AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• According to the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero, Redskins G Brandon Scherff would be a major free-agent target for the Dolphins if Washington allowed Scherff to hit the open market in 2020. 
• Dolphins released DE Tank Carradine. (NFLTR)

Jets

The Jets head into their bye week winless in three tries. However, with a couple of weeks to get healthy and regroup, QB Sam Darnold, who has missed two games with mono, believes New York can come out of their break strong. 

“We’re going to go on a little run here,” Darnold said via Brian Costello of the New York Post. “It’s going to be fun, but it’s going to take a lot of work. I know a lot of the guys on the team are willing to put in that work.”

• The Jets worked out DB Blake Countess on Tuesday. (Aaron Wilson)

Patriots

The Patriots traded LB Jamie Collins away to Cleveland rather than pay him the big deal he was looking for a few years ago but re-signed him on a bargain $2 million deal this offseason. So far that deal has paid major dividends, as Collins has been a playmaking for in the New England defense. He has 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and a defensive touchdown in only three games. 

“Yeah, you know, I think it’s a combination,” Patriots DC Jerod Mayo said via Pro Football Talk. “I think, first of all, Jamie is a very smart guy. He’s able to recognize a lot of different things, a lot of different plays. He studies a lot of film, and he’s played well for us up until this point. So, he’s definitely a smart guy. I think that really helps him. As far as game planning is concerned, one week he’s on the outside, the next week he’s on the inside, so it goes back to his versatility, just being able to play different positions, and he’s making big plays at all of them. So, definitely great to have a guy like Jamie.”

• Patriots FB James Develin‘s neck injury, which caused the Patriots to put him on injured reserve, is not so severe that it will be season-ending, per NESN’s Doug Kyed.
• However, Develin could spend the rest of the year on injured reserve if the team chooses to bring back OT Isaiah Wynn and first-round WR N’Keal Harry instead. 
• All three are eligible to return but only two are allowed to come back by NFL rules. 
• According to Pro Football Talk, the Patriots did not pay the portion of former WR Antonio Brown‘s $9 million signing bonus that was due on Monday.
• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says the Patriots plan to withhold Brown’s signing bonus on the grounds of non-disclosure of his previous legal situation. 
• However, Breer says that could be undermined by the fact the Patriots played Brown in a game five days after the lawsuit was filed and they were aware of it.