AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson points out that the biggest question mark of the Dolphins upcoming offseason is who will man the left tackle spot for the foreseeable future. Jackson feels the team will likely turn to free agency and spend more assets in an attempt to shore up the offensive line, as second-round OT Liam Eichenberg has graded out as the worst offensive tackle in the NFL.
• He adds the Dolphins also appear to have decided that former first-round OT Austin Jackson is a better fit inside at guard.
• In addition to left tackle, Jackson points out that inside linebacker would be another position the team could choose to spend big on in free agency.

Jets

Jets HC Robert Saleh said he doesn’t know if QB Zach Wilson will play this week.

“He’s still dealing with stuff,” Saleh said, via Rich Cimini. “I know we worked him out pretty hard [Sunday] morning, so we’ll see how that went. He’s getting better every day, so we’ll see where he is at from an injury standpoint again before we make any decisions.”

Jets QB Mike White said he will not complain when Wilson gets the starting job back.

“I’ll support him just like the first couple weeks of the season,” White said. “I want to see him do well. He’s a good kid and he works his butt off. He’s been working his butt off in his rehab and staying engaged and coming to meetings and staying engaged on the field when he wasn’t able to practice. Whatever my job is, I’m going to do it to the best of my ability, 100 percent.”

Patriots

After a 2-4 start that had many writing off the 2021 season as another rebuilding and transition year for the Patriots, New England has now rattled off four straight wins to get to 6-4 and fully in the thick of the playoff race in a crowded AFC. Patriots TE Hunter Henry, new to the team this year, says that’s a testament to the culture in New England engineered by HC Bill Belichick.

“The Patriot Way is real,” Henry said via Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “It definitely is. It’s guys’ coming together to do one job and that’s to win a football game, whatever that takes. There’s not an individual that’s above anybody else, and so it’s just a team atmosphere that comes together. It’s a fun locker room to be in. It’s a lot of good guys, a blend of young guys, new guys, old guys that have been here, that kinda know the way about things. It’s a good blend, and a lot of fun to be a part of.”