AFC East Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• According to Sal Capaccio, Bill C Mitch Morse and OT Conor McDermott remain in the concussion protocol, while OT Ty Nsekhe is being eased back in from a knee injury. 
• Bills tight ends Jason Croom and third-round rookie Dawson Knox will be “out there today” after extended absences due to hamstring injuries, per HC Sean McDermott. (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• Bills TE Tyler Kroft, still on the PUP list with a fractured foot, is “moving in the right direction” according to McDermott, although there’s still not a timetable for his return. (Joe Buscaglia)

Jets

• According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, there are more cons than pros to a potential Jets trade for Texans LB Jadeveon Clowney. Cimini says the Jets would need to do some work to fit Clowney’s $16 million franchise tag under the cap. 
• A trade for Clowney could also force a potential either/or decision with him and upcoming free agent DL Leonard Williams next offseason. 
• Cimini adds Clowney has health questions and also isn’t necessarily an elite enough pass rusher to justify the investment, noting Clowney’s 31 QB pressures were only slightly ahead of current starting LB Brandon Copeland‘s 29 in 2018. 
• Cimini notes that under DC Gregg Williams the team plans to employ a heavy rotation at defensive line, which will likely bring down Williams 78 percent snap count from 2018.
• Cimini mentions DT Folorunso Fatukasi and LB Tarell Basham as players who have raised their stock recently. 
• The Athletic’s Connor Hughes writes that LB Frankie Luvu appears to have worked ahead of Copeland at outside linebacker. 
• Hughes says the Jets’ Week 1 kicker likely isn’t on the roster, highlighting Vikings K Dan Bailey, Buccaneers K Cairo Santos and Panthers K Joey Slye as potential options to replace Taylor Bertolet.

Patriots

Most of the time, Patriots HC Bill Belichick prefers to keep only two quarterbacks on the final 53-man roster. That leaves one spot behind Tom Brady and the leader for that spot this year is Patriots fourth-round QB Jarrett Stidham. That doesn’t necessarily rule out veteran Brian Hoyer for a roster spot, but it does hurt his chances. 

“You can’t really worry about that,” Hoyer said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “My approach is to just be the best I can be, and I think that will be good enough,” Hoyer said this week. “It’s not something I’m really concerned with. If anything, I’m trying to push the guy ahead of me, and I love being in that room with him. We have such a healthy competition on a daily basis, and I know that’s made me that much better since I’ve come back.”