Key AFC East story lines from training camp
This weekend the majority of the 2024 NFL preseason slate gets underway, with roughly a month to go until the regular season. Preseason offers teams the chance to get used to game speed and gives players who are fighting for a roster spot opportunities to make meaningful impressions.
Preseason football also means training camp is coming to an end, which was the case on Thursday for the Buffalo Bills and their 2024 summer camp at St. John Fisher University. With that in mind, let’s look at some of the story lines coming out of training camp for the AFC East.
For the Bills, all eyes have been on rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman. The Florida State alum is coming into Buffalo with big expectations set by the fan base after the team traded Stefon Diggs in the offseason. When it comes to practice, Coleman has been everything you could hope for. He’s going up and high-pointing the football, and making contested catches against the secondary. Coleman has also shown great hands by catching almost anything thrown his way.
Another camp standout has been cornerback Kaiir Elam. The former first-round pick had a rough first two seasons in Buffalo but has been showing flashes throughout training camp with multiple interceptions in practice. He has all the talent in the world to live up to his first-round justification. He just has to show it on a consistent basis.
The New England Patriots are in a bit of a funk right now, having recently been spurned by current San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. With Aiyuk asking the Niners for a trade, the Patriots were all-in with parameters in place to make a trade. Then suddenly they weren’t, as reportedly New England’s pursuit of Aiyuk wasn’t reciprocated by the receiver and his agent. Aside from Aiyuk there’s still the contract dispute of defensive end Matthew Judon. Despite being unhappy with his current deal, Judon is at camp and practicing.
Down in South Beach, vibes are all about the money for the Miami Dolphins. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa received his four-year contract extension, over $212 million dollars, while receiver Tyreek Hill got a new deal that didn’t add any new years but did increase his guaranteed money by a very large amount. These two players will decide the direction the team will go in 2024, as the Dolphins are looking to get over the hump after a disappointing end to the last two seasons.
It’s worth wondering how their defense will look this season after letting multiple players go in free agency and with a new defensive coordinator at the helm. Look out for second-year running back De’Von Achane to have an even bigger impact in 2024 and take over the league as one of the fastest running backs out there.
With the New York Jets, it’s still all about quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Admittedly, judging by the clips from practice, Rodgers looks good right now and his chemistry with wide receiver Garrett Wilson continues to increase, which could spell danger for the rest of the league.
Aside from Rodgers though, there’s the contract despite with linebacker Haason Reddick. The Jets traded for Reddick in the offseason with the idea that he would report for training camp while the two sides tried to work on a new contract. However, somewhere along the way Reddick changed his mind and he has yet to report to camp. This is noteworthy because now Reddick’s getting fined for every missed practice, which implies Reddick means business in this hold out. Will the two sides be able to reach a resolution?