AFC Notes: Josh Allen, Vic Fangio, Bills, Dolphins, Jets

Bills QB Josh Allen told reporters that he doesn’t think the team’s window to win a title is closing and thinks that there is plenty of time to turn things around for next year.

“No. Not at all,” Allen said, via NFL.com. “I believe in what we’ve got going on here and the people that are in charge. I believe in myself. And that will never change. There’s probably going to be a lot of change, whether it’s personnel, guys coming, guys not — again, that’s all speculation. I just gotta continue to keep working hard and bringing the guys that are here along, and keep trying to mesh everyone together.”

“It didn’t feel like our season was done yet,” Allen added. “Honestly, still doesn’t feel that way. We had a lot of good things going in the right direction.”

• Bills HC Sean McDermott on the questions about the team’s title window closing: “This is not a situation where you strip it down to the studs and you start it all over. You make tweaks along the way to become world champions.” (Katherine Fitzgerald)
• McDermott on the defensive line: “Could we have played better? Could we have coached better? Absolutely. And we look hard at that.” (Fitzgerald)
• McDermott on veteran LB Von Miller: “What I believe that I saw was his best game was the last game of the season. My hope is that that is a good direction for where we pick up next season. Do I wish he was healthier through the course of the season? Absolutely.” (Fitzgerald)
• Second-year CB Kaiir Elam was also commented on by McDermott: “He has flashed. Now what we’ve got to get a better feel for can he do that on a consistent basis. Just overall, he needs to continue to up his game, quite honestly, and we’ll see how we factor that into what we’re doing defensively.” (Fitzgerald)
• As for CB Tre’Davious White, McDermott says the team will take things one day at at time out of respect for the serious injuries White has dealt with over the past few seasons. (Joe Buscaglia)
• McDermott on potentially hiring a defensive coordinator/defensive playcaller: “Right now, I’m not going to get into staff moves and adjustments.” (Alaina Getzenberg)
• McDermott on OC Joe Brady: “I thought Joe Brady did a really nice job. Good communication and collaboration and a good vibe with Josh”. (Chris Brown)
• The production drop of WR Stefon Diggs was also brought up to McDermott: “Can’t say why, sometimes defenses evolve and copy what works. I love Stef. He’s a phenomenal teammate. Stef got back involved at times down the stretch, especially the last few games.” (Brown)
• When the conversation turned to the running back position, McDermott praised RB James Cook: “James Cook has done a really good job. From where he was in years 1 to 2, big difference. He was very impressive. Is there room for more growth? Yes, and I think he’s primed to do that this offseason.” (Brown)
• Bills GM Brandon Beane on the title window closing: “I don’t get into that ‘window is closed’ mindset. Your team is always changing, always evolving. You’re constantly changing the roster. But this is a quarterback league. And I believe in the guy we’ve got under center.” (Fitzgerald)
• Beane: “One-year deals are one of the strategies that we’ll have to do and we need to hit this draft.” (Fitzgerald)
• Beane on Diggs: “Stef, he’s a No. 1 receiver. I firmly believe that. I’m not wavering off of that. We need to put weapons out there to keep opposing teams from taking him away.” (Fitzgerald)
• As for McDermott, Beane said the following: “I think Sean did a really good job. We’re not sitting in here in this building thinking, ‘Man, I don’t think Sean McDermott can do this job.'” (Fitzgerald)
• When asked about bringing back veteran DL DaQuan Jones, Beane replied: “We would love to get him back. … We’d be a fool to not entertain bringing him back. It still has to work for both sides and Jones has earned the right to test free agency.” (Fitzgerald)
• Beane on the salary cap: “We don’t have the same money we had going into 2019 and 2020, but we’ll work around it. We’re not taking a year off to not be competitive. Will we be younger in some areas? Yes. We won’t be as aggressive in some areas, but I think we’ll still have a shot next year.” (Brown)
• Beane on Miller: “Von wasn’t the Von Miller he wanted to be when he came back. But you saw that explosiveness coming back at the end of the season. It didn’t fire on all cylinders all the time, but it was trending up.” (Brown)
• Bills WR Gabriel Davis is set to become a free agent and Beane also commented on him: “Gabe Davis is a relentless worker. Almost too much. He deserves all the success he’s had. He made big plays for us and helped us. He’s a good player and has earned the right to see where his market is at. We’d be foolish to not want him back, but it’s got to be fair for him and us.” (Brown)
• Beane expects RB Damien Harris to be healthy at the start of free agency after he missed most of the year with a neck injury. (Jay Skurski)
• Both Harris and RB Nyheim Hines are rehabbing to play in 2024. Harris will be a free agent in March and Hines is expected to be a part of the Bills roster next season after missing the year due to a jetski accident. (Sal Capaccio)