AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• Jeremy Fowler of ESPN mentions that Steelers QB Mitchell Trubisky could be a good fit for a team like the Dolphins, who could use a reliable backup behind concussion-riddled QB Tua Tagovailoa, in the event he’s released this offseason. 

• According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Dolphins requested permission to interview Chargers assistant secondary coach Tom Donatell for their secondary coach position. 

Jets

• According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, while several high-ranking members of the Jets zeroed in on QB Zach Wilson early in the draft process in 2021, there was some dissent in the organization. 
• Cimini writes that GM Joe Douglas, obviously the most important voice, was sold on Wilson, with assistant GM Rex Hogan and OC Mike LaFleur also big fans. Cimini’s sources say their dissent was essentially drowned out: “[LaFleur], along with Rex Hogan, were in 2021 draft meetings selling the narrative that there was a legit argument Wilson was better than [No. 1 overall pick] Trevor Lawrence. [Some of us], we’re like, ‘What the f—?!’ It’s one thing to like a player; it’s another to pump a prospect up higher than he actually is.”
• At the time, Cimini adds the organization was also on board with having Wilson start out of the gates and play through his growing pains, as opposed to competing with a veteran or sitting behind one. This past season, multiple people with the team admitted that was a mistake. 
• Wilson never found his footing in his second season and got worse as the season went along, per Cimini, particularly in practice behind the scenes. The team privately admitted he fell short in the leadership department at times, including his media comments that were the final straw in his benching. 
• Wilson’s confidence, already shaky, completely fell apart after that, especially when players publicly rallied behind backup QB Mike White. One player told Cimini: “He may not be as vocal as some may like. [He] has tools of greatness. He just has to believe that himself.”
• Cimini mentions that even when the Jets were winning to start the season, there was a lot of frustration with Wilson, especially from the wide receivers. Some complained privately about him and others in the organization think that was the source of WR Elijah Moore‘s early-season blowup when he requested a trade, though sources told Cimini Moore tried to avoid throwing Wilson under the bus publicly. 
• If there’s a silver lining here, Cimini says it’s that the team has never questioned Wilson’s work ethic despite any reports to the contrary, and he’ll have the chance to try and fix his issues and develop behind the scenes in 2023. 

Patriots

Cardinals OT Kelvin Beachum shared what the Patriots are getting with new OL coach Adrian Klemm, who played briefly for New England before transitioning into coaching. He was Beachum’s position coach in college. 

“He loves the game, but at the same time preaches violence,” said Beachum via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “A lot of the things he teaches are the principles he learned when playing for [Patriots legendary OL coach] Dante Scarnecchia. He wants players who want to be around the game. That’s starting to change with NIL. He’ll say, ‘You can’t just be a guy. You have to play the game the right way.’ A lot of who I am, and what I stand for, is from the foundation he laid for me at SMU.”

• Reiss notes Klemm left his job with the Steelers as their OL coach in 2021 with two games to go in the season because he didn’t mesh with OC Matt Canada and HC Mike Tomlin knew he wasn’t going to bring him back in 2022, so he let him leave early.