AFC Notes: Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett, Skylar Thompson, Bills, Dolphins, Patriots

Bills

Bills HC Sean McDermott said WRs Curtis Samuel and Marquez Valdes-Scantling both have a good chance to be ready for the season opener.

“I feel like those two, from what I’ve heard so far, have a real good chance of being back, just not committing to it yet,” McDermott said, via PFT.

Dolphins

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel outlined QB Skylar Thompson‘s improvement this camp after he won the backup job behind QB Tua Tagovailoa over QB Mike White.

“I see a better quarterback now than I did at the beginning of camp, than last year and the year before . . . I see teammates believe in him,” McDaniel said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “How do you respond to adversity, and how do you make a play when one isn’t there. I wasn’t surprised by what I saw from Skylar. . . . We don’t need an experienced guy. We can go with a guy who has a high ceiling. I think this particular QB room we can go with a young guy, an old guy or just a good guy.”

• McDaniel is happy with where C Aaron Brewer is in his recovery from an undisclosed injury but wouldn’t commit to a definite timeline. (Marcel Louis-Jacques)

Patriots

• Patriots HC Jerod Mayo mentioned QB Jacoby Brissett would have been able to continue playing after getting injured in their final preseason game but they only planned to play him one series. (Doug Kyed)
• Mayo on starting a rookie QB: “We’ve all seen the horror stories of rookie quarterbacks getting thrown to the wolves and falling apart.” (Mark Daniels)
• Regarding the QB competition, Mayo stated there was a large gap between first-rounder Drake Maye and Brissett early on but it has shrunk over the last couple weeks. (Kyed)
• He continued on the battle: “It’s a true competition, and I would say at this current point, Drake has outplayed Jacoby. Now, we have to take in the full body of work going way back to the spring and the beginning of training camp, and we’ll see where we end up.” (Kyed)
• Mayo was asked if they did enough to address their offensive line this offseason: “We felt like we found the best o-lineman in free agency in Big Mike… We have an opportunity to improve our team through the waiver wire.” (Daniels)
• With New England having the third-best waiver claim spot, Mayo implied they could make important moves this week: “The starting guard or the starting tackle may not be on the team today.” (Chris Mason)
• Mayo thinks highly of second-round WR Ja’Lynn Polk and specifically raved about his leadership ability. (Daniels)
• Per Josina Anderson, “there are sentiments within the building” that the Patriots should stick with Brissett to start the year because of his experience. Anderson adds no official decision has been made yet. 
• Brissett said missing time after suffering a shoulder injury in their recent preseason game was a “precautionary measure” and is ready for Week 1: “It’s good. I think it was more of a precautionary measure… I’m fine. I haven’t got hit in 8 months so it kinda surprised me more than anything. But I feel good. Excited. Ready for the season.” (Chris Mason)