AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

Dolphins WR DeVante Parker said his production last season was not close what he envisioned for himself.

“It was not where I wanted to be. It’s as simple as that,” said Parker, via Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post.

Fellow Dolphins WR Jakeem Grant added that Parker is determined to prove he is better than he was in previous seasons and expects him to become one of the “top receivers” in the NFL.

“I think he definitely wants to go out there and prove to people he’s better than what people think he is. He’s not just a guy that continually gets hurt or whatever. … He’s going to be great. Without doubt, he’s going to be one of the top receivers in this league,” said Grant.

Jets

• Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media expects third-year Jets LB Darron Lee to be “more vocal” this season and has been preparing to make more pre-snap calls. Slater also notes that Lee must improve in coverage and has yet to emerge as the elite pass coverage inside linebacker the team envisioned when they drafted him in 2016.
• Slater mentions that Jets GM Mike Maccagnan likely decided against using a future pick on a Supplemental prospect, given that they’re already without a second-round pick in 2019 and it took third- and sixth-round picks to get the top cornerbacks.
• Slater thinks the Jets’ offensive line will improve if C Spencer Long (quadriceps) and RG Brian Winters (abdomen) fully recover from their injuries, and LG James Carpenter returns to his 2016 form.
• According to Slater, Jets’ first-round QB Sam Darnold will likely get some work with the first-team offensive line during the preseason, but it’s likely he’ll see game action in the second half of the preseason games.
• Slater anticipates WR Robby Anderson leading the team in receptions with Terrelle Pryor being another top candidate. As for Quincy Enunwa and Jermaine Kearse, Slater still expects them to have “valuable roles.”
• Slater expects TE Jordan Leggett to beat out TE Chris Herndon for the starting job in Week 1.
• Regarding the defense, Slater “would be stunned” if CB Buster Skrine is not the starting nickel corner, while third-round DE Nathan Shepherd should receive “a lot” of playing time.

Patriots

Patriots G Shaq Mason, who is in the final year of his contract, says he would like to remain in New England long-term.

“Yes, I would,” Mason tells Kevin Duffy of the Boston Herald. “But as far as all that goes, I don’t look ahead, honestly. I’m just worried about reporting to training camp July 25 and taking it from there.”

Mason could be one of the best available offensive linemen next year, which means there’s a good chance he could come away with a sizeable contract if he’s allowed to reach the open market.

“Honestly, I’ve been working and just taking it one step at a time,” Mason said. “Just honing in on details, the smaller things of my game, just become a better overall player.”