AFC East Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• The Athletic’s Matthew Fairburn doesn’t think the Bills will pony up the draft picks and cap space necessary to land Jaguars CB Jalen Ramsey. 
• Fairburn believes Bills P Corey Bojorquez has done enough to make his job safe, for now. 
• Fairburn writes Bills DE Shaq Lawson could become a free agent next year, which would leave the Bills needing to address defensive end. 
• Fairburn adds Buffalo could look at adding players at running back, wide receiver and linebacker, particularly if LB Lorenzo Alexander retires or isn’t brought back.
• Buffalo’s top extension candidates after this season are CB TreDavious White, S Jordan Poyer and LB Matt Milano, per Fairburn.

Jets

Jets CB Trumaine Johnson‘s tumultuous tenure in New York continued Monday night when the presumed No. 1 corner was benched instead. Johnson has struggled since signing a mega-deal in free agency to join the Jets last year, but he says he’s not going to request a trade out of New York. 

“I was going with the ones back and forth all week in practice,” Johnson said via Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News. “Didn’t play. I was just there to support my teammates. . . . I’ll have to talk to my DB coach and go from there. I want to be here with my teammates. . . . Of course, I’m upset, But again, It’s not about me.”

• Jets HC Adam Gase didn’t expand much on his decision to bench Johnson: “We just decided not to play him.” (Ralph Vacchiano)
• Jets S Jamal Adams unfollowed some of the team accounts on his social media page, however, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora says there’s nothing to that and Adams is good in New York. 
• Asked about taking the Jets out of his bio, Adams said he was just focused on winning: “I’m just focused on this team. I’m not focused on the outside noise. I’m just focused on how we can get better and grab a win.” (Connor Hughes)
• He added he wasn’t trying to send a message to the team: “It’s social media … it’s outside noise.” (Hughes)
• Adams confirmed he was benched late in the game Monday night following consecutive penalties: “I tried to anticipate a play. I anticipated it wrong. And I was benched.” (Hughes)
• Jets QB Sam Darnold was back at the team facility after being quarantined last week for mono, per Gase: “He’s feeling better… The doctors are letting us know how to proceed with him.” (Mehta)
• Gase said he’ll discuss their options at quarterback in free agency for a new backup with GM Joe Douglas. New York was interested in Brock Osweiler and David Fales before signing Trevor Siemian. (Mehta)
• Gase noted the decision to bench C Ryan Kalil near the end of the game was partially due to Kalil’s performance, partially due to the score of the game: “We’re probably a ways from where he’d like to be.” (Mehta)

Patriots

• Patriots HC Bill Belichick said that while ordinarily he wouldn’t trade within his own division, the opportunity to send WR Demaryius Thomas to the Jets for a sixth-round pick made too much sense: “It’s business. We’re trying to help our team. They’re trying to help their team. The doors are always open for us to try to help our football team. Obviously we don’t want to help them. But sometimes trades can work for both sides.” (Manish Mehta)
• The deal was the first-ever trade between Belichick and the Jets: “There was a certain period, there’s no way that trade would have happened . . . look, we’ll try to help our team any way we can.” (Karen Guregian)