Ranking the Bills among the AFC East contenders entering NFL Draft

Hard to believe that draft season is already almost over. The Buffalo Bills and many of the other teams in the AFC East have been busy in the offseason up to this point. Let's see where they all rank before we head into the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

4) New England Patriots

For the first time in 24 years, Bill Belichick is not the head coach of the New England Patriots, with Jerod Mayo now manning the ship. One could argue that they are better at QB now that Mac Jones has been traded to Jacksonville, though it was not a high bar to clear.

Jacoby Brissett is now the current “starting” QB. The Patriots have a relatively stout defense that has carried over. But with the only additions on offense being Antonio Gibson and K.J. Osborn, the Pats still have a leaky offensive line and no real prospect at QB. New England has a long way to go to be contenders for the AFC East title.

3) Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins suffered a lot of attrition this offseason, losing major pieces from their defense like defensive tackle Christian Wilkins and linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, on top of linebacker Jerome Baker and cornerback Xavier Howard. To go along with this, the Dolphins now have another new defensive coordinator in Anthony Weaver, who was the DC for the Houston Texans in 2020, which had a 4-12 record while he was there.

He was also the linebackers coach for the formidable Baltimore Ravens from 2021 until he got the job in Miami. As of right now, the Dolphins have done little to replace the players they lost, adding Shaq Barrett and Kendall Fuller. They even added some familiar faces to their roster like Jordan Poyer and Siran Neal.

But the injury history, at least for Jordan Poyer should be a concern. A common story in the AFC East, the offensive line was not very reliable, and the Dolphins only really added depth pieces there. But the Dolphins still have certified stars at Wide Receiver and Running Back with a serviceable Quarterback.

2) New York Jets

The Jets should have Aaron Rodgers for at least the majority of the season this year. This will automatically make them contenders in the division. The Jets have, on paper, one of the most complete rosters in the division.

They had a decent offseason, revamping their offensive line going into the draft without that being a glaring need. The Jets also signed Mike Williams, a veteran Wide Receiver who should add some good production on offense.

The only issue with these additions is that they were mostly players with significant injury histories. Mike Williams alone has missed 24 games in 7 seasons. It's an interesting choice considering how they lost Aaron Rodgers 4 plays into the season.

1) Buffalo Bills

This may seem like a homer pick, but the Bills still rank number one in the division. Buffalo lost a lot of veterans this offseason, but many were aging or perpetually injured players with large salaries.

Gabe Davis left in free agency and of course, Stefon Diggs was traded to the Texans. But the Bills still have an impressive offensive line, and strong skill positions on offense like Dalton Kincaid, James Cook, and Khalil Shakir. They also added Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins to the wide receiver corps.

The Bills will go into their first full season with Joe Brady as offensive coordinator, and they still have Josh Allen as QB. The defense has gotten a lot younger, and the Bills retained key positions along the defensive line. By promoting Bobby Babich to defensive coordinator, the Bills will continue to have continuity with the defense while adding some fresh ideas.

Buffalo has won the division the last four seasons, and until someone can prove they can take it from them, it's their division to lose.