Every AFC East rival for the Buffalo Bills have big-name talent that are some of the bests at their position. However, there are some that, whether it be due to their past success and not the same players they used to be, or overrated. Some of these players were brought in to compete with the Bills, but so far, they haven't had any impact, especially when it comes to taking the AFC East crown away from the Bills. Here are the most overrated players from each AFC East rival.
Buffalo Bills rivals most overrated players
Rhamondre Stevenson-New England Patriots
This might be a little controversial, but in terms of the New England Patriots of this day and age, it was hard to find an overrated player. With that being said, Stevenson has had a drop off in production since his breakout season in 2022. This is also due to a season ending high ankle sprain he suffered in week 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023. But before the injury, he had his lowest average yards per carry at 4.0, even worse than his rookie year when he was not the lead running back.
In 2023, Stevenson was the lead running back for the Patriots. He played in the same number of games in 2021 as he did in 2023, and only rushed for 13 more yards on 23 more carries. He also had the fewest touchdowns in a season in his career in 2023 with four, as compared to five touchdowns in each of 2021 and 2022. The promising young running back doesn't seem to be on a good trajectory, but time will tell based on what he looks like after the injury he suffered in 2023, and if he's healthy enough to play a full 17 games in 2024.
Aaron Rodgers-New York Jets
This was a toss up between Rodgers and Sauce Gardner, but at this time, Gardner doesn't have as much of a case to be overrated as Rodgers does. First of all, the Jets brought Rodgers in to stabilize their QB room considering it has been a revolving door with the likes of Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, and Sam Darnold before they drafted Wilson. It was a move for the Jets that is similar to what the Buccaneers did with Tom Brady and the Rams did with Matt Stafford. Unlike these teams, the Jets did not win a Super Bowl. Granted,
Rodgers went out with injury after just four plays against the Bills in 2023, so we have yet to see this team with a healthy Rodgers, but he doesn't seem to be the same elite quarterback he was. Look back at his last season with the Packers in 2022, and he had his worst season as a starting quarterback in this league. That is the last we have seen Rodgers healthy for the most part, besides a broken thumb he suffered that season. That could definitely have contributed to that season, but he is also coming back in 2024 off of a season ending Achilles injury, and that could be hard for a player of his age. The Jets season almost entirely relies on Rodgers being healthy, but even if he does stay healthy, is he that much of an upgrade over the quarterback play in all of 2023 for the Jets?
Jalen Ramsey-Miami Dolphins
Out of all the players mentioned in this article, Ramsey most certainly seems the most overrated of them all. He was deemed the best cornerback in the league back when he was with the Rams, but he most certainly isn't that anymore. He is still a pretty good cornerback, but he has a taken a step back. Also, this might be whenever he has faced against the Bills and Josh Allen, but he typically has had some of his worst games, even dating back to when he was in Jacksonville. Again, Ramsey was brought in to help this Dolphins defense, especially against the likes of the Bills and Allen, but hasn't paid off yet. If Allen is still with the Bills, there isn't much hope for the Dolphins with Ramsey leading the defensive back field, based off of Allen's success against Ramsey.