AFC East roundup: QB talk in Miami and New York; re-signings in New England

What are fans of AFC East teams talking about as the NFL offseason hits its second full week?

With the 2023 NFL offseason just beginning, there is not much happening as the days until the NFL scouting combine get closer. Soon, the rumors of who will be receiving a franchise tag will start, but for now, teams seem to be reflecting on the season.

Let us look at what our friends at The Phinsider, Gang Green Nation, and Pats Pulpit are talking about in today’s AFC East roundup.

Buffalo Bills

Before we start with them, however we should start with us here at Buffalo Rumblings. We are on our fourth part of dissecting the Bills’ defense from this past season, trying to find out what led to the disappointing divisional-round playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals. If, instead you want to look towards the future, the mock drafts are starting to come out, so you can see who the media is saying could be a Bill this coming season.

Miami Dolphins

Down in Miami, the Dolphins added Renaldo Hill as defensive pass game coordinator. He spent the last two seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. Sticking with the defense, new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had his introductory press conference, as he tries to take Miami over the hump after allowing over 30 points in the wild card game against Buffalo. The hot topic over at The Phinsider is whether or not Miami should pick up the fifth-year option for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tua definitely was making a jump this past season, but the head injuries are definitely a long-term concern.

New York Jets

We are only a few weeks into the offseason, but Gang Green Nation have been busy trying to dissect who the starting quarterback will be this coming season. The candidates appear to be Aaron Rodgers — since the Jets hired Nathaniel Hackett to be their offensive coordinator — and Derek Carr, who met with the team earlier this week. Gang Green analyzed Carr by the numbers to see if he would be a good fit, and also talked about how the Jets’ success on defense this year, especially on the defensive line, can be related to the rotation that they use to keep their big men fresh throughout the game.

New England Patriots

Finally over at Pats Pulpit, a notable signing recently for the team was the return of leader Matthew Slater on a one-year deal. It appeared that Slater was going to hang it up after this season, but the special teams ace will be returning for his 16th season with the team. The Patriots also reportedly re-signed offensive tackle Conor McDermott to a new contract. McDermott showed a lot of potential last season for the team, and will be competing for the starting right tackle job heading into next season.