Bills 

The Bills enter the season after losing 33-30 to the Broncos in the AFC Divisional Round. Josh Allen said he still thinks about a missed pass to TE Dawson Knox in the fourth quarter of the playoff loss. 

“That throw that I missed to Dawson Knox on the two-minute drive in the fourth quarter,” Allen said, via Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “That last play, I don’t know if I would have changed anything about it. I gave it a good rip, the guy makes a good play and sometimes you’re going to have to live with that. And that’s where, again, you put your best stuff out there and if it doesn’t go your way, you keep your head up, your chin high, and you can live with it. And there’s a couple of plays in that game where I felt like I gave my best effort; I just didn’t get the best result. So I’m just trying to do what I can to find a way to get the best result.”

Despite the loss, Allen thinks he peaked at the right time in the season. 

“Honestly, the last game is not what you want to see,” Allen said. “But peaking at the end there, felt like I was throwing it really well. Mechanically, I’m still trying to find a good spot to be in. And I feel like I’m throwing it really well right now, but I can still improve on it, being in a better spot when the ball’s coming out of my hands, with a little bit more control. It’s just things you got to clean up.”

As for playing under first-year HC Joe Brady, Allen said he is “embracing the change.” 

“When there are live bullets, and you’re out in practice, and sometimes you revert to those old ways, it’s not that it’s wrong, but I got to tell myself and keep reminding myself that this change is going to help me,” Allen said. “And it’s just like anything else, right? It’s a microcosm of what else is going on in my life, with a new baby, a new wife, a new coach, a new stadium, new everything. So I’m just embracing the change as we move on.”

Jets 

The Jets go into the regular season with Blake Grupe set to start at kicker, while veteran K Jason Sanders remains on the practice squad. New York HC Aaron Glenn said he isn’t concerned about the kicking spot and feels both players can start. 

“Not really,” Glenn said, via Jack Bell of the team’s site. “I said it before, I’m not going to panic about that situation. I think they’re both capable men, all right. And at the end of the day, we got to pick one guy that’s going to be a kicker.”

Glenn added that the starting job is still up for grabs, even if Sanders is on the practice squad. 

“We still have Jason on the practice squad,” Glenn said. “I’m going to let that play out. Those guys can continue to kick, continue to compete. Again, we’ll make the right decision when that decision needs to be done.”

New York claimed Grupe off waivers from the Colts coming out of the preseason. Grupe reflected on losing the kicking competition in Indianapolis to his former Notre Dame teammate, Spencer Shrader.

“Definitely an interesting summer,” Grupe said. “Spencer is one of my good buddies. I was part of his recruitment into Notre Dame, and he followed me there. So, I couldn’t ask for a better place or a better guy to do it against. It was a high-level competition. At the end of the day, I’m here, but you know, wouldn’t have it anywhere the other way.”

Patriots 

A.J. Brown‘s path to the Patriots began with the Titans before being traded to the Eagles in 2022. Brown said he wanted to stay in Tennessee but “felt deserved to be paid” after finishing the third year of his rookie contract. 

“I was hurt,” Brown said, via Chad Graff of The Athletic. “I didn’t handle that the best way. I felt like I deserved to get paid in Tennessee, and I wanted to stay in Tennessee.”

As for his trade from Philadelphia to New England hanging up until June, Brown said he was eager to take the next step of his career. 

“It was: My bags are packed, and I’m ready to go,” Brown said. “And not that I was in a hurry to leave, but I was just so eager to move to the next step.”

Brown is glad to be reunited with HC Mike Vrabel, who coached him with the Titans when they drafted him in 2019. 

“It’s really cool,” Brown said. “Because I’m more mature now, and I know where he’s coming from, and that it’s coming from a place of love. He just wants his players to be great.”