AFC East Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills RB LeSean McCoy said first-round QB Josh Allen is a “special” player and has set himself apart from other rookies McCoy has worked with.

“I’ve got to be honest, he’s pretty good — and I’m not a big fan of rookies,” McCoy said, via Pro Football Talk. “A lot of guys as rookies, they’re not like him. . . . He’s good. He’s smart. He has to learn, of course, he throws some passes that probably shouldn’t have been thrown, but other than that, he has a strong arm, he’s very intelligent — he’s too smart, I tell him sometimes. We have conversations and I say, ‘Easy. This is not like an exam. Just talk to me. You can say yo. You can say wassup.’ But as a talent level, he’s going to be really good for a lot of years, when he takes over eventually. We took him early in the draft so that’s just common sense, but he’s special. That’s for sure.”

Dolphins

New Browns WR Jarvis Landry admitted that he didn’t have a great relationship with Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill and he isn’t surprised that Tannehill hasn’t reached out to him since he was traded.

“I’m not surprised,” Landry said when asked why he had not heard from Tannehill since his departure, via NFL.com. “We didn’t really have a good relationship anyway, so I’m not surprised.

“I wasn’t trying to look back in the rearview mirror, you know. I’m focused on here and where we’re taking it here. I wasn’t trying to take a shot at him. I understand how hard every guy in this NFL works, especially at the position, especially at the quarterback position. But at the same time too… I give credit where credit is due.”

Jets

• Jets OC Jeremy Bates said Wednesday that rookie QB Sam Darnold is in the running to start Week 1: “Are we giving him bits and pieces of the offense or are we throwing everything at him? We’re throwing everything at him. If he can handle it, if he can prove that he’s the starter, then that will take place when the time comes.” (Manish Mehta)

• Jets CB Morris Claiborne will have a soft brace on his left wrist for 6-8 weeks in total, according to Calvin Watkins. It’s worth mentioning that Claiborne has already had the cast on for two weeks now.
• Jets WR Terrelle Pryor, who had a scope on his right ankle, is no longer wearing a walking boot. (Rich Cimini)

Patriots

• Doug Kyed of NESN writes that the only Stephen Gilmore and second-round pick Duke Dawson are “stone-cold locks” to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster right now.
• Jason McCourty and Jonathan Jones didn’t take part in the drills open to the media and Eric Rowe struggled overall and wasn’t consistently working with the first team unit.
• While Kyed says that McCourty is still the most likely starter opposite Gilmore this season, it remains to be seen whether Rowe will secure a job this summer.
• Kyed notes that undrafted rookie CB J.C. Jackson spent the most time of any cornerback playing across from Gilmore with the first-team defense.