AFC Notes: Dolphins, Deshaun Watson, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques reports a source denied the Dolphins and Texans are currently talking about a trade for QB Deshaun Watson: “Rumors are false.”
• According to ESPN’s Ed Werder, Watson’s camp believes the quarterback will be eligible to play immediately given there is no new evidence against him in his ongoing sexual assault case and the league has not taken any action so far. 
• PFN’s Tony Pauline says there are people inside the Dolphins’ organization who have given up on QB Tua Tagovailoa and don’t believe he’s the answer for them at the position. 
• He adds he’s heard that 81-year-old owner Stephen Ross “needs and wants” to win immediately and might not care about sacrificing future draft capital if it dramatically improves the team in the short term. 
• If the Dolphins decide to trade CB Xavien Howard, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell thinks the Titans make perfect sense as a trade partner. He outlines a potential deal, which would involve the Titans sending their first-round pick in 2022 and a second-round pick in 2023 for Howard and Miami’s second-round pick in 2022. 
• This deal would bolster Tennessee’s secondary and help them keep their contending window open at the cost of just a future second and perhaps 10-15 slots of draft position, while adding assets to Miami for a player that will be difficult to keep going forward. 

Jets

Jets second-round WR Elijah Moore looked like one of the best players from a talented group of rookie wideouts during training camp. Since the start of the season, though, Moore has lagged behind nearly everyone from the rest of his draft class in terms of production. He still believes it’s “only a matter of time” until that breakout game happens and Jets HC Robert Saleh thinks Moore is getting better as they admittedly play him out of position as an outside receiver instead of in the slot. 

“The great thing is that he’s still getting on the field,” Saleh said via the Athletic’s Connor Hughes. “Yeah, we want to get the ball in his hands more, of course we do, but the positive taking out of this is that he is getting these reps, he is getting game action, he’s going through the rigors of an offensive game, he’s getting hit, he’s having to block, he’s getting experience, all of it. So, he’s getting better and there’s visual evidence when you watch tape. He is in a position to create a lot of explosive plays, it’s just, like I’ve said, there are defenses, there’s protection, there’s an opportunity that just needs to be taken advantage of and eventually it’s going to happen.”

• Jets S Marcus Maye says he has not requested a trade and wants to continue playing in New York next season. (D.J. Bien-Aime)

Patriots

Patriots OC Josh McDaniel didn’t question HC Bill Belichick‘s decision to punt on 4th-and-3 in their Week 6 overtime loss to the Cowboys. 

“I think those are tough decisions. Certainly if you go for it and it works out, everybody…it’s you’re a genius. If you go for it and it doesn’t work you were too risky and cost the team,” McDaniels said, via Andy Hart of WEEI. “Offensively, as an offensive coach, you always want to, you always kinda want to go for it even when it kind of is against the rational decisions. But you don’t always get a chance to do that. We’re going to prepare each week for third and fourth down like we do and if those opportunities present themselves and we’re given the chance to do it then we have to go out there and make those decisions the right decisions offensively.”

McDaniels mentioned that it was Belichick’s call to punt on fourth down. 

“If he tells us to do anything we’re going to do it,” McDaniels said. “Yeah, whatever Bill decides in those situations we have to do a good job of being able to execute our part of it whether we are going for it or not.”