AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

Dolphins DE Andre Branch underwent knee surgery back in January, but he says he expects to be 100 percent healthy for the start of training camp.

“Be at 100 percent,” Branch said, via DolphinsWire.com.

Branch admitted that there’s a larger sense of urgency for the team this year.

“There’s a sense of urgency now,” Branch said. “Last year was kind of complacent, but for us, we know what we have. We can’t make excuses now. It’s time to really live up to that and put on.”

Jets

Darryl Slater of NJ.com takes a look at some notable players for the Jets who could be on the roster bubble this summer.

• Slater’s list includes CB Rashard Robinson, CB Justin Burris, FB Lawrence Thomas, OL Jonotthan Harrison, RB Thomas Rawls, TE Clive Walford, WR Charone Peake, WR Devin Smith, and OLB Lorenzo Mauldin.
• Of this group, Slater says that Burris may have the best shot at making the team while Smith and Mauldin are “both goners.”
• As for Teddy Bridgewater, Slater expects the Jets to give him every opportunity to compete for their starting job and possibly consider trading him this summer.

Patriots

• Mike Reiss of ESPN writes that Patriots TE Dwayne Allen is a potential roster cut this summer, given that he’s set to make $4.5 million and carries a cap figure of $5 million for the 2018 season.
• According to Reiss, the question whether that’s too high for the Patriots for his projected role, as Allen has been deployed as the team’s primary blocking tight end.
• Reiss doesn’t rule out the possibility of the Patriots approaching Allen regarding a pay reduction, but it’s possible they cut him if he’s unwilling to negotiate.
• In the event that Julian Edelman‘s four-game suspension is upheld, Reiss explains that the Patriots won’t turn to a single player to replace him in their offense and will instead work to incorporate a number of players including RBs James White and rookie Sony Michel.
• At receiver, Reiss considers Chris Hogan to be a roster lock and thinks Jordan Matthews and Cordarrelle Patterson making the team. This means that Kenny Britt, Phillip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell, Riley McCarron, Cody Hollister and rookie Braxton Berrios will compete for the remaining spots this summer.