AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler mentions the Colts, as well as other teams, could be waiting until after wildcard weekend to request interviews with guys like Bills DC Leslie Frazier, Bengals OC Brian Callahan and Bengals DC Lou Anarumo.  
• Bills S Micah Hyde says the doctors will decide if he is able to play in round one of the playoffs: “When the day comes that I get the OK, I’m gonna give it a go.” (Joe Buscaglia)

Dolphins

• ESPN’s Pete Thamel reports Florida State is set to hire Dolphins’ defensive assistant Patrick Surtain as their new secondary coach. 
• Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said it was “compounding variables” not any setbacks that led to QB Tua Tagovailoa being ruled out Sunday against the Bills: “I’m just thinking about his day and getting to full health as a human being.” (Cameron Wolfe)
• McDaniel on QB Teddy Bridgewater: “He needs to be able to rip it in time to get some work with his teammates. … That’s not really even his objective. He’s really focusing on being able to come through if needed. He knows on the front end he’s not going to be able to get that many reps.” (Adam Beasley)
• Dolphins LT Terron Armstead revealed he was advised to get surgery on his foot in Week 1 which would have cost him the entire season and elected to play through the injury. (Beasley)

Jets

• ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes the Jets appear to be torn on the status of OC Mike LaFleur. He could either end up as the fall guy for New York’s offensive struggles or the Jets could hire a senior offensive assistant to help him more directly. 

Patriots

• The Athletic’s Chad Graff lists some potential offensive coordinator replacements for the Patriots, noting HC Bill Belichick values trust and familiarity over almost anything else, as evidenced by hiring Matt Patricia for the job in 2022. 
• With that in mind, Alabama OC Bill O’Brien seems like one of the top options, but Graff adds current TE coach Nick Caley, RB coach Troy Brown and even assistant Joe Judge are also options. 
• If Belichick went outside the building, Graff lists former Cardinals HC Kliff Kingsbury, Dolphins WR coach Wes Welker, Browns passing game coordinator Chad O’Shea and Ravens TE coach George Godsey as options who have worked for Belichick in the past. 
• Someone like former Jets HC Adam Gase could also be an option, per Graff, as he’s worked for both Alabama HC Nick Saban and Raiders HC Josh McDaniels, both of whom Belichick respects. 
• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes he thinks O’Brien would be on board with the idea of coming to New England and perhaps being an in-house candidate to replace Belichick down the line. 
• Breer adds he gets the sense Kingsbury is more likely to take a year off from coaching and recharge. 
• ESPN’s Dan Graziano notes it would be surprising if Patricia and Judge were outright fired but there’s a good chance they could be reassigned to other positions on the staff. 
• Belichick on the suspension of P Jake Bailey: “He’s not eligible to play…he was designated for return and he wasn’t able to play. So, the suspension is a whole other thing. But he wasn’t able to come back. He was unavailable. That’s the bottom line.” (Zack Cox)
• Belichick said Bailey and CB Jack Jones, who was also suspended, have been contributors to the team and said that both have a future with the organization. (Jim McBride)
• Patriots WR Jakobi Meyers gave a recap of his season: “I’ve been kind of hurt all year, so I’m just more so excited to get healthy, get a little rest, see my family. That’s probably the biggest thing. After that, I’ll probably figure out what’s next for me.” (Cox)