Biggest Positional Needs For All 32 NFL Teams - AFC East Edition

February 19, 2024

Rob looks at each NFL team in the AFC East and looks at what kind of offseason assets they have, both financially and draft capital wise. Each team's top three positional needs are identified.

The AFC East was expected to have three teams vying for a playoff spot -- the Bills, Dolphins, and Jets -- but only two of them were able to accomplish those goals. The Jets were forced to pivot very early in the season when star quarterback and offseason acquisition Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles in the first game of the 2023 season. The Jets have shown they fully intend to run it back and give the whole roster and their coaching staffing a re-do. The Bills were once again ousted by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the postseason. All three of these teams can see their goals right in front of them, but sometimes things look a bit further away than they actually are. All three of these teams have some major work to do in order to accomplish their goals this upcoming season.

Previous divisional editions breaking down each team's 2023 season, their offseason assets, and their top-three positional needs going into the 2024 NFL season can be found here:

• AFC North
• NFC North

The fourth team in this division is the New England Patriots and they are in the midst of a major rebuild. Not only from a roster standpoint but also from a coaching and front office point as well. This isn't a one-year fix, but baby steps can be taken to get the ship steered in the right direction. We'll be looking at each team's offseason assets and their three biggest needs for the 2024 NFL season. If you want to take advantage of all of our great premium tools, please use promo code "BOOM" to receive a 10% discount. 

Buffalo Bills

Season Review and Offseason Assets

The Bills finished with an 11-6 record and won the AFC East division. They finished second in the AFC before being ousted by the eventual champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-24 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Josh Allen was again masterful in the playoffs, but Buffalo’s defense has had absolutely no answer for Patrick Mahomes in the postseason.

Few teams do, to be fair, but Buffalo’s defensive struggles are exaggerated. In three postseason losses to the Chiefs, the Bills defense has forced four total punts. They’ve allowed 35.6 points per game. They’ve sacked Mahomes just three times. Meanwhile, Allen has scored nine touchdowns and has just one interception in those three meetings. The narrative is that Allen can’t beat Mahomes, but Allen doesn’t play defense.

The Bills finished with the sixth-most points scored and the fourth-most yards gained. Midway through the season, Sean McDermott fired offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and made Joe Brady the new offensive coordinator. He’s since been retained for the 2024 season. The splits between Dorsey and Brady are significant. They became much more run-focused under Brady. It’ll be interesting to see how the offense looks this upcoming season.

Their defense finished fourth in points allowed and ninth in yards given up. This is pretty impressive considering the vast amount of injuries they dealt with. They missed Matt Milano for 12 games and Tre'Davious White for 13. Both sides of the ball have some holes to fill, but the resources the team has to do so are very limited.

Buffalo projects to be roughly $42 million over the cap. Allen has a cap hit of $47 million. They’ll certainly restructure that to help create some more space. The contracts of Von Miller and White are absolute landmines. The Dawson Knox contract doesn’t look so good either. Cutting Miller or Knox actually decreases their 2024 cap space. Cutting White saves just $6 million. Their cap situation is not in good shape to put it mildly. Micah Hyde is a free agent and Jordan Poyer could become a cap casualty. Cutting him would save $5.4 million. Cutting Nyheim Hines and Deonte Harty will save the team just over $8 million, so expect both players to be let go.

The Bills own the No. 28 (first-rounder), No. 60 (second-rounder), No. 99 (third-rounder), No. 128 (fourth-rounder), No. 158 (fifth-rounder), No. 161 (fifth-rounder), No. 197 (sixth-rounder), No. 201 (sixth-rounder), No. 205 (sixth-rounder), and No. 245 (seventh-rounder) overall picks in this year’s draft.

Biggest Needs

1. Wide Receiver

Stefon Diggs is 31 years old and carries a $27.8 million cap hit. The team will likely restructure his contract to create cap space, but there are little to no options behind him. The only other receivers on the roster are Khalil Shakir and Justin Shorter. Gabriel Davis is a free agent who likely won’t be back. Diggs has four straight seasons of 150+ targets, 100+ receptions, 1,150+ yards, and 8+ touchdowns. However, he struggled in the second half of the season after the offensive coordinator change. The offense and Allen need another playmaker he can depend on. The opposing defense is able to double Diggs and divert so much attention to his side because Buffalo has not had a No. 2 option that can win their individual matchups with regularity. This is their biggest need. It’s one thing to ask Allen to be Superman, it’s another thing to ask him to be Superman without his cape. You need to at least give him the tools to be Superman if that’s what you’re asking him to be.

2. Edge Rusher

Miller was signed to be this, but he wasn’t this. Not at all. He finished with three tackles, zero sacks, zero tackles for a loss, and three quarterback hits. He’ll likely be on the team again in 2024. However, Leonard Floyd and A.J. Epenesa are both free agents. They finished with 10.5 sacks, first on the team, and 6.5 sacks, tied for third on the team. Given their cap situation, it may be difficult for the team to re-sign either player. Floyd and Epenesa combined for 31% of Buffalo’s sacks, 22% of the team’s hurries, 17% of the team’s quarterback knockdowns, and 24% of the team’s pressures. They also combined for 964 snaps played.

3. Defensive Line

Shaq Lawson, DaQuan Jones, Tim Settle, Jordan Phillips, Poona Ford, and Linval Joseph are all free agents this season. Together, these six defensive linemen combined to play 1,578 snaps. None of these players were very good statistically. In fact, these six players combined for just 79 tackles, nine sacks, 11 tackles for a loss, and 23 quarterback hits. While it may be true that none of the previously players were all that good, it doesn't change the fact that their defensive line still needs significant reinforcements. Assuming none of these players are re-signed, Buffalo has just Ed Oliver on the defensive line.

You really could’ve gone with safety or cornerback here. Hyde is a free agent. Poyer could be let go. Taylor Rapp is also a free agent. These three players logged 2,205 snaps last season. That’s a ton of snaps and production that could be gone this offseason. Cornerback is another huge one. Tre’Davius White has now played just 10 games in the last two years and at this point, he can’t be counted on. However, the team still has Rasul Douglas and Kamir Elam.

4. Other Positions of Need: Safety, Cornerback

Miami Dolphins

Season Review and Offseason Assets

The Dolphins finished with an 11-6 record. Due to tiebreakers, however, they were the sixth seed in the playoffs, which meant a trip to Kansas City to take on the eventual champs. They lost 26-7 in a widely one-sided contest. The weather was incredibly cold, but Miami was clearly out-matched. Following the season, Vic Fangio, their defensive coordinator, left the team and is now the defensive coordinator for the Eagles. Miami hired Anthony Weaver to be their new defensive coordinator. He was the Baltimore Ravens assistant head coach this past season.

Miami had an electric offense, finishing second in points scored and first in yards gained. However, they struggled mightily against playoff teams. They averaged just 16.1 points per game against 2023 playoff teams and 35.4 in their other games. They also finished with a 1-6 record against playoff teams and a 10-1 in their other games. Their defense finished 22nd in points allowed and 10th in yards given up.

Miami is almost $39 million over the cap. Tyreek Hill has a $31 million cap hit, which will be restructured to create space. Tua Tagovailoa has a $23 million cap hit associated with his fifth-year option. An extension could help lower that number. Jalen Ramsey has a $27 million cap hit, Bradley Chubb has a $27 million cap hit, and Xavien Howard has a $26 million cap hit. All three of these players are candidates for contract restructures to create more space; Chubb a little less so due to his late-season injury. Miami is currently in the phase of pushing out money into the future to keep its core group intact.

The Dolphins own the No. 21 (first-rounder), No. 55 (second-rounder), No. 156 (fifth-rounder), No. 185 (sixth-rounder), No. 199 (sixth-rounder), and No. 238 (seventh-rounder) overall picks in this year’s draft. Miami is in a really tough spot, with little to no cap flexibility and limited draft picks.

Biggest Needs

1. Interior Offensive Line

Miami’s offensive line was a mess for most of the year. They had nine players log at least a 35% snap share. Only two players logged a snap share higher than 57%. Their tackles are fairly set, assuming Terron Armstead returns in 2024. Connor Williams and Robert Hunt are both free agents. They were slated to be the team’s primary center and right guard this past season. Kendall Lamm, a backup tackle who logged a 55% snap share, and Isaiah Wynn, a backup guard who logged a 36% snap share, are also free agents. Miami started their preferred five starting offensive linemen for just 17% of the snaps. This was the second-worst rate in the NFL. To say Miami needs a massive retooling of their offensive line is probably an understatement.

2. Defensive Line

Christian Wilkins is a free agent and he’s going to command a huge salary in free agency. Miami would certainly like to have him back, but given their cap situation and the fact that they need to extend Tua, they may not be able to afford Wilkins. Losing him will be a massive loss to their defensive line. He had nine sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and 23 quarterback hits. However, Da'Shawn Hand and Raekwon Davis are also free agents. These three players combined to play 1,590 snaps. It’s possible Miami loses all three of these players in free agency, which will leave a massive hole in their defense.

3. Edge Rusher

This wouldn’t normally be a position of need, not with Jaelan Phillips and Bradley Chubb on the roster. However, Phillips tore his Achilles in late November and Chubb tore his ACL in late December. It’s possible, likely even, that neither player is ready to play for the season opener. Both players may miss half of the 2024 season, maybe more. Phillips had 6.5 sacks in eight games. Chubb had 11 sacks. While the team likely felt as though their pass-rusher position was set for years to come with this dynamic duo, they’ll need to patchwork the position just to stand a chance in 2024.

4. Other Positions of Need: Tight End, Safety

New England Patriots

Season Review and Offseason Assets

New England finished with a 4-13 record and has now missed the playoffs in back-to-back years. The offense was once again an utter disaster. They finished 31st in points scored and 30th in yards gained. Many thought new offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien would help matters, but that did not come to pass. Bill Belichick, the GOAT of coaching, is currently unemployed after parting ways with the team this offseason. No doubt the development of Mac Jones and the hires of Matt Patricia as offensive coordinator in 2022 and O’Brien in 2023 did Belichick no favors. This is a team in need of a complete rebuild on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, New England continued to hold its own, a credit to Belichick’s brilliance on that side of the ball. They finished 15th in points allowed and seventh in yards allowed. The team has since hired Jerod Mayo as their new head coach. Their offensive coordinator is Alex Van Pelt, coming over from the Cleveland Browns. Their defensive coordinator is DeMarcus Covington. He was New England’s defensive line coach from 2020-2023. New England is in the midst of a major rebuild and transition.

The Patriots have under $83 million in cap space. They have only two real free agents that they should have an interest in re-signing. Those are Mike Onwenu and Kyle Dugger. Onwenu is a good right tackle and Dugger is an excellent safety. They can create even more cap space by cutting cornerback J.C. Jackson, which would bring their budget to over $97 million. If they were to cut Davon Godchaux, they’d have north of $105 million. Jackson is gone without question. Godchaux is also a strong cap casualty. The Patriots have plenty of financial flexibility to be major players in free agency. They have just $56 million in liabilities in 2025 and are currently projected to have $204 million in cap space. Don’t be surprised if they sign multiple free agents.

New England has the No. 3 (first-rounder), No. 34 (second-rounder), No. 68 (third-rounder), No. 103 (fourth-rounder), No. 135 (fifth-rounder), No. 181 (sixth-rounder), and No. 228 (seventh-rounder) overall picks in this year’s draft. They are in a prime position to draft one of the top three quarterbacks available in this year’s class.

Biggest Needs

1. Quarterback

This one will come as a surprise to no one. Reports are indicating Mac Jones is likely to be traded. After a promising rookie season, Jones has face-planted in back-to-back seasons. It was so bad this past season that he was benched multiple times for Bailey Zappe. Together, these two quarterbacks combined to finish 22nd in completion percentage, 28th in passing yards, 27th in passing touchdowns, third-most in interceptions, 30th in yards per attempt, 30th in quarterback rating, and had the eighth-highest sack percentage. The entire offense finished 29th in yards per play and dead last in scoring percentage and points per drive. They were 31st in third down conversion rate. Now, all of these stats aren’t all because of Jones and Zappe. This team has major problems at receiver and tight end, but the quarterback is the driving force behind the offense’s performance, and well, New England’s offense couldn’t have been much worse.

2. Wide Receiver/Tight End

As bad as Jones and Zappe were -- and they were bad -- they were given essentially nothing to work with. The team’s leading receiver was Demario Douglas. He is 5-foot-8 and was a sixth-round rookie. He finished with 49 receptions and 561 yards. Ezekiel Elliott actually led the team in receptions (51) and was second in targets (65). Three of their top-five most targeted players (Elliott, Hunter Henry, and Kendrick Bourne) are all free agents. Mike Gesicki is also a free agent. These seven players combined for 249 targets, 166 receptions, 1,520 yards, and 14 touchdowns. These seven players had 47% of the team’s receptions, 45% of the yards, and 88% of the touchdowns. Their top three players set to return in 2024 are Douglas, DeVante Parker, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Parker and Smith-Schuster combined for 102 targets, 62 receptions, 654 yards, and one touchdown. As big of a need as the quarterback position is (and it is massive), the need at receiver and tight end is just as large, even though these positions don’t carry the same importance as the quarterback. The 2023 group of pass-catchers in New England is among the worst in NFL history.

3. Offensive Tackle

The New England starting left tackle, Trent Brown, and their starting right tackle, Michael Onwenu, are both free agents. There is no replacement for either position on the roster. The Patriots quarterbacks took 48 sacks (ninth-most), lost 323 yards (11th-most), and had a 7.9% sack percentage (eighth-highest). That was with Brown and Onwenu. Regardless of who the Patriots decide to go with at quarterback, they need to shore up their tackle positions if whoever is behind center is to have a chance.

4. Other Positions of Need: Cornerback, Edge Rusher, Safety

New York Jets

Season Review and Offseason Assets

The Jets managed to finish 7-10 despite losing Aaron Rodgers in the first quarter of their first game. They muddled through Zach Wilson, Trevor Siemian, and Tim Boyle following the injury. They never really took the quarterback position seriously once Rodgers went down. They could’ve signed Carson Wentz or Joe Flacco. They could’ve attempted to trade for Taylor Heinicke, Jacoby Brissett, or Jameis Winston. They did none of those things. They signed Trevor Siemian. You reap what you sow. Their offense finished 29th in points scored and 31st in yards gained.

Their defense was, once again, fantastic. Despite getting no help from their offense, they still finished 12th in points allowed and third in yards given up. They finished third in expected points contributed by their defense with 75.8. They allowed the sixth-fewest scoring percentage at just 31.8% and the lowest yards per play average at just 4.6. They finished with the eighth-most turnovers created at 27. They had the ninth-most sacks and the 13th-lowest third down conversion rate allowed. Once the offense reached the red zone, they scored a touchdown just 49% of the time. This was the seventh-lowest rate in the NFL. They also allowed the ninth-fewest red zone trips. The Jets defense allowed just 1.58 points per drive, which was the fourth-fewest. All of that is pretty incredible considering the Jets offense had 33 turnovers, consistently putting the defense in bad situations and averaging just 2:23 minutes per drive, the second-lowest in the NFL. This meant the defense was consistently on the field.

The Jets have just around $15 million in cap space. They can cut C.J. Mosley, their 32-year-old inside linebacker, to save $12 million. A post-June 1 cut of Mosley would save them $16 million. If they were to cut 31-year-old tight end C.J. Uzomah, they’d save $5 million, a move they’ll certainly make. Cutting Mosley post-June 1 and Uzomah would give the Jets just over $37 million in cap space. They could also restructure Quinnen Williams' contract to create cap space. They have a few options to create some cap space, but not a ton. They’ll be limited in what they can do in free agency.

The Jets own the No. 10 (first-rounder), No. 72 (third-rounder), No. 111 (fourth-rounder), No. 113 (fourth-rounder), No. 186 (sixth-rounder), No. 252 (seventh-rounder), No. 253 (seventh-rounder), and No. 256 (seventh-rounder) overall picks in this year’s draft.

Biggest Needs

1. Offensive Tackle

2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton is a free agent and after years of injuries, he’ll be left to test free agency. The team also signed veteran Duane Brown, who struggled with injuries. He’s also a free agent. 2021 first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker has struggled with injuries of his own; over the past two seasons, he’s played just 12 games. Vera-Tucker lined up at both right guard and right tackle in 2022 and 2023. As a rookie in 2021, he appeared in 16 games and gave up just two sacks and six quarterback hits. He’s been a very good player when healthy, but for the past two seasons, he hasn’t been available very much. It’s unknown where the team sees him long-term -- guard or tackle -- but if it is at guard, then the need at tackle is even more significant. This is especially true since their 40-year-old quarterback will be returning from a torn Achilles. They absolutely need to find a left tackle and almost all mock drafts have them taking one at No. 10.

2. Wide Receiver

After Garrett Wilson, their next most accomplished receiver this past season was Allen Lazard. He finished with 49 targets, 23 receptions, 311 yards, and one touchdown. He found himself as a healthy inactive multiple times late in the season. Out of the team’s top-eight most targeted players, five of them were tight ends or running backs. Two of those running backs didn’t even finish the 2023 season with the Jets. Wilson finished with 168 targets, 95 receptions, 1,042 yards, and three touchdowns. Every single 2023 non-Wilson Jets receiver combined for 120 targets, 57 receptions, 654 yards, and three touchdowns. All non-Wilson Jets receivers averaged 0.57 yards per route run. Wilson was at 1.56.

3. Defensive Line

Bryce Huff, Solomon Thomas, Quinton Jefferson, and Al Woods are all free agents for the Jets along the defensive line. They combined for 22 sacks, 100 tackles, 23 tackles for a loss, and 42 quarterback hits. These four players logged 1,573 snaps. Thomas, Huff, and Jefferson all played between 469 and 484 snaps. These four guys were major contributors along the defensive line as strong rotational players. They had 46% of the team’s sacks. That’s a lot of production and a lot of snaps that are set to reach free agency. The Jets do not have a lot of cap flexibility, so they might struggle to bring back more than one or two of them. There’s no way they’ll be able to bring back all four, so it’ll be important for the team to reload their defensive front. Their defense is the lifeblood of their team.

4. Other Positions of Need: Interior Offensive Line, Safety

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