Last week, the Buffalo Bills sent shockwaves across the NFL by trading All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans. This signals a clear reset for the Bills entering 2024 while Houston with C.J. Stroud goes all-in on a Lombardi Trophy. Not only does this move affect those two teams, but it also puts a major twist into how the AFC East could shape out when the Fall comes around.
Today, let’s look at who has the best position groups on offense in the AFC East which could help reveal who should be the favorite to take home the divisional crown in 2024.
AFC East Offensive Position Rankings
Quarterback: Buffalo Bills
Ever since his breakout in 2020, Josh Allen has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, also making him the best in the AFC East and there isn’t much of an argument to be made. In 2023, Allen completed 66.5% of his passes for 4,306 yards and 29 touchdowns with a 69.6 QBR. His yards, touchdowns, and QBR ranked in the top five among quarterbacks last season. On top of this, Allen in 94 career games played has completed 63.2% of his passes for 22,703 yards and 167 touchdowns which has helped lead Buffalo to five playoff births in his six seasons.
Diggs leaving will certainly test Allen’s ability to produce at an elite level as it wasn’t until Diggs arrived in 2020 that Allen became a star. However, the Bills still have two very qualified tight ends and Allen was able to overcome Diggs not being much of a factor down the stretch last season. Until someone dethrones Buffalo and specifically Allen, he will remain atop the division for good reason.
Running Back: Miami Dolphins
If this list was about individual players then there is a good chance this would belong to Breece Hall and the New York Jets. However, when looking at one-two punches out of the backfield the best in the division is in South Beach. Starting with De’Von Achane in just 11 games last season he rushed for 800 yards and eight touchdowns. In his 11 games, he had four where he rushed for over 100 yards including one where he rushed for over 200 yards. On top of that, Raheem Mostert put himself into the history books by scoring 21 total touchdowns which broke a previous Dolphins record.
Between the two star-studded backs, they combined for 1,812 rushing yards and 32 total touchdowns. For many teams, those numbers would be impressive if both running backs played the full season, but for Miami, they didn’t need that with Mostert playing 15 games and Achane playing 11. Not much else needs to be said other than these two are lethal and a healthy Achane will put the league on notice.
Wide Receiver: Miami Dolphins
After another late-season collapse, the Miami Dolphins were left with many questions and not many answers. However, one thing that wasn’t in question was their star-studded one-two punch at wide receiver. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle have arguably been the best wideout duo since Hill signed with Miami in 2022. In his two seasons, Hill has hauled in 238 receptions for 3,509 yards and 20 touchdowns. Those are video game numbers. On top of that, Waddle has had over 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons in the league.
Simply put, Hill and Waddle were a major factor in quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leading the league in passing yards with 4,624. Between the two, they generated 2,813 receiving yards. If there was ever an argument for Buffalo having a better duo that ship has now sailed and until proven otherwise this section belongs to Miami.
Tight End: Buffalo Bills
Now that Buffalo has entered the post-Stefon Diggs era, one thing the fanbase and organization can hang their hat on is their tight-end duo. Since entering the league in 2019, Dawson Knox was always a reliable option for Josh Allen but when Dalton Kincaid was drafted 25th overall in 2023 it took the room to another level. In his rookie season, Kincaid tallied 73 receptions for 673 yards and two touchdowns. His 73 receptions and 673 yards both ranked top-10 in the NFL among tight ends and ranked first in the AFC East.
The scary part for opposing teams is Kincaid only scratched the surface of what he can do in 2024 and beyond. Along with that, Buffalo will still have Knox as a quality second option. The two combined for over 859 yards a year ago. The sky is the limit for Kincaid, and Knox is still serviceable, these two will be a problem especially with higher volume coming their way.
Offensive Line: New York Jets
After a historically bad offensive line and offense as a whole in 2023, Joe Douglas and the Jets front office quickly got to work filling three holes up front. New York signed left guard John Simpson and left tackle Tyron Smith, and traded for right tackle Morgan Moses who previously spent 2021 in the green and white. The biggest name of the three is future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith who is an eight-time Pro Bowler, and five-time All-Pro. On top of those accolades, Smith has allowed just five sacks since 2018 and was fifth-best among tackles in pressure rate last season.
To put those numbers in perspective, Jets 2023 left tackle Mekhi Becton allowed 12 sacks and committed 18 penalties. New York as a team also suffered 64 sacks allowed and 188 pressures. While there are questions about the health of this offensive line no one can deny on paper they have upgraded the most in the division. The key word there is paper, but if things go as planned New York should see their best offensive line performance in over a decade.
Main Image: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
