC East where the Patriots ruled and the Bills have taken over the last two seasons, there is a change starting to come. The Dolphins are getting better quickly and the Jets may not be bottom dwellers for long.
It will make for a very interesting season in 2022 and 2023 as a power shift could be coming and in the end, it will make for good football in the East, a division that once was the best in the conference.