AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Elijah Moore

Bills

Bills QB Josh Allen said recently acquired RB Nyheim Hines has made a strong first impression since joining the team. 

“One play, me and Stef [Diggs] looked at each other like, ‘Holy crap, this guy is fast,’” Allen said, via ProFootballTalk. “He’s smart, he’s already learning some of the plays and our system is not easy to learn. There’s still a lot of work there, but as far as what he can give this offense, it’s fun to have a piece like that.”

• Bills GM Brandon Beane said they have briefly talked to free-agent WR Odell Beckham Jr.‘s agent: “We’ve talked a little to his agent, we will see where it goes.”  (Kevin Massare)

Dolphins

• The Dolphins got a lot of praise for their moves at the trade deadline, specifically the blockbuster deal for OLB Bradley Chubb. One GM for another team told Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post: “If Chubb can stay healthy, he will be a difference-maker for them. The price wasn’t steep at all.”
• A different GM was more skeptical, pointing out the Dolphins will pay at the bargaining table. He ended up signing a deal worth $22 million a year in new money on Thursday: “With Chubb you can say you’ll tag him, but the agent still has all the leverage. I would not want to be in a position where I gave that up — especially a [first-round pick] — without cost certainty moving forward.”
• The Athletic’s Jeff Howe surveyed other NFL decision-makers about the trade deadline and most liked the Dolphins’ moves. One GM for another team said about the deal for Chubb and RB Jeff Wilson: “Adding a pass rusher for a team in win-now mode is always huge, and I think Wilson is an underrated back. He runs so damn hard for his size.”
• NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero writes Chubb’s five-year deal can be worth up to $111.25 million through a $250,000 annual incentive for being named to the Pro Bowl. 

Jets

After Sunday’s game, Jets WR Elijah Moore elaborated on his current situation with the team and regrets causing a distraction with his trade request.

“What happened with me, I can’t change that,” Moore told the New York Post. “I only wish it didn’t cause so much of a distraction for my teammates. It is what it is. There are some things behind the scenes that a lot of people don’t know about. Not all necessarily bad, but just a lot of conversations that need to stay in-house.”

“I didn’t really impact anything,” Moore added. “It’s not about that. I prepared the week the best I could. Whenever my name is called I try to do my best. That’s all that matters. This is like a legacy. I love football a lot. That’s the part I wish I could’ve kept internalized. I still stand on it not being about me. It’s just the way this business is. [Media] can say what you want, write what you want. At the end of the day, everyone is going to move in the best way that they can for each individual. I’ve got a family to feed, too.”

Jets GM Joe Douglas said that he had a “one-on-one conversation” with Moore and thinks he still has a “bright future” in New York. 

“We love Elijah,” Douglas said, via NFL.com. “We all stood on the table to take him high in the second round last year, and we think the world of him. Obviously, we’re a football family and anytime there’s an issue, we like to handle that in-house. But I was able to have a really good one-on-one conversation with Elijah. We think the world of him; we think he has a bright future as a New York Jet.”

Douglas added that the organization, including HC Robert Saleh, has a duty to improve the relationship with Moore. 

“Look, obviously we always have to do what’s right for the team, but we always have open and honest communication and lay out expectations,” Douglas said. “Coach Saleh and his staff, no one does that better in terms of communication, expectation, laying out the roadmap to success for every player. I think it starts and stops there.”

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer writes the Jets internally are perplexed about the situation with Moore, as they had very little indication based on his pre-draft character evaluation that he’d make a stink about not getting the ball. 
• Multiple teams had Moore projected as a future team captain and a high-value locker room presence, but a Jets source told Breer: “[It’s just] The world we live in.”
• Jets OC Mike LaFleur said Moore’s limited role in Week 8 was because they wanted to get WR Denzel Mims more action. However, LaFleur added they will get Moore involved: “We’ll continue to incorporate Elijah.” (Zack Rosenblatt)