AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jaguars, Patriots

Dolphins

Dolphins LT Laremy Tunsil said the biggest change under new HC Brian Flores has been “discipline” and is already commanding respect from “a lot of players.” 

“Discipline. Every little thing he do is about discipline. And a lot of players respect that,” said Tunsil, via Tom Pelissero.

Tunsil added that he enjoys “being the underdog” and believes teams around the NFL think the Dolphins are “rebuilding”. 

“I love being the underdog. I love when people think we’re rebuilding and we’re just going to come out and beat some ass,” said Tunsil, via Pelissero.

Jaguars

The Jaguars signed G Andrew Norwell to a massive five-year, $66.5 million contract last year, but he was unable to live up to his deal in his first year with Jacksonville.

Norwell mentions that injuries factored into his disappointing 2018 season, but he says he’s “not going to let my teammates down like that again.”

“It’s no excuse, but it wasn’t my healthiest season,” Norwell said, via The Florida Times-Union. “I battled through it and ultimately had a significant injury there and that ended my season. I was very disappointed. I’m not going to let my teammates down like that again.”

“I was my same self,” Norwell added. “I just struggled through some injuries the whole year. I really just couldn’t get healthy. I wasn’t practicing consistently every week. It was just pretty tough on me. You know what? That’s why you fall back on your fundamentals and work hard. What got me here, you just fall back on that.”

• Jaguars HC Doug Marrone mentioned that first-round DE Josh Allen would “technically” be ready for minicamp next week but also probably won’t return until training camp. (Phillip Heilman)
• According to Marrone, rookie RB Ryquell Armstead has a “slight hamstring” injury and is not expected back until training camp. (Phillip Heilman)
• Per Michael DiRocco, Terrelle Pryor‘s contract with the Jaguars is a one-year deal worth $930,000 and carries a cap figure of $645,000 for the 2019 season.

Patriots

• Albert Breer doesn’t think the Patriots are done addressing the tight end position. 
• Whether it’s trying to convince Rob Gronkowski to return or pursuing a trade for Vikings TE Kyle Rudolph, Breer would be surprised if there wasn’t more moves made at the position. 
• Breer expects New England to lean on running backs and receivers more in 2019, which should give Julian Edelman a pretty good shot to reach his contractual incentives.
• Patriots G Joe Thuney continued to work at left tackle in the absence of Isaiah Wynn and likely will be the backup at that spot during the regular season if the team doesn’t add anyone else. (Doug Kyed)