AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Despite getting shredded in the AFC Championship game, the Bills didn’t make many moves of note in their secondary, choosing instead to focus resources on the defensive line. That left Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson to compete for the No. 2 corner job this summer. Bills GM Brandon Beane essentially said they thought those two were better than any of the other options available to them. 

“We thought it was a good battle between Levi Wallace and Dane Jackson,” Beane said via the Athletic’s Tim Graham. “Unfortunately, both of them got nicked up there a little bit in the preseason. We had to get them through the last game. They both played for us in real games, and they’ve both done a good job, and we like where they’re at. We think they both had a good offseason. We didn’t feel there was anything out there better than what these guys are going to bring us. But, again, we’ll always look at all positions. If we thought there was a better solution, we would’ve made that move.”

Beane also explained what went into their decision to sign QB Mitchell Trubisky as a backup, saying he essentially was a better match to starting QB Josh Allen than previous backups. 

“I don’t know if anybody has Josh’s arm, but Mitch has a strong arm,” Beane said. “[Bills OC] Brian Daboll does not have to alter the menu, so to speak, when Mitch comes in the game versus Matt Barkley, who was just more of a pocket passer. Nothing wrong with that, but we just found when talking with Mitch’s agent, they weren’t fired up about the other opportunities they had. They thought they would have different opportunities, but they weren’t places they were fired up about. So we offered this as an option, and we’re excited he chose us. He had people recruiting him hard. He definitely had a choice, and he chose to come here.”

Dolphins

• Dolphins WR Mack Hollins said not to read too much into QB Tua Tagovailoa not getting a captaincy: “I know the questions are probably going to come like why isn’t he a captain? Just because you’re a QB or just b/c you’re this doesn’t mean you have to be the captain…Tua is an excellent leader, an exceptional leader.” (Michael Giardi)
• Dolphins HC Brian Flores said LT Austin Jackson and TE Adam Shaheen remain away from the team due to COVID-19 and they are preparing as if neither will be available for Week 1. (Adam Beasley)

Jets

Jets second-round WR Elijah Moore said he’s playing with the mentality of becoming “the best” receiver in the NFL. 

“I came here with the mentality of wanting to be the best,” Moore said, via Mike Cannizzaro of the New York Post. 

Jets HC Robert Saleh said Moore already has a veteran presence around their locker room. 

“He’s kind of like an old soul, [like] he’s been here for five or six years already,” Saleh said.

Saleh mentioned that Moore is proving to be a quick learner who “doesn’t make the same mistake twice.” 

“We went through practice on Wednesday and Thursday and introduced some schemes, and he made some mistakes on Wednesday, and boom, they were gone on Thursday,” Saleh said. “He doesn’t make the same mistake twice. He’s a quick learner, he’s always trying to find an edge.”

Moore said that he was raised to always push to achieve “a little more.” 

“People are always going to put limits on you … as long as you don’t put limits on yourself,” Moore said. “I’ve been told since I was a kid that I’ve always got to do a little more.”

• Saleh said the team was confident about taking QB Zach Wilson at No. 2 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft early in the process and made the decision to trade Sam Darnold to Carolina only after receiving an “offer they couldn’t refuse.” (Connor Hughes)
• Saleh indicated that the Jets starting linebackers are C.J. Mosley and rookies Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen. (Hughes) 
• Jets WR Corey Davis said he wasn’t surprised to see Wilson named captain: “He’s ready to lead.” (Hughes)

Patriots

Patriots S Devin McCourty said their defense will “figure it out” at cornerback while CB Stephon Gilmore (quad) recovers on the Physically Unable to Perform list. 

“When Steph’s ready, and he’s healthy, he’ll be back out there,” McCourty said, via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. “And when that time comes, we’ll figure it out. For right now, we’ve been going with the guys who have been on the field since training camp started. We’ve been doing what we have to do, and I think we’ll continue to do that. . . . For right now, what we got out there, we feel good about, and we just gotta go play to it.”