AFC Notes: Bills, Mike Gesicki, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Bills

• Bills GM Brandon Beane couldn’t provide any updates on S Jordan Poyer‘s contract situation: “No update. That’s probably the best I can say.” (Mike Giardi)

Dolphins

Dolphins GM Chris Grier revealed to the media that the team did not make any attempts to trade TE Mike Gesicki ahead of the roster cut deadline, with HC Mike McDaniel saying that Gesicki has done a good job of ignoring the outside noise this offseason.

“For us, we did not make any calls on Mike,” Grier said, via Pro Football Talk. “We had calls from two teams that reached out to us about Mike. We never made any phone calls about him. We were always — Mike was going to be here. I think everyone made a big deal about him being on the field, but Mike’s a competitive kid. He has been challenged to do some things he hadn’t been asked to do before and he stepped up. We were talking about the other day how the last couple of weeks he’s made some great strides in that area. So for us, it was never about moving him or us trying to. Teams called asking because he’s a good player. And so for us, you guys have heard me say it for years, I’ll always listen. It doesn’t mean we’ll do anything. I think it’s negligent if we don’t [answer the phone], because you never know what kind of deal someone’s going to offer you on someone.”

“The coolest thing too is there was noise that he is alluding to, and one of the cooler parts of training camp for me in general,” McDaniel added. “I made a point to the team the other day, was that do you know what Mike worried about in all that? About getting better at blocking and catching. Each and every day, he’s doing one or two things better to his standard of the way he wants his football to look. And that’s all you can ask for. That’s a guy that teammates and coaches and everyone respect — the ones that can ignore the noise and just try to get better.”

• Dolphins OLB Trey Flowers‘ one-year, $2.125 million deal included a $1 million signing bonus and a base salary of $1.125 million. (Over The Cap)

Jets

• Jets HC Robert Saleh said the team kept DB Ashtyn Davis due to his special teams ability and the way that he’s continuously improved: “First off, character…his overall body of work…Vital part of special teams…He’s still getting better.” (Zack Rosenblatt)
• Jets WR Denzel Mims said he’s going to try to prove to the team’s coaching staff that he belongs with the starters but feels their minds are already made up. (Brian Costello)
• Jets GM Joe Douglas said the team fielded calls for Mims but ultimately couldn’t find a trade partner that offered proper value: “We fielded some calls. Ultimately nothing materialized that we would consider the right value for a player of his talent or ability.” (Rosenblatt)
• Douglas understands Mims’ quarrel isn’t with the team, it’s with his lack of playing time: “I wouldn’t say he wants to be somewhere else. He wants to play.” (Rosenblatt)
• Douglas announced OT Mekhi Becton had a “very successful procedure” and the doctors performing the surgery felt good about his “long term ability to play football.” (Connor Hughes)
• Saleh said that QB Zach Wilson‘s development had come a long way prior to suffering a torn meniscus: “Before the injury he was way ahead of where he was a year ago. That first preseason game isn’t even close to what he’s been showing throughout camp.” (Rosenblatt)

Patriots

• The Athletic’s Chad Graff, who was previously a beat writer in Minnesota covering the Vikings, says that so far from watching Patriots QB Mac Jones he thinks there’s another level of upside to Jones’ game. Jones is often compared to Vikings QB Kirk Cousins.
• While Patriots CB Myles Bryant won the starting nickel job, Graff notes it was just by a hair and there’s a good chance third-round CB Marcus Jones sees time there at some point this season. 
• He adds the Patriots could also lean on their excellent depth at safety if Bryant and Jones aren’t up to the task.