AFC Notes: Dolphins, Patriots, Titans

Dolphins

Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert knows exactly what HC Mike McDaniel is going to need from his running backs this season in Miami, as he is following McDaniel to Florida from the 49ers.

“It’s a wide zone from a typical run scheme, but we do a lot of inside zones,” Mostert said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “There are several different ways that we can attack the defense. When it comes to wide zone reads and stuff like that, you really have to just make your mark and that’s putting your foot in the ground and getting upfield. You can’t just be a running back in the league; you have also to understand the blocking scheme, and if a lot of running backs tell you differently then they’re foolish on their part. With this offense, you definitely have to understand the blocking scheme and the defensive front and how the linebackers overplay the run and how you counterbalance that.”

Patriots

The Patriots baffled a lot of people with their selection of QB Bailey Zappe in the fourth round despite just spending a first-round pick a year ago on Mac Jones. The thought was that pick could have been better used to build the team around Jones rather than on a backup. But former NFL GM Randy Mueller thinks that Zappe has a lot of traits that the Patriots’ system will accentuate. 

“Everyone’s criteria is always a little different, but what I saw is a guy who sees, anticipates and processes, all from the pocket, combined with some accuracy and the ability to make all the throws because he has plenty of arm,” Mueller said via ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “I’m not looking for 6-foot tall quarterbacks, per se, but he plays a lot bigger than that. The fact he has the vision and anticipation from the pocket; I’m not saying he’s Drew Brees or Russell Wilson or anything, but … he trends more in that line just because of that anticipatory skillset.”

• Mueller thinks the Patriots did right by going for the best player available rather than prioritizing need: “Everybody seems to want to fill needs throughout [the draft], but I’m more about getting the best group of players and not bypassing good players to fill needs. And I think Bailey was one of those guys, although I don’t think everyone sees that.”
• Patriots CB coach Mike Pellegrino says the competition at cornerback during training camp will be “wide open” between Jalen Mills, Malcolm Butler, Jonathan Jones, Terrance Mitchell, Shaun Wade, and third and fourth-round rookies Marcus Jones and Jack Jones, per Reiss. Myles Bryant, Joejuan Williams, and Justin Bethel are also on the roster. 

Titans

• Titans CEO Burke Nihill revealed that years of neglect at Nissan Stadium has given it the reputation as one of the worst in the league, with the team estimating it may cost $1.8 billion to repair the stadium. The lease on the stadium currently extends through 2039. (Jackie DelPilar)
• Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com expects that OL Dillon Radunz will compete for a starting job at right tackle or left guard after being selected by the team in the second round of the 2021 draft.