Youth in the AFC East

Author: Zachary Patlin

Editor: Mark Awadallah

The AFC East quarterbacks are very young and very talented. Atop the division, the expected favorite of the AFC East, are the Buffalo Bills led by QB Josh Allen, coming off his new 6-year, $258 million extension. Josh Allen just a season ago carried the young Buffalo Bills into the postseason for just the third time since 1999. In just 16 games with the Bills in 2020, Allen completed 69.2% of his passes and threw for 37 TDs against just 10 interceptions. His season was nothing short of remarkable and he looks to continue to dominate the AFC East for many years to come.

The newest QB to the division is now Patriots starting QB Mac Jones, 15th overall pick out of Alabama, after Cam Newton was released early Tuesday morning. This move came with a lot of surprise, as Bill Belichick stated that Cam Newton is the starting QB until he is outperformed. He was clearly outperformed in training camp and in the preseason games, making Bill’s decision a lot easier to start the young bull. Jones finished third in 2020 Heisman voting, falling behind just his teammate DeVonta Smith and first overall pick Trevor Lawrence. Jones is scouted as a pocket passer with an extremely accurate arm, although maybe lacking velocity and throw power. Jones will look to take his experience from Nick Sabin and use it in a big way to make a splash in the AFC East.

Entering his second season in the NFL, Tua Tagovailoa will get 100% of the snaps for the Miami Dolphins this year as long as he remains healthy. Last year, after just a few brief plays in a blowout win against the Jets, Tua was named the dolphins starting QB, a team with playoff aspirations backed by a strong defense. Although the season had many ups and downs, including Fitzpatrick playing as the relief QB for a number of games, Tua is looking to grow in this offensive system built solely around him. Tua finished last season with a 64.1% completion percentage, throwing 11 TDs and 5 interceptions. In his time at Alabama, when healthy, Tua was a force that could place the football wherever he wanted to. I expect much of the same command of the football as he continues to master this offense and with Tua in-form the Dolphins can be genuine playoff contenders this season.

Lastly, the number two overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of BYU. The Jets and Joe Douglas fell head over heels in love with Zach Wilson’s tape and persona, prompting them to make a big move. In the offseason, the Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Carolina Panthers for 3 draft picks, including a second rounder. Wilson will be acquainted into a new offense led by Head Coach Robert Saleh and Offensive Coordinator Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Wilson had a very strong preseason for the Jets, showing shades of why he was the number two pick in the draft. If he is put in a position to succeed on offense, unlike Darnold was, Wilson can turn out to be the missing puzzle piece that can finally turn the franchise around. If the same old Jets show up with no pass protection, bad play calling, etc. they will forever wonder what could have been if they kept on to Sam Darnold. Wilson will need to play at a high-level almost immediately to not be overlooked in this very tough division.

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