AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• Per the Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia, Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds, WR John Brown, LB Matt Milano and LB Del’Shawn Phillips all missed practice. Edmunds was in a non-contact jersey. 

Dolphins

• Per the Athletic’s Josh Tolentino, Dolphins HC Brian Flores said they are taking it day-by-day with WR DeVante Parker and his hamstring injury. 
• However, Parker appeared to practice in full pads on Wednesday. (Adam Beasley)
• Parker and Dolphins CBs Xavien Howard (knee) and Byron Jones (Achilles) were all limited in practice. (Joe Schad)
• Dolphins LB Elandon Roberts is in the concussion protocol. (Tolentino)

Jets

• Per SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano, Jets HC Adam Gase said first-round LT Mekhi Becton will be limited in practice with a knee injury he picked up during the game: “We’re going to be careful with him.”
• Jets LB Avery Williamson (hamstring) will be pushed in practice and could return to the field this week if it goes well. (Connor Hughes)
• Jets fourth-round RB La’Mical Perine will work to the side and won’t be ready to return and help the Jets at the position this week. (Brian Costello)
• Gase said he gave RB Le’Veon Bell the benefit of the doubt on his hamstring injury Sunday because of “the kind of shape he’s in” and his “very high pain threshold,” but he still wishes he would have pulled him out: “That was an ugly play. He tried to gut it out. Like I said, I wish I would’ve taken him out at halftime. He’s a hard one to convince that that’s the right move.” (Rich Cimini)
• Gase noted they thought benching CB Pierre Desir for CB Nate Hairston on Sunday was the right move but they might not keep that lineup change this week: “At the time (the defensive coaches) felt that was the best move. … Now we start the week over. We practice. And the best guys are going to play.” (Vacchiano)
• Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said he has confidence in Gase but did say the loss in Week 1 was tough: “I’m really frustrated. Winning can’t happen fast enough.” (Vacchiano)
• Johnson called Gase a “brilliant offensive mind” and that he thinks the fans should have more confidence in him: “I feel like he has a lot more in him as a head coach than a lot of our fans give him credit for.”
• Johnson also defended Jets QB Sam Darnold: “I have so much confidence in Sam. I have every confidence he’ll turn into the quarterback we all expected him to be, shortly. I think he’s an absolutely sterling quarterback, I really do.”
• There’s no playoff mandate for Gase, as Johnson says he’ll judge the team on if it makes the “real progress” he expects: “I think we have a roster we can win with, if we stay healthy.”
• Johnson acknowledged he probably should have fired GM Mike Maccagnan and hired GM Joe Douglas sooner: “Do I wish I made the change earlier? Absolutely. No question I’ve made mistakes. That was one of them.”
• Johnson denied any sort of spending restrictions from ownership on Douglas: “I’ve given Joe complete discretion on how to put this team together.” (Cimini)
• Johnson told reporters it was “really sad” to see S Jamal Adams leave the team but the trade was “a deal Joe couldn’t refuse.” (Cimini)
• Regarding allegations of racist and sexist comments from the state department against Jets owner Woody Johnson, Christopher Johnson defended his brother: “He denied it publicly. He denied it to me.” (Cimini)

Patriots

Patriots’ C David Andrews is excited to be back on the football field after missing significant time due to having blood clots in his lungs.

“I think about this time last year when I didn’t know if I would ever be able to step back on a football field and then I think about what happened this spring and what we’re still dealing with, and I really didn’t know when the next time I would step back on would be so I am extremely grateful to get to play this game,” Andrews said, via Pro Football Talk. “God has been good to this kid from Georgia and this game has been really good to me, so I am just extremely thankful.”

• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer points out that had the Browns allowed Patriots OC Josh McDaniels to bring his own general manager, probably Patriots executive Dave Ziegler, he would have taken that job. As is, McDaniels should be a top coaching candidate again this offseason.