Ranking the AFC East Quarterbacks, Pre-Draft Edition

Where the Miami Dolphins stand among their division rivals at every position after the first wave of free agency

After the first wave of free agency, it's a good time to revisit every team's roster and see where everybody stands at each position.

The four starting quarterbacks in the division are expected to be the same as they were last season, though there was some movement among the backups.

Let's examine each team's situation before we proceed with our AFC East ranking of the quarterback position.

BUFFALO BILLS

On the roster: Josh Allen, Matt Barkley, Case Keenum

Offseason moves: Acquired Keenum from the Cleveland Browns for a 2022 seventh-round pick ... signed Barkley to a one-year contract as a free agent ... lost Mitch Trubisky as an unrestricted free agent (Pittsburgh)

Projected opening-day starter: Josh Allen

2021 stats: Allen — 63.3 completion percentage, 4407 yards, 36 TD, 15 INT, 763 rushing yards, 6 TD, 92.2 passer rating

Outlook: While Allen wasn't nearly as good during the regular season as he was in 2020 when he was the MVP runner-up, he finished off with a spectacular playoff performance when he had nine touchdown passes and no interceptions against New England and Kansas City. He'll head into the 2022 season viewed as one of the very best at his position. Keenum comes in to replace Trubisky as the backup, and for all the hoopla about how Trubisky is so much better now that he's left Chicago, this doesn't look like much of a downgrade.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

On the roster: Tua Tagovailoa, Teddy Bridgewater, Chris Streveler

Offseason moves: Signed Bridgewater to a one-year contract as an unrestricted free agent ... signed Streveler as a free agent ... lost Jacoby Brissett as a UFA (Cleveland)

Projected opening-day starter: Tua Tagovailoa

2021 stats: Tagovailoa — 67.8 completion percentage, 2653 yards, 16 TD, 10 INT, 128 rushing yards, 3 TD, 90.1 rating

Outlook: What can we say about Tagovailoa as he heads into his third NFL season ... that hasn't already been said, that is? As we examined earlier, this is a make-or-break season for Tagovailoa — or at least it should be — as it pertains to whether the team should move forward with him as it unquestioned starter. Bridgewater represents a clear upgrade over Brissett as the backup, but it would take an injury or a really poor performance for him to get playing time because the Dolphins have to make a call on Tua, particularly not that they have upgraded the personnel on offense.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

On the roster: Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham, Brian Hoyer

Offseason moves: Re-signed Hoyer to a two-year contract

Projected opening-day starter: Mac Jones

2021 stats: Jones — 67.6 completion percentage, 3801 yards, 22 TD, 13 INT, 129 rushing yards, 92.5 rating

Outlook: The Patriots return the same quarterback crew as last year after re-signing Hoyer, but it's Jones who's the focal point. By all accounts, Jones had a very good rookie season, though there were some clear physical limitations (sound familiar?) and him eventually making the Pro Bowl probably was a stretch. As in Miami, there are questions as to just how good an NFL quarterback this former University of Alabama can become.

NEW YORK JETS

On the roster: Zach Wilson, Joe Flacco, Mike White

Offseason moves: Re-signed White as a restricted free agent ... re-signed Flacco as an unrestricted free agent

Projected opening-day starter: Zach Wilson

2021 stats: Wilson — 55.6 completion percentage, 2334 yards, 9 TD, 11 INT, 185 rushing yards, 4 TD, 69.7 rating; Flacco — 64.3 completion percentage, 338 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 113.0 rating; White — 66.7 completion percentage, 953 yards, 5 TD, 8 INT, 75.1 rating

Outlook: Not everybody was sold on Wilson's NFL potential before the Jets made him the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, and little has changed after a rookie season that featured some dazzling plays (passing and running) but an awful lot of inconsistency and some questionable decision-making. Flacco and White return as the backups, but this is going to be about what kind of steps Wilson can take in his second season.

RANKING THE AFC EAST QB SITUATIONS

The Bills have become the top dogs in the division, and that's mostly because of Allen's emergence as a bona fide superstar.

And the reality is that there's a pretty big gap at this point between Allen and any other quarterback in the AFC East without a clear-cut second-best because analysts seem to be split between Tagovailoa and Jones.

Where the Dolphins fare well here is that Bridgewater stands as the best backup in the division, even though Flacco has his moments.

It's an easy call for the top spot here, and you could flip a coin between the Dolphins and Patriots for second. We'll give Miami the nod here because Bridgewater is a much better second quarterback than Hoyer.

The call: 1. Buffalo; 2. Miami; 3. New England; 4. N.Y. Jets

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.