The Buffalo Bills look to repeat their division title in the AFC East in 2024, but the Miami Dolphins and the New York Jets might have something to say about that. Is a healthy Aaron Rodgers able to put the Jets in the conversation? Is Tua Tagovailoa able to outperform Josh Allen? The 2024 AFC East preview covers predictions, win total over/unders, potential MVP candidates, top to bottom division rankings, and everything you need to know about the AFC East heading into the 2024 NFL season.
Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!
LinkedIn
LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.
eBay Motors
For parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.
5-Hour Energy
Go to 5hourenergy.com and use promo code LOCKEDONFB to receive 20% off your order. This offer is only valid until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions. The code is not good on subscription orders. Go to 5hourenergy.com today!
Gametime
Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.
FanDuel
Now through September 22nd, ALL FanDuel customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get a THREE WEEK free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON to get started.
FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)
(upbeat music) ♪ It's the Lockdown Podcast Network ♪ ♪ Your team every day ♪ (upbeat music) - Will it be the Bills Division once again in 2024? This episode of the Lockdown NFL in-season preview, we are exploring all the dynamics of the AFC East. - This is the 2024 Lockdown NFL season preview, only on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Your team every day. - Welcome back to the 2024 Lockdown NFL season previews. This episode, we are focused on the AFC East. I'm Kyle Krabs, host of Lockdown Dolphins, and I'll be your host for this divisional preview. Joining me are my colleagues from the Lockdown Podcast Network. In the AFC East, I'm joined by Mike DeBate of Lockdown Patriots, John Butchko of Lockdown Jets, Joe Moreno, Lockdown Bills Joe. I saved the worst for last. Today we're looking at the contenders in this division, what makes it a successful season for each team, any early hot seats, what's one thing that could derail each team season, win totals, MVP candidates, rookies, all of the above, and we're also gonna give each other's teams some flowers before we kick off a season long battle for the AFC East. So let's start with the end in mind. Who wins this division in 2024? And Joe, you had the title last year. So we're gonna start with you and put you in a position where you're either gonna have to pick your own team again or somebody else's. - Well, listen, gentlemen, good to be with you guys. And we've been doing this for a number of years together and every year I've sat here and I've predicted the bills to win the division. And that's worked out really well. They've done it four years in a row. I'm gonna predict them to win the division again this year, but I will say this, it is with the least confidence that I've had. Yet in making these types of predictions, I feel like you've got some real contenders here in the Miami Dolphins, in the New York Jets. Patriots, I think are a couple of years away, but it's gonna be tight. And I think a lot of the odds reflect that it's gonna be tight. And I think everybody's probably sick and tired of the bills. And so you're gonna get some real efforts from a Miami Dolphins team that had it, right? Had it within their hands last year, the Jets who have been doing everything they can to be competitive. You know, there's gonna be some big-time competition, but I do think that the bills make it five in a row. - Well, Joe, you alluded to how close this division was last year, came down to the final game of the regular season. I am a subscriber of the idea that to be the man, you gotta beat the man. And at Team in Western New York has given that team in South Florida a whole bunch of fits. And for the New York Jets, we need to see it still come together. So I like you will pick the bills until further notice, until somebody proves them wrong to win the AFC East as well. What about you, John? - You know, I'm gonna be the homer. I think it's gonna be the New York Jets this year. And you know, look, I was here last year after the Aaron Rodgers trade. I was here after all the hype, we did this show and I did not pick the Jets to win the division. So I think Joe's right. I don't have a ton of conviction in this because I think this division is very tight. If you look at the odds on FanDuel, the bills are the favor, the Jets are the second choice. The Dolphins are the third choice. The Dolphins are your third choice. Actually a better odds than the second choice of four of the others have in divisions. But I think the Bills and Dolphins both have some areas where they need to replace key guys that they lost over the off season. The Jets, I look at this team, what they did this off season. I don't think they're worse in an area. I don't think they're worse in any position than they were this time last year. And they're quite a bit better at some key spots like the offensive line and wide receiver. Now, they have some question marks with, you know, guys with injury histories, older guys that they're hoping to get one where you're out of. But I think that this is setting up to be, you know, maybe the best chance the Jets have had in over a decade to take the AFC East. Mike? Kyle, I'm going to take a page out of your book and say that, you know, to be the man, you got to beat the man for years. The New England Patriots had a stranglehold on this division and until someone knocked them off their pedestal, you had to go with the team that still was bringing back a vast majority of the players that helped you get there. Now, I agree with Joe that this is probably a bills team that may be right for the Pickens because of some of the key losses that they have. But you always have a punter's chance when you have Josh Allen. You have a battle-tested coach and Sean McDermott. I think an exciting new opportunity to maybe have a little bit of a new look offense this year under Joe Brady. I know it hasn't looked that way in the preseason, but I believe the regular season is going to be an opportunity for them to make their push. The Jets absolutely have a chance to win this division, a very good one, and don't sleep under Miami Dolphins. This is a team that can absolutely score with anyone and they can hold their own on defense as well. So this is an excellent division with three teams capable of winning. I'm still going to give the slight edge to the bills though because of the battle test that they had that does count for a lot. And believe me, watching the Patriots up here for a number of years, I know that experience counts for a lot when you're contending for a division title. - Yeah, and Mike, you're in the unique situation where for so long you talked about the dynamics of this division, now it's the other three teams that have kind of been matured and you're now in the process where you're just starting the next evolution of what your team looks like. And if things work for New England, maybe their cycle crescendos as the cycles of these other three teams that we're talking about here with these contending chances right now come back down. But that's a nice segue into the fan dual win totals for each team, New England currently sits at four and a half as the over or under for win totals on your mic. I'd be really interested to hear your perspective. Guys have a fourth place schedule, a lot of new players, a lot of youth, a lot of turnover, new coaching staff. You think that no more goes over or under this season. - Well, as a homer, I would love to say it's gonna go over, but I also sat on these airwaves last year and said that the New England Patriots were a playoff contending team and were not a five win or less team. I ended up being proven wrong on that. I think expectations right now from the Wingland are a little on the low side. I think that four and a half is just about right. Do they have the capability of winning more games? Yes, but a lot of it is going to have to go the right way for the Patriots in order to do that. I would say that's about accurate. I know that's not gonna be popular in the Wingland, but simply the way I feel based on what I've seen thus far. - John, you and I are sitting with our teams, sitting at nine and a half. And I'll give you the floor first. You obviously think this team wins this division. I'm assuming you're thinking they also go to over nine and a half wins. - Well, if I pick them to win the division, I guess I'm kind of, I kind of have to take the over, but this is a Jets team with a wide potential variety of outcomes. I always like to think if you play the season out 100 times, like what's the median scenario for the Jets, it's probably around nine and a half wins. Now, most teams that were your median scenario is nine and a half wins. You get a lot of sevens, a lot of eight, a lot of nine, a lot of 10s if you play the season out 100 times, the Jets, I think you'll have like a lot of six, seven win seasons where like everything goes wrong, all the old players decline and everybody gets injured, but you also have a number of 11, 11, 10, 11 win seasons where everything clicks, everything goes right. So this is a season where it could go very wrong for the Jets. I'm hoping it goes very right. And if everything clicks, if guys give them one, but the older guys give them one more year and if the injury risks stay healthy, then this is a team that I think should be able to clear the nine and a half win plateau. And for Miami, nine and a half is an interesting number because they've been on either side of that number twice by a half a game in each of the last four seasons, but it's either been nine or 10, I guess last year with 11 wins going over a game and a half versus that nine and a half number, but 10, nine, nine, 11, they've been right in that strike zone, John, where you were talking about, if your number is nine and a half, the consistency, your median outcomes for Miami, it has been a little bit more consistent over the last four seasons. I think Miami does go over, but the end of season stretch for them, the final five games, two games against the Jets, they've got San Francisco at home, they got to go to Cleveland. It's a really tough final stretch for them, where I think for Miami, they are looking to break the theme of late, poor season finishes. They've finished one in five over the final five games in 2022. They lost a three game lead, two and a half game lead in the division over the final five weeks in 2023. So whether or not they achieve that or not, I still think the bulk of this schedule will have them in a position to go over nine and a half. Joe, bills are a 10 and a half. What do you think? - Well, if you were to ask me how many games I think the bills are gonna win this year, I'd say, man, 10 or 11. So 10 and a half feels like the right number. What, there's a couple of things that concern me about the bills reaching the over there. One of them is the schedule. This is definitely a schedule where there's nowhere to hide. The bills don't have like a bunch of like soft quarterbacks or rookies, they don't get the Patriots until the end of the season, two of the last three games against New England. And so it's a gauntlet. I would say the schedule is very, very difficult. And I think for the bills, they have to avoid the lulls that they've had during the season. I think they've had really the last few years at a point in time where they go on a kind of a bumpy stretch where they're not able to win some games that you feel like they should. I mean, they lost to the Patriots last year. They lost to the Jets last year. And those moments just tend to happen. They lost that Urban Meyer Jaguars team. You know, these types of moments tend to creep up on them and then they get hot at the end of the season and then everything's right in the world in Bill's land. But they got to avoid those lulls and the schedule just doesn't stack up that favorably. I think they're certainly capable of reaching 11, but I think it's 10 or 11. And I think 10 or 11 is probably the difference between being second or third in the division or winning the division. And then of course, all the benefits of hosting a home playoff game from there. - We are just getting started on this AFC East preview coming up. What's the one thing that could derail the success of each season? What does a successful season look like? It's the 2024 lockdown NFL season preview of the AFC East. Passion driving patients are not just the formula for winning championships. It's also what keeps your ride or die alive. eBay Motors has everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance from superchargers, roof racks, exhaust kits, LED headlights and more, whether you're into speed, power or style. eBay Motors has you covered with over 122 million parts for your number one ride or die. You'll always find exactly what you're looking for. And with eBay's guarantee fit, your part is guaranteed to fit your ride every time or your money back because with eBay Motors, you're burning rubber and not cash with all the parts you need at the prices you want. It's easy to make your car the MVP and bring home the dub. Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items, only exclusions do apply. eBay guarantee fit available only to you as customers. - This is David Harrison of the lockdown commanders podcast. And you know, we love talking stats here at the lockdown podcast network. Well, here's one that's super simple to remember. Discover automatically doubles the cashback you've earned on your credit card at the end of your first year with cashback match. That means with Discover, you could turn $150 cashback into $300. That's right, you can put it towards some sports memorabilia you've had your eye on or treat yourself to a premium sports network. You earn and discover doubles. See terms at discover.com/creditcard. - The 2024 lockdown NFL season previews continue. A reminder, you can get the daily coverage of your favorite NFL team by subscribing to their lockdown podcast. We also have the NFL covered nationally with lockdown NFL, lockdown NFL scouting, Peacock and Williamson, locked on fantasy football and locked on dynasty football and get 24/7 coverage of the NFL with our brand new lockdown NFL stream free on YouTube and Amazon fire TVs. So we've gotten a little bit into the expectations of each team with the win totals, with the division champions that we're predicting. I wanna ask what's one thing that could make this season go awry. And Mike, I'll start with you on this one just because this is such a new team. You kind of talked about expectations being modest this year. What would still make this season in your eyes be underwhelming and disappointing? Despite those low expectations that a lot of New England fans are carrying going into the year. - Disasters play along the offensive line. And I think that really is the biggest concern right now in New England. You have a veteran quarterback and Jacobi Percet that is looking to start the season, but you have a rookie in Drake, May, the number three overall pick that is looking to try to make this team as the starter or maybe get the starting job sooner rather than later and lead this team into the future. You can't do that if you have him behind a makeshift offensive line. The Patriots are very weak at the tackle position. Chukzakora 4, Caden Wallace, Calvin Anderson. These have been kind of the rotation that the Patriots use to begin training camp. We've seen Bedarian low kind of come in and get snaps there, but right now it is a concern. And if the New England Patriots hope to remain competitive in any of their games this season, they're going to need at least adequate play along the offensive line. There have been flashes of them being able to do it, but nearly not enough. The Patriots clearly have their work to do. And if that line can't protect the quarterback, whether it's Percet or May, getting the start, this could be a more disastrous season than the Patriots fans are even bracing themselves for impossibly a less than four win team coming up in 2024. John, you mentioned the variance and you mentioned some of the age players that are coming in at the tail end of their career that have been high level performers. Is that the biggest threat in your eyes to the Jets or do you see another storyline potentially looming as the biggest potential hiccup that could lead them to the lower end of the spectrum of outcomes for the Jets this season? - I think one of the challenges for the Jets is that we don't have the 53-man rosters for each team yet, but when those are finalized, the Jets will likely have the oldest 53-man roster in the league, and if not, it will be close. And that opens you up to all sorts of potential issues. You know, you're talking about decline, but also injuries. And there are a lot of guys with extensive injury history on this team. Tyrone Smith was a second team all pro last year. Tyrone Smith's been one of the best left tackles in the league since he was drafted. But he's also a guy who's really struggled to stay on the field. I mean, he's missed at least three games every year since 2016. You know, on the other side of the line, you have Morgan Moses, it's been very durable. At least 33 years old missed games for the first time since 2015 last year. Elijah Vera Tucker at Wright Guard has been excellent the last two years, but suffered season ending injuries in October, both years. Aaron Rodgers, I mean, we all know he's coming off an injury, he's 40. Mike Williams, a very solid second receiver who would be a great compliment to Garrett Wilson coming off a serious knee injury. So the Jets have a lot of question marks here. And you know, the Jets are, I know every single team it comes down to injuries, but the Jets are the ultimate team. It looks good on paper, but you can see a scenario where things go very poorly here. And I think it's, you know, age and injuries are kind of tied together with this team because it's like I said, that there's a lot of variance here. It could either all click and it could go great for the Jets or it could be, you know, the class of Jets season of high expectations and results that aren't where they want them to be. - Joe, I'll go to you next for Buffalo. There's been some turnover in some key spots, both on the defensive side of the ball. There's already been a big injury with linebacker Matt Milano who the Bills played most of the year with, without last year, the departures to find digs. What in your mind is the biggest threat to the Jets or to the Bills not meeting expectations this year? - Yeah, I think it probably is that that spine of the defense when you look at the safeties and the linebackers and there's just a lot of transition where it's, you know, Matt Milano's not gonna be available and you're looking into a second year player in Dorian Williams to be able to figure that out or transitioning away from Jordan Boyer and Micah Hyde. And at safety and those guys were such important players for the Bills and kind of their ascension to where they are right now and you don't have either one of them. And even if they weren't playing at their best, the last couple of seasons, their presence on the field from a zone defense where their communication and what they mean to everyone else really, really matters. And so now you're leaning into Taylor wrap. And I mean, how good is Taylor wrap? I thought his first season of Buffalo was pretty underwhelming. And then you have three guys that are vying for the job opposite of him and they've been banged up throughout training camp. And so how do they stabilize that? A part of their defense that has been so important for it being as successful as it has been. How do they pick up the pieces and run with it? I think that could be the Achillesio. For the dolphins, I know there's a lot of dolphins fans that are focused on the offensive line as far as being a big time question mark. And Connor Williams leaves in free agency ends up signing late in the summer with Seattle and Robert Hunt gets a $100 million contract with the Carolina Panthers to go be a staple player for them there. But those guys played less than half the season last year. I mean, Miami had their primary backup at four out of the five spots played more snaps than the starter last year and they still scored almost 500 points on the year. So I think the question for Miami is a little bit less about the offensive line because of the Shanahan school of thought of how the offensive line is designed to create conflict with what their flow is and create displacement on the second level and how they run play action off of that. And I think instead it's chemistry. There's so much new with this team, new defensive coordinator, a lot of new starters and on all levels of the defense. Jordan Brooks is a new player at linebacker replacing Jerome Baker. You got Jordan Poier coming in at safety. You have a bunch of guys that are potentially bridging the gap with Bradley Chubb, maybe missing the start of the season on the edge and Kaleis Campbell coming in. Christian Wilkins is gone. They signed probably a half a dozen guys on the defensive interior. How quickly can they all collectively get on the same page while playing in a new scheme that Anthony Weaver has brought into the mix for them as well? I think that is the biggest question that looms for Miami where if that doesn't click early and I talk about how difficult the end of season schedule is for them and it makes the beginning of the season schedule even harder than what it is when you look at Jacksonville as a playoff contender in week one and Buffalo as a team that Miami has just found every way to lose games against in the last five years in the week two opponent. And that for me is the biggest question. Now, when I ask each one of you guys respectively for an MVP candidate, maybe who you think is the best MVP candidate if you want to plug a guy on your team. No judgment here, whatever direction you want to take it, but Joe, I am going to start with you. I'm going to put Josh Allen out there. I think he certainly got the highest odds of any player in the division, but what I think gives Josh his best chance this year is I feel like maybe the expectations aren't as high as they've been for him, right? Losing Davis and digs and over 300 vacated targets from last year. The only guy on the team at wide receiver that's got to pass from him in a game is Kolo Shakir. And so I think so much of these end of season awards are tied to expectations of what people think these players are supposed to be. And if Josh produces like he has in a year where maybe people don't expect that, I think that could give him the best chance of any player in this division. - John, how about you? - I guess I'm supposed to say Aaron Rodgers, but I'm with Joe, I'd go with Josh Allen. Don't overthink it. I mean, he's one of the top five quarterbacks in the league. And the other aspect of this, what I think about it is like what's the narrative that media is going to focus on? Because I think a lot of the MVP voting based on media narrative. And you know, Josh Allen lost some of his top targets this year. So the bills keep winning playing at a high level. I think the story is going to be. And rightly so, the hey, Josh Allen lost his key targets. He's still playing this well. And I think that that's one of those things that could potentially be, you know, make the difference when we talk about who the voters ultimately give the award to. Mike? - Yeah, we really are like mine did. We've been doing this show for a long time together fellas and I'm gonna go with Josh Allen as well. And piggybacking off of what Joe and John had to say, I think in order for the bills to win the division, I think Josh Allen is going to have to play at an MVP level where it really doesn't give the voters a chance to vote for anyone else. He's gonna have to be as good as he's ever been to overcome some of the deficiencies that the bills have to overcome this year, both on offense with the loss of guys like Diggs and Davis. But also the losses that they've had on the defensive side of the ball, putting up high numbers to take some pressure off that defense. If the bills are gonna do it this year, Josh Allen has to be the man, I think you can do it. - Well, I can't let it be a clean sweep, right? So Josh Allen's obviously very well represented as the odd zone favorite in the AFC East. I think Aaron Rodgers is a good call out because I think the success of New York, you saw what the defense looked like last year. They kind of ran out of gas defensively because there were games where they just knew they weren't gonna score enough points once it reached a certain point and the wheels fell off the bus. If the Jets win 12 games this year, I think Aaron Rodgers is gonna be a massive piece of that puzzle. And if that happens, I think he's got a really strong case for another MVP season, especially when you consider and read between the lines, the dynamics there in New York, you know Aaron's got his hands in everything. That's why he liked the situation in New York was the opportunity to kind of, I know how I like it done and we're gonna do it my way here in New York. So if it clicks for the Jets and they win 12 games, I think Aaron Rodgers would be a big catalyst to the reason why. And you just know the national media would love to jump on that opportunity to shower some love in the Jets outcome for that. Now, we're about to enter into a grueling 18 week season where we're gonna figure out who wins this division. But before the battle begins, we wanna give each other's team some flowers. It's the 2024 lockdown NFL season preview of the AFC East Stick With Us. You've heard us talk a lot about FanDul America's number one sports book. Well, right now we have something just a little different for you now through September 22nd. All FanDul customers can bet $5 and get a free, three week trial of NFL Sunday ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. And then with a YouTube TV base plan, you'll be able to watch every regular season Sunday afternoon out of market game. All you need is a Google account and a current form of payments and you can cancel at any time. Now, if you're wondering what kind of AFC East action might be awaiting you over at FanDul, the most current up-to-date divisional odds feature the Jets at plus 160, just narrowly ahead of the Buffalo Bills at plus 195. And then the Miami Dolphins at plus 210, the New England Patriots, if you're feeling lucky or plus 2600, visit fanDul.com/lockedon to download America's number one sports book. Hi, this is Jake from Locked On. There are a lot of moments in life that call for a celebration. Creating your State Farm personal price plan can be one of them. Nothing feels better than a personal win. From finishing a home DIY project, hitting a workout PR or even just taking your car in for that oil change, if you define it as a win, it calls for a celebration. And who's cheering right beside you? State Farm. With the State Farm personal price plan, you can create an affordable price just for you when you bundle home and auto. So celebrate by breaking out the confetti in those happy dance moves. Talk to a State Farm agent today to learn how you can bundle and save with a personal price plan. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Prices are based on rating claims that vary by state. Coverage options are selected by the customer, availability amount of discounts and savings and eligibility vary by state. The 2024 Locked On NFL season previews continue as a reminder you can get daily coverage of your favorite team by subscribing to their Locked On podcast. We also have the NFL League covered nationally with Locked On NFL. Locked On NFL scouting. Peacock Williams and Locked On Fantasy Football and Locked On Dynasty Football. You can get 24/7 coverage of the NFL with our brand new Locked On NFL stream free on YouTube and Amazon fire TVs. Time to give some flowers out, gentlemen. Think of something nice to say about somebody that's not your own team. Joe, I'm gonna give you the opportunity to extend the first olive branch and some flowers to another AFC East of Poland. I'm gonna give them to the Miami Dolphins. I think that Miami has been very deliberate in their approach this offseason and I can really respect it, being able to say no to a Robert Hunt and the Christian Wilkins, but then be able to improve the depth and take the money that you were gonna give those players and balance out your roster in some key spots. I think they've done a good job of that. I think they've done a great job of bringing in ancillary weapons in this passing game, which I think is really important. If you have Waddle and Hill, you should throw it to them all the time. But having a tight end like John new Smith, unlike anything that they've had at that position in a while, and we'll see what happens with that third receiver spot. I know O'Dell hasn't really played, but maybe it's Eric Azucama. I know that River Craycraft just went down, but I feel like they're gonna get more out of that spot because of the threat of the tight end and more time on tasks together and a timing offense with two and the main figures. But then I also really like what they did in the draft, being forward thinking and drafting players that I think are succession plans. Chop Robinson, maybe they want to be able to get out of that Bradley Chubb deal. And you think about the dolphins, everyone's saying, well, they just paid too, and they paid Jalen, Lottle, and Tyree Kill just got locked in guaranteed money. Well, how does this work? Well, the way that it works is you set yourself up for these moments. So Chop Robinson is a succession plan at Edge. Patrick Paul was a succession plan to replace Tehran Armstead after the season at left tackle. Jalen are right, kind of the guy that you feel like can be the replacement for Reheem Mostard. So forward thinking, but also taking care of their opportunity to compete right now. I think the dolphins have done a nice job. I'm going to give some flowers to the New England Patriots for doing the difficult thing and doing it. I think the right way when you consider foundational year, Bill Belichick leaves, that being a mutual decision. I think it was best for both parties with how things have played out in the post Brady era, drafting a quarterback, but bringing in a veteran so you're not putting pressure and stress on him undo. And Drod Mayo's been very emphatic throughout the entire build up of training camp and the off season program is when Drake's ready to start, he'll start. And fans see the big throw that he makes to Javan Baker down the field in the preseason game that Baker doesn't catch and they say, we want that right now. And the messaging continues to be the same. When Drake May is ready to start, he'll start. And I think that is the right way to handle especially a player like Drake who at North Carolina played in schemes that allowed him to do certain things at an NFL level but didn't teach him the muscle memory and have the responsibility or the timing with everything that needs to be done in an NFL level. So I know that the reviews on Drake May have kind of been up and down. It was kind of underwhelming at the starter training camp but then he makes a couple of big time throws in the second preseason game. And everybody's all of a sudden back in the boat and they want Drake to play. Chill, this year, it's not about 2024 for the Patriots. Their approach has told you that. And I think it's a difficult thing to do in the NFL which is known not for long. So for them to trust a long-term process when they haven't had to worry about that for forever, it's a very hard thing. And I think it's the right thing. And I'm glad that they're doing it. John, how about you? - Oh, I'm gonna go with the team that's won the division for straight years at the risk of, you know, going for the low hanging fruit. And it's the Buffalo Bills. And you know, Joe and I have done crossover shows before Jets Bills game for a long time. And I remember the first one we did, I believe it was week one in 2019. And that was Josh at the beginning of Josh Allen's second year but also the beginning of Sam Darnell's second year. And I remember that whole off season, I just could not understand why the Jets weren't doing things the way the Bills were, why the Jets weren't doing things for Sam Darnell the way the Bills did for Josh Allen when you talk about, you know, the pieces they brought in around to build the offensive line they built, the weapons they gave him. The quality coaching they gave him, you know, this is a point where the Jets hired Adam Gates to try and develop their young quarterback. And over the last couple of years, I've gained so much respect for the Buffalo Bills organization because they built the winner, but they built the winner to last. And that's the reason that they've been in the mix, you know, for so long. And I respect what they did this off season. I know they lost some key pieces. I know on paper, there were some question marks but what they did, sometimes you take a half step back so you can take two steps forward in the future. So I just admire everything about the way the Buffalo Bills built their organization and I have for the last five years or so. - Mike, the floor is yours. - Well, I'm going to return the favor Kyle and I'm going to throw some flowers to Miami Dolphins way but specifically, I want to throw some flowers to a Takabailoa who really I think has blossomed into one of the league's most reliable and one of the league's most exciting young pastors in this game. Look, early on the knock on tour was that he didn't simply have an NFL caliber arm or he was in the wrong type of fit. He was getting the wrong coaching. Maybe he wasn't going to be an elite quarterback in this league the way a lot of people expected into when he came out of Alabama. He's done nothing but work hard, work through difficulties, injury problems, we all know about the head injuries and the concussion issues he's had prior but Toa has done it with a level of class and a level of elite play that really puts him in my opinion in the discussion with potential MVP candidates this year, if Miami is going to succeed, they need a big season out of Toa Takabailoa. He proved he can deliver it statistically last year. 69.3% completion percentage, 29 touchdowns and NFL best 4624 passing yards. He definitely is in that category and he's proving that he can be a leader of men on the field as well. If Miami again is going to challenge Buffalo and challenge New York for that top spot in the division, Toa has already proven that he can take this team, put it on its back and be able to lead them to victory. We are going to rapid fire to bring this thing to a close. We need two more things. A rookie from your team and then your prediction for the final finishing order of the full AFC East. Mike gives some flowers now that we're done giving flowers to each other's teams to a rookie, a young man to watch on your team's roster. Well, it's hard to pick any one other than the number three overall pick Drake May. Everyone is looking to see what Drake's going to look like as an NFL quarterback. He's the guy to watch, but I do want to give honorable mentions to wide receiver Jalen Polk and offensive lineman, Caden Wallace. They may have a bigger impact on the Patriots offense this year, maybe even a much bigger impact on how Drake May is able to play this year. But again, if you're putting me against the wall, I'm going to say Drake because of the nature of the pick and because of how important the quarterback position is to NFL teams. - John, I'm known as Brethelyn Allen, who was the fourth round pick for the Jets this year. And normally you'd go with the tackle, they drafted 11th overall, a Lufusanu, but he's actually going to get back up with Tyrone Smith and Morgan Moses on the team. Allen's been turning heads since he stepped onto the practice field. He'll get a lot of carries behind Breeze Hall, a guy whose flash and pass catching skills, a guy who's been a tough runner and has shown a little burst in preseason. - I'll stay with the running back position and go with Jalen Wright. I think that's the player amongst the Dolphins rookies. Chop Robinson's going to play, but it's going to be on a rotational basis as far as I think they're going to work to get him in on pass rushing reps. Jalen Wright feels like the player who might eat into Reheem Mostert's workload. Mostert's been an awesome back for the Dolphins the last two years, but he's been banged up and missed the regular season finale in each of the last two seasons as well. Jalen Wright, they traded a 2025-3 to get a fourth round pick to draft him when he was on the board. So they paid a premium price. They really liked this player. He brings something different with his ability to run between the tackles. I think he's primed for a unique role within the Dolphins running game that they frankly didn't have last year. - I'm going to keep it going with running backs. I have Ray Davis as the player for the Bills. And I just feel like there's going to be a lot of opportunity for him. I know he's a fourth round pick out of Kentucky and certainly the Bills have James Cook who was a Pro Bowler last year. 280 touches, very, very productive. But I think Ray Davis gives this offense of something a little bit different in terms of some physicality between the tackles. And I think one of the knocks on James is that he's more of a slashing style runner. You don't always feel his pads. And I think the Bills want that type of guy. And so Ray Davis, I think is going to get more opportunity than I think a lot of people think, especially coming off the year that James Cook just had. - And Joe, no context needed, nothing else to say other than four teams, what order 2024 AFCs? - One Bills, two Dolphins, three Jets, four Patriots. - I'm going to be boring, but that's exactly how I have it as well. How about you, John? - One Jets, two Bills, three Dolphins, four Patriots. - Mike? - One Bills, two Jets, three Dolphins, four Patriots. - And there you have it. Thank you guys for tuning into the AFC East preview. I'm Kyle Krabs of Lockdown Dolphins, joined by Joe Marino of Lockdown Bills, John Bushko, Lockdown Jets, Mike DeVay of Lockdown Patriots. The Lockdown Division previews are continuing to get you primed for the 2024 NFL season. If you want to hear how the other divisions play out, subscribe to Lockdown NFL, wherever you get your podcast, part of the Lockdown podcast network, it's your teams, every day. - A prime members, you can listen to this Lockdown podcast ad-free on Amazon Music. Download the Amazon Music app today. (upbeat music)
