AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets

Bills

Pegula Sports and Entertainment senior vice president Ron Raccuia said the Buffalo Bills “absolutely will not” renew the lease with their current stadium. They currently have two years left on the agreement. 

“No, we absolutely will not,” said Racculia, via NYUp.com.

Raddulia reiterated that they are “not even focused” on renewal and want to finalize a deal for a new stadium. 

“We’re not even focused on that, yet,” said Raccuia. “We’re just committed to getting everybody together as quickly as possible to get to a solution. Talking about options and what happens if, that serves no purpose. It’s not where any of our focus or resources are being dedicated.”

Dolphins

Former NFL scout Matt Williamson tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the “jury is still very much out” on Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa heading into the 2021 season.

“I loved him coming out of Alabama. The narrative has been way too hard on this guy. A year ago, we weren’t sure he was going to play his rookie year. He had no preseason, no proper way of developing like rookie quarterbacks do. A lot of people say Tua is not the guy and even though I wasn’t impressed [in 2020], that’s extremely premature,” Williamson said, via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “Some of the things I didn’t love is he’s not a real twitchy athlete. He’s not a real powerful player, not a quick-twitch guy. That worries me a little bit. I don’t think his tools are overwhelming. People think he’s a better athlete than he is. He’s fine but not an upper-tier athlete. He’s not going to be Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson who can consistently make something happen out of nothing. The jury is still very much out. But let’s put a lot around this young guy and we’ll run with it and know what we have.”

As for Miami’s offensive line outlook for the season, including LT Austin Jackson and OL Robert Hunt, Williamson believes they are in “a lot better shape” than they were last year. 

“I thought it was amongst the worst in the league last year. We knew Austin Jackson wouldn’t yield immediate results, that he would take a little time,” Williamson said. “I thought Robert Hunt was better than I expected. I have no problem moving him to right guard, but I thought he did really well there at the right tackle. [Rookie] Liam Eichenberg is a leadoff double: super safe. Notre Dame guys perform at this level. Arms are a little short for a tackle, but I think he will be a very solid starter, maybe at guard when all is said and done. It wouldn’t shock me if Hunt goes back to right tackle at some point and Eichenberg goes to right guard. The Dolphins are one star away on that line. It would be nice if they find one big difference-maker; I’m not sure who the stars are on that line. But they’re in a lot better shape than they were.”

Jets

Jets HC Robert Saleh commented on the workout of troubled LB Reuben Foster, classifying it as an “emergency list” workout rather than an indication the team was signing Foster.

“I know Reuben,” Saleh said during a press conference on Thursday. “Bringing him out here for a workout is exactly what it is: it’s a workout. And the level of interest will be judged on that workout. It’s nothing more, nothing less. I know him personally and I can assure you that we would never bring somebody to this organization that we didn’t think would represent it in the right way.”