AFC Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills OC Brian Daboll said fifth-round QB Jake Fromm must earn the trust of his teammates after racist text messages were revealed on Twitter earlier this week.  

“Jake spoke to the team yesterday and gave an apology to the texts that came out yesterday,” Daboll said, via Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. “He knows he has a lot of work to do to earn the trust of his teammates back and I’m a big believer of actions speak louder than words.”

Daboll said the Bills’ organization plans on working with Fromm on how to conduct himself on and off the field. 

“[We will] work with Jake on the responsibilities of being a Buffalo Bill on and off the field,” said Daboll. 

Daboll added that “actions speak louder than words” and Fromm must prove he’s “headed in the right direction.”

“Again, to me, actions speak louder than words, so time will tell. That’s what Jake’s going to have to do and time will tell. He’s just going to have to take it day by day and prove to all of us that he’s headed in the right direction. The players that we have in our building, the culture, the chemistry, I believe in those guys and, again, we’ll see as we go along.”

• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe thinks the Bills are positioned well to weather the unique challenges of the 2020 season given how much continuity they’re bringing back. 

Jets

• Brian Costello of the New York Post predicts the starting five for the Jets on the offensive line will be first-round rookie Mekhi Becton at left tackle, Alex Lewis at left guard, and free-agent acquisitions Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten and George Fant at center, right guard and right tackle, respectively. 
• That leaves Lewis as the lone starter in place from last season, though Jets G Brian Winters will compete with Van Roten to start at right guard. The Jets also have 2019 third-rounder Chuma Edoga as an option at right tackle. 

Patriots

Internally the Patriots have a lot of confidence in QB Jarrett Stidham as their presumptive starter this coming season. But externally there’s not a lot to go off of for the 2019 fourth-round pick who had just four passing attempts as a rookie. Hall of Fame QB Kurt Warner knows what it’s like to come out of anonymity to stardom, going from bagging groceries to becoming one of the NFL’s most prolific passers. He says achieving consistency will be the biggest thing for Stidham.

“There’s a big unknown there. That’s the bottom line,” Warner said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I watched Jarrett in college and saw a quarterback who was kind of up and down, all over the place from a consistency standpoint. You, of course, saw the talent. So what I’m looking for, and really what I’m always looking for at that position, is consistency.

“What that looks like can be different. Think back to when Tom was younger, and Tom was consistent, but he wasn’t consistently great, so to speak. He wasn’t putting up 300 yards and three touchdowns a week. But he was consistently solid in making the right decisions and not putting the team in harm’s way, allowing the people around him to play well, and him managing games.”

• Reiss says to keep an eye on WR Damiere Byrd, who signed with New England during free agency this offseason. He’s been working out with both quarterbacks and brings a much-needed speed element to the Patriots receiving corps. 
• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe thinks the Patriots are positioned well to weather the unique challenges of the 2020 season given how much continuity they’re bringing back — even without QB Tom Brady.