AFC Notes: Mac Jones, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

This tight end class was regarded as historically deep by most draft evaluators this offseason. Despite having a need at the position, the Dolphins didn’t take a tight end this year. Instead, they took Stanford WR Elijah Higgins in the sixth round with the intention of converting him to tight end. 

“First of all, I’m just excited to add the competitor,” Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel said via Pro Football Talk. “You see through his game tape that he’s a guy that strains with the ball in his hands. But specifically for the tight end position, drafting a guy that plays wide receiver and converting him to tight end — I think the first time in my career that I was a part of that was Niles Paul back in 2011 out of Nebraska. For me and my history, there’s a lot of traits that he resembled in his competitiveness, in his size and in his strength.

“And really, this day in age, converting a receiver to a tight end isn’t as abstract as it used to be only because half the teams are playing spread and two-point [stances] anyway. Even if they’re called a tight end, they’re playing receiver stuff anyway. So you get kind of used to projecting people to do things like that and we felt very comfortable and confident that he fit the bill for that, so we’re excited to have him.”

• Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes the Dolphins’ selection of CB Cam Smith in the second round lessens the already slim chances CB Noah Igbinoghene had of making the roster. 
• He adds Dolphins RB Myles Gaskin might be on the wrong side of the bubble now after Miami drafted third-round RB Devon Achane.
• Jackson doubts the Dolphins would cut WR Cedrick Wilson because of the guarantees remaining on his contract but would almost certainly be open to trading him if injuries put another team in a bind. 

Jets

Veteran P Thomas Morstead says that the Jets made him an aggressive contract offer to bring him back for his second stint with the team. 

“I think No. 1, it wasn’t so much about how much I was getting paid, I mean I signed the veteran salary benefit contract. [That] is below my market, but they guaranteed the whole thing,” Morstead said, via JetsWire.com. “They basically said we want you back and we’re committing to you for this season. That is a tremendous offer [and] there’s probably not too many guys that are on the veteran salary benefit that are getting the whole thing guaranteed. It felt aggressive in a way, even though it’s the minimum they can pay me but it’s a commitment [for] the entire year. This was just an aggressive thing to do. They just said look we really want you and we’re putting our money where our mouth is in the form of guarantees.”

Patriots

Patriots HC Bill Belichick wasn’t willing to comment on much as usual but did say that QB Mac Jones would have to continue to earn his starting job in New England. 

“Yeah, I mean, look, Mac’s been our quarterback for two years,” Belichick said, via Pro Football Talk. “As I tell the team every year, each player, each coach, we all have to re-establish and prove ourselves every year. That’s what this league is. So that’s for all of us. 2023 is 2023 and we’ll see how it goes.”

• Per ESPN’s Mike Reiss, the Patriots were weighing whether to trade back in the first round for second-round DL Keion White, ultimately being rewarded when they decided to let the board play out. 
• The Patriots tried to do a much more typical move, for them, in the third round according to Reiss but found no takers for a trade down the board. They stayed put and took S Marte Mapu.
• Reiss thinks the Patriots might have missed an opportunity to trade up in the third round for WR Tank Dell, who was nabbed by the Texans in a trade up.
• Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes the Lions thought it was important to stay in front of the Patriots and Jets to take Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs, as they’d heard those two teams linked to him.