AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• Dolphins HC Brian Flores said WR Will Fuller has returned to the team after an excused absence due to personal reasons last week. (Armando Salguero)
• Flores added the team is still running tests on QB Tua Tagovailoa‘s injured ribs. (Joe Schad)
• Flores did say Tagovailoa will play on Sunday if cleared: “If Tua can go, he’s gonna go. That’s the kind of kid he is.” (Marcel Louis-Jacques)
• Flores said the Dolphins will consider altering their offensive line combination. (Schad)
• Flores called out LT Austin Jackson as one of the players who has to improve: “He’s got to play better … and he’s not alone.” (Louis-Jacques)
• On WR Jakeem Grant and OL Jesse Davis, Flores is optimistic they will be ready: “Hopefully we’ll see them out there on Wednesday. Nothing too too serious with either guy.” (Barry Jackson)
• Jackson reports Grant’s injury is a sprained ankle.

Jets

Jets QB Zach Wilson said he knows he has to play better situational football after tossing an ugly four interceptions in a loss to the Patriots in Week 2.

“I just have to remember the situation I’m in,” Wilson said, via Ralph Vacchiano. “I’m an important piece in this whole thing. How can I just keep learning and getting better?”

Jets HC Robert Saleh added Wilson has to learn that he doesn’t need to be flashy all the time.

“When you have a rookie quarterback, it’s just having confidence that it’s OK to play a boring game of football,” Saleh said. “That’s really it. He is an electric dude, he’s competitive as crap and he wants to win so bad. But sometimes it’s OK to be boring. That’s probably the biggest lesson we can take out of this one.”

Patriots

Patriots first-round QB Mac Jones said following the team’s win over the Jets that he feels good about the win, while acknowledging that there’s still plenty for him to work on.

“I think it feels good,” Jones said, via PFT. “Obviously, it’s hard to, it’s just what everyone is saying, it is hard to win in the NFL. We’ve played two games and won one and lost one, you got to take it for what it’s worth and we’ll get better. I think everybody, including anybody that’s watch the game can agree that the offense can play better, and we will. The defense did a great job creating the turnovers. We talk about it all the time, playing together, complimenting one another, offense, defense and special teams. On offense, I think we definitely feel blessed to win but at the same time you got to take it for what it’s worth and move on and try to correct the things that we need to work on.”

• Patriots HC Bill Belichick said he thinks the team will be okay with its current options at right tackle without shifting OL Michael Onwenu over. New England has Trent Brown who’s dealing with a calf injury, plus Yasir Durant and Justin Herron behind him: “I think we’re all right here. We’ve got three players that have played it. I think they’ve all done some good things.” (Mike Reiss)