3 Worst Offseason Moves From the Patriots' AFC East Rivals
By Cem Yolbulan
The New England Patriots mostly stood pat in free agency, choosing to maintain most of their cap space heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. This is understandable as the Pats are in no hurry as they enter a long rebuild under the first-time head coach Jerod Mayo.
Even though New England is not trying to contend in 2024, their AFC East rivals are in different stages of their journeys and had busier offseasons. As the Dolphins, Jets, and Bills both try to win the AFC next season, a few of their offseason decisions were highly questionable.
Bills Losing Their Secondary Depth
Buffalo won the AFC East for the past four seasons, racking up double-digit wins in each campaign. They had a top-five defense for the last three years. However, the team had gotten too expensive for them to be able to retain all of their defensive talent.
They lost two Pro Bowlers in cornerback Tre White and safety Jordan Poyer without being able to fully replace them due to salary cap limitations. Micah Hyde is likely not returning, either. Their projected starting safeties Taylor Rapp and Mike Edwards don't have previous starting experience. Backups Damar Hamlin and Cam Lewis are equally inexperienced.
The Bills defense will almost certainly take a hit if they can't pull a rabbit out of a hat in the draft.