AFC Notes: Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

• Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald says Dolphins’ HC Brian Flores is hopeful that rookie LT Austin Jackson will return in soon from a foot injury that caused him to go on injured reserve, and that he will be unable to practice in the following weeks.
• Flores also said rookie CB Noah Igbinoghene is not being used in the slot currently: “Noah’s playtime decreased a little, but we still have a lot of confidence in Noah. He’s a perimeter corner, which makes him the next guy in for Xavien Howard or Byron Jones, with Nik Needham and Jamal Perry in there in nickel. Sometimes people might interpret Nik playing over Noah, but they’re two different positions. Want to make that clear to everyone. Noah is a young player, still ascending.”
• When he was asked why rookie QB Tua Tagovailoa didn’t play during Sunday’s blowout, Flores said: “He will be ready to go when his number is called.”
• One rookie who has received more playing time in Miami is RB Lynn Bowden, with Flores giving credit to OC Chan Gailey: “I really let Chan handle the offensive side. I have a little bit of input. He’s still learning the nuances and techniques of the receiver. This is a work in progress. Chan has done a good job of developing players in the past.”
• As for RB Jordan Howard being inactive on Sunday, Flores added that it “was the best move for us for this particular game plan.”

Jets

• Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News says RB Le’Veon Bell‘s concerns with HC Adam Gase‘s gameplans date back to last season and he expressed misgivings privately to teammates. 
• Mehta adds Bell told friends this offseason he would consider requesting a trade if things didn’t improve this year but he viewed it as a last resort. 
• SNY Ralph Vacchiano writes the Jets were trying to trade Bell even before Sunday’s game and Bell’s passive-aggressive social media frustration over his usage afterward. 
• Jets’ QB Sam Darnold discussed his shoulder injury on Monday, but would not reveal whether or not he is playing on Sunday: “Obviously, I’m comfortable with Adam calling the plays. It’s been that way for a year and change now. Obviously, it’s his decision.” (Rich Cimini)
• Jets’ HC Adam Gase explained why rookie RB La’Mical Perine had no snaps on offense: “We just want to make sure he’s put in a good position where he can grow. You just don’t want to put too much on his plate too fast & kind of really stunt his growth at all.” (Mehta)

Patriots

• Per Pro Football Talk, Patriots HC Bill Belichick was again noncommittal on if the team would get back QB Cam Newton and CB Stephon Gilmore for Week 6 against the Broncos: “Yeah, I’m not sure exactly what the schedule is in terms of when those guys will do the things that they need to do. Again, some of that has to be scheduled outside of the building and so forth. So, I’ll leave that to the medical department. I don’t know exactly what their schedule is.”
• New England had no new COVID-19 test results from Monday’s round of testing and appears on track to play after the game was postponed from this past weekend.