AFC Notes: James Cook, Aaron Rodgers, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

Bills

Bills OC Joe Brady commented on RB James Cook and the hard work he has put in so far this offseason after finishing fourth in the league in rushing yards in 2023.

“You can look at him and can tell he put in a lot of work this offseason,” Brady said of Cook, via Pro Football Talk. “He looks different — in a good way. So, I’m excited to see the kind of run style that he plays with this season.”

“I think a lot of that is kind of we’ll see,” Brady added. “We’ll see how [he does], as he’s kind of going with it. We feel confident in the room that we have that whoever is playing running back and carrying the football, they’re going to do a damn good job. With regards to setting a certain target number, I think a lot of that is just kind of seeing how his body holds up throughout the season, what he can do. It’s the same thing for the running back position, we’re going to figure out which runs those guys do a good job of and kind of put them in those positions.”

• Brady had high praise for new WR Curtis Samuel: “The more Curtis Samuels on your football team, the better.” (Bills’ YouTube)

Dolphins

Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa is one of the next franchise quarterbacks who is due for an extension. Tagovailoa admitted he’s aware of the other contracts that have been handed out this offseason and noted the progress they have had on a potential deal. 

“I’m not blind to people that are in my position, who are getting paid,” Tagovailoa said, via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques. “Am I concerned about it? I’m not concerned about it, but there’s a lot of discussion that we’ve had. We’re just trying to move that thing in the right direction to where everyone can be happy.”

“I think there’s been a lot of progress at this point, from where we started there’s been a lot of progress. You can ask the other question of, ‘Why aren’t we seeing an agreement?’ Well, that’s the tough part about it. That’s why it’s business.”

Jets

Jets HC Robert Saleh acknowledged that QB Aaron Rodgers is full-go at practice and touched on his excitement to have his quarterback return.

“He’s doing everything. He has no restrictions, and he looks good,” Saleh said, via the Associated Press. “The arm talent is obviously still there. It’s really just reacclimating to everything. We’re trying a bunch of new stuff, too. It’s just trying to evolve within the offense.”

• Despite his absence at voluntary OTAs, Saleh expects DE Haason Reddick to attend mandatory minicamp: “Haason’s a pro. He’s been in this league a while, he’s produced at a very high level for a long time. He’s got his routine. If it makes people feel better, we know where he’s at, we know what he’s doing, we know he’s working his tail off to get where he needs to get to to have a productive ’24 season.” (SNYJets)