AFC Notes: Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• Vic Carucci of BuffaloNews.com expects that WR Stefon Diggs will continue to see a high amount of targets from QB Josh Allen this year, adding that the team will continue to work on their strong passing game.
• Carucci also has the mindset that the Bills will get an extension done with Allen prior to the start of the season, as continuing to wait has little benefit for either party. Carucci notes that there is a slim chance Allen provides Buffalo with any type of hometown discount.
• One player Carucci says would provide an upgrade is Eagles’ TE Zach Ertz. However, he also points out that the Bills are hardly desperate for offensive talent and would not make an over-the-top offer to Philadelphia in order to acquire the veteran tight end.

Jets

After opting out last year, Jets LB C.J. Mosley is excited to be back with the team and ready for the 2021 season.

“Like I said before, [I’m] just happy to be back in the building, happy to be back with teammates, be in the locker room, just to be around the new energy,” Mosley said, via Jets Wire. “I feel like what we’re doing right now is building a great foundation, something that we can build this team on and try to stack up wins and get to where we all want to go.”

Mosley has also been thoroughly impressed with new HC Robert Saleh and his coaching staff thus far.

“When he came in that’s one of the first things that you could feel was the positivity, the eagerness to win, the eagerness to learn, the eagerness to be around the players, and that’s what it’s been about this whole offseason program,” Mosley said. “A lot of new faces, a lot of new pieces to the puzzle coming in, and I think as a collective group we’ve done a great job of trying to get in as much work in the hours that allow in this offseason program.”

Patriots

Regarding the Patriots having veterans depart this offseason like G Joe Thuney, S Patrick Chung, WR Julian Edelman, and CB Jason McCourty, New England’s veteran S Devin McCourty said it’s an inevitable part of the game for players to “dwindle out” over time.

“Every year there’s change and you’re always going to see that,” McCourty said, via Bernd Buchmasser of PatsPulpit. “We had a great room, and a lot of guys that played here for a while. You can’t play football forever, so you’re going to see some of those guys kind of dwindle out. Obviously, it’s a little different when some of those guys have been here for so long and played so many games.”

McCourty added that there’s a different feeling this offseason without Edelman or his brother, Jason McCourty. 

“Obviously it’s different. I will say the different thing about this year, too, is guys like Chung and Jules; I’ve played with those guys for so long — obviously, J’s my twin brother and the last three years have been awesome — but it’s getting used to just that aspect of some of the guys that you don’t think twice about that you’re talking the field with. Jules had a few injuries through the years, and Chung not really,” McCourty said. “So, it’s like almost every time you’re at practice or a game, you just get used to seeing those guys. I think it shows age, when you’re still playing football. Things obviously change in this league, but I would say all those guys, kind of grouping them together has created a different atmosphere.”

McCourty is honoring his role as a leader and focusing on bringing together their younger and veteran players. 

“I think that’s the fun part about being a leader, being on a team for a while: now I’m trying to bring all of them together with new guys, young guys, veteran guys, and building a team,” McCourty said. “I think that’s what I’m trying to do, to help the guys out as much as I can.”