All Dolphins

AFC East Roundtable: Biggest Offseason Move

While the departure of Tom Brady from New England made the biggest headlines around the AFC East this offseason, there were plenty of noteworthy additions

Alain Poupart

After almost two decades of dominance by the New England Patriots, there was a sense this offseason that the balance of power in the AFC East finally has started to shift.

While the Patriots took the biggest hit of the offseason when Tom Brady took his talents to Tampa, they took steps to help maintain the status quo in the division. 

The Miami Dolphins made more moves than just about any team in the entire NFL, the Buffalo Bills pulled off perhaps the biggest trade of the offseason, and the New York Jets tried to use the draft to build up their roster for Adam Gase’s second season as head coach.

As we begin our AFC East Roundtable series, we surveyed the publisher of each of the SI/Maven team sites to come up with each team’s biggest offseason moves.

BUFFALO BILLS The best offseason move for Buffalo was their blockbuster trade for Stefon Diggs.

They had to sacrifice four draft picks — one of which was a 2020 first-round pick — but in doing so they added a powerful weapon to their offense, which is pivotal if the team as a whole wants to take a step forward next season.

A quarterback is only as good as the weapons around them, which is why giving Josh Allen another talented pass-catching option will ensure the Bills are doing everything they can to put Allen in a position to succeed. Now, if Allen takes a step back in 2020 after progressing over his first two seasons in the NFL, the front office knows they’ve done their part to help their young QB.

— Devon Clements, PatriotMaven

MIAMI DOLPHINS

As the team deemed by longtime NFL exec Gil Brandt to have had the best offseason in the league, it’s clear the Dolphins made several significant additions.

From a long-term perspective, there’s nothing that’s going to rival taking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft if he pans out the way the Dolphins anticipate.

But if we’re talking about an immediate impact, it’s tough to go against the addition of cornerback Byron Jones in free agency. Jones’ arrival to join 2018 Pro Bowl selection Xavien Howard will give the Dolphins one of the most talented cornerback tandems in the NFL and bolster a secondary filled with unproven players last season.

Honorable mention goes to the signing of veteran linebacker Kyle Van Noy.

— Alain Poupart, AllDolphins

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

When looking at the Patriots roster as a whole and thinking about the voids that needed to be filled, third-round pick Devin Asiasi qualifies as their best offseason move.

New England has had a serious void at tight end ever since Rob Gronkowski retired last offseason, and did little to nothing this offseason to address the wideout position in free agency or the draft.

Because of that, adding Asiasi, who is a well-rounded tight end from UCLA who can be effective as a blocker and pass catcher, is a big upgrade to New England’s passing attack.

While some of the defensive talent they acquired in the draft could have been the pick as their best offseason move — like second-round pick Josh Uche — their production will not have as big an impact on their unit as Asiasi’s will to an offense that sputtered out quite often in 2019 because of a lack of pass-catching options.

— Devon Clements, PatriotMaven

NEW YORK JETS

The best move of the offseason from the New York Jets came in the second round of the NFL Draft.

It is a move that was worthy of Kevin Costner in “Draft Day.”

Sitting at No. 48 in the draft, General Manager Joe Douglas (in his first full offseason with the team) traded back with the Seattle Seahawks. In exchange, the Jets got the Seahawks’ second-round pick (No. 58) and their compensatory pick in the third round, No. 101.

At the time of the trade, the move was panned. In desperate need of a wide receiver, the Jets still had tremendous options on the board in Chase Claypool (Notre Dame) and Van Jefferson (Florida). But at No. 59, somehow available was Baylor’s Denzel Mims, a player who was seen before the draft as a possible first-round pick.

And then with No. 101, the Jets moved back again in a trade with the New England Patriots, allowing them to add more needed depth to their two-deep.

They didn’t land David Putney, but still a good move.

— Kristian Dyer, JetsCountry

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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