AFC Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills edge rusher Mario Addison said the city of Buffalo “feels like home already” after he signed with the team in free agency this offseason.

“I already kinda liked Buffalo from the get-go,” Addison said, via Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic. “The coaching was very similar to what we had in Carolina. I liked competing against the offensive line. They were going hard. We were going hard and nobody was getting mad at one another and that made the whole thing fun. In my mind, to be able to compete with those guys at practice every day, I knew it would make me a better player and I’ll make those guys better.”

Free-agent addition DL Quinton Jefferson knows he has the ability to play both defensive end and defensive tackle, which he did during his time with the Seahawks.

“People ask me what position I play and I just say D-line,” Jefferson said. “I take pride in trying to learn the whole front. Coming in as a young guy in Seattle, my first year we had so many guys. My biggest thing was to be able to make this team, I have to play everything. If anybody needs to come out, I took pride in knowing I could go in and fill that void and there wouldn’t be a drop-off. It helped me develop through my years there.”

• Adam Caplan notes second-year OL Ryan Bates could play a significant role for the Bills this season.

Jets

Jets G Alex Lewis came to the defense of HC Adam Gase, who is reportedly a factor in S Jamal Adams‘ decision to request a trade. 

“I have mad respect for Coach Gase,” Lewis said on Instagram, via Mike Florio of NBC Sports. “We have phenomenal personnel in the building, on both offense and defense. We are building a winning culture and mentality from the top down. I believe in this staff, this organization, and most importantly my teammates. I realize everyone has a job to do, our jobs are multifaceted. In the locker room, training room, weight room, meeting room and on the field we are building a winning culture. I felt like all of this needed to be said on the heels of reading Manish Mehta’s article lumping all players in one mindset disparaging the head coach. I am proud to be a New York Jet.”

• ESPN’s Rich Cimini says while Jets GM Joe Douglas has publicly said he wants Adams to be “a Jet for life,” he hasn’t backed that sentiment up in contract negotiations, per a source. Adams is frustrated from a perceived lack of communication. 
• Jets WR coach Shawn Jefferson came within two picks of having the opportunity to coach his son, Van Jefferson, who was drafted by the Rams with the 57th pick two slots before New York took WR Denzel Mims: “My son was like, ‘Hey, dad, I hope I can become a Jet. I would love to play for you. He was excited. He really wanted to come and play for the Jets. As it started ticking down … we got a phone call and I was like, ‘Oh, man!’ At the same time, I was just sad. But at one point, I was elated and happy for him because he put in all the hard work. His childhood dream came to fruition.”
  
• Jets LB coach Frank Bush confirmed LB Avery Williamson will have the chance to compete for a roster spot instead of being a cap casualty coming off a torn ACL: “What we’ve got to do now is get him on the grass and assess what he truly is.” 

Patriots

The first two years of Patriots OT Isaiah Wynn‘s career have not gone as New England probably hoped. He was drafted in the first round in 2018 with the hope of transitioning to left tackle after playing guard in college, but an injury wiped out his entire rookie year. The injury bug bit Wynn again this past season when he had to go on injured reserve after two games. He hasn’t yet had the time on the field to work out all the kinks of switching positions, but retired Patriots OL coach Dante Scarnecchia revealed the Patriots think Wynn can still lock down the left tackle job. 

“Yes, he can. Absolutely. There was plenty of indications of that in the 6-7 games he started and played [after injury] last year. You see him do a lot of really good things,” Scarnecchia said on SiriusXM NFL Radio, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “We all knew when we took Isaiah, it was a very lean year for tackles. This year was so classic with that within the first round, six tackles got taken. … By the time Isaiah came to us, we went into that draft saying, ‘Look, there’s not that many tackles, and we need a tackle, so we need to be creative and maybe look outside the box for some things here.'”