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9 AFC East stories from last week for Bills fans to know

Storylines that Buffalo Bills fans will want to know from the last week on the AFC East.

You’re probably all on top of the latest news surrounding the Buffalo Bills and we hope Bills Wire helped you get there. But let us keep you up to date with the Bills news, just outside the Bills’ realm.

The upcoming 2020 NFL season has many thinking the Bills are the favorite in the AFC East. But Buffalo isn’t just going to stroll into that title. The Dolphins, Jets, and of course the Patriots, will all have something to say about that.

So let’s stay on top of some of the latest headlines surrounding the Bills’ divisional foes now. Here are nine news stories from the other three AFC East teams from the last week right here:

Miami Dolphins

Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Xavien Howard returns

Bad news for the rest of the AFC East… one of the division’s best cornerbacks is finally back in the fold for the Dolphins. Xavien Howard was activated by Miami and he joined his teammates at practice late last week. But here’s the curve ball: He was on two different designations. The Dolphins removed him from both the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and the COVID-19/reserve list.

Howard was one of just three NFL players to be on the COVID-19 reserve list at the time of his activation, he spent more than two weeks designated as a COVID-19 reserve. There is no confirmation of whether or not Howard did test positive for the virus. But we do know he suffered from lingering knee issues, which had him on the PUP list. Dolphins Wire writes that Miami has to “tread carefully” with Howard’s knees. He’s got to get back into playing shape and not re-injure himself.

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AFC East is second-worst NFL division says PFF

The AFC East is wide open in 2020, could the Bills bring home their first division title since 1995? A lack of talent among the rest of the AFC East certainly helps the Bills there, but it doesn’t help the overall ranking of the division in Pro Football Focus’ recent poll.

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Ranking each division in the NFL, PFF slots the AFC East as the league’s second-worst, just ahead of the NFC East. The Bills do earn some praise from the football analytics outlet, though.

Here’s PFF’s take on the Bills:

From top to bottom, the Bills have one of the best rosters in the league. There just aren’t many weak spots on their team, and their wide receiver trio of Stefon Diggs, John Brown and Cole Beasley gives Josh Allen plenty to work with on offense. The question is whether he can take the next step in his game and become a more accurate quarterback. It’s hard to have sustained success when your quarterback is earning PFF grades in the mid-60s, which is exactly what Allen has done in each of the past two seasons.

PFF pegs the Jets and Dolphins still behind the Bills and Patriots. But it’s hard to argue without Tom Brady that the AFC East, from top-to-bottom, is among the league’s most talented. The other three teams aside from the Bills are really… reeling. Their upcoming seasons could go either way while most peg the Bills on the upswing.

By comparison, the top divisions in the NFL via PFF’s rankings, could see their teams also go many different ways. However, it’s because there’s so much talent around them in their division… and someone has to win and someone has to lose, right? Currently the NFC West is pegged as PFF’s best division.

… and naturally the Bills face that division in 2020. Those four opponents will be the Cardinals, Seahawks, 49ers and Rams.

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Sean McDermott’s nightmare? Stephon Gilmore takes intel via social media

Stephon Gilmore jokes about seeing Buffalo Bills practice video of Stefon Diggs.

Oh no! Did Sean McDermott’s social media nightmare finally come true? Evidently… yes.

The Bills head coach has always been a guy that’ll take any edge he can get for his team. This offseason the Bills aren’t alone in doing that, though. Teams across the NFL are tightening up on training camp reporting. But that didn’t stop the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year from getting a nugget out of Bills camp.

Former Bills first-round pick and current Patriots defender Stephon Gilmore found a way to potentially grab some intel from a viral video shared on social media via Bleacher Report’s Twitter account. B/R shared the film of quarterback Josh Allen throwing a pass to wideout Stefon Diggs last week.

It’s a nice throw and catch, even if a coach is in coverage. But from that, Gilmore took notes… out loud. Gilmore took to his own social media and was thankful for the video sharing the route Diggs was running:

Thanks for showing me the routes teams work on lol https://t.co/TtmgH1bryS

— The Gilly Lock (@BumpNrunGilm0re) August 20, 2020

Hopefully McDermott finds a way to sleep at night prior to his team’s meeting with the Patriots in 2020. This could be the back breaker… The video will certainly give the Patriots a massive edge, as will the seven games of football the Bills play before even seeing the Patriots for the first time in Week 8 of the upcoming season.

Sarcastic, of course. Funny tweet by Gilmore, though.

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8 AFC East stories from last week for Bills fans to know

Stories from across the AFC East for Buffalo Bills fan to know from the past week.

So let’s stay on top of some of the latest headlines surrounding the Bills’ divisional foes now. Here are eight news stories from the other three AFC East teams from the last week right here:

New York Jets

Jets kicker Sam Ficken. Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Kicking battle still up in the air

Sam Ficken or Brett Maher? The Bills have a kicking battle of their own going on in training camp, but its to be between two guys that are pretty talented. Drafted rookie Tyler Bass and long-time NFL kicker Stephen Hauschka. The Jets on the other hand have two lesser-known prospects going at it, Brett Maher and Sam Ficken.

In recent years, the Jets have had huge kicker struggles. Since releasing Nick Folks, Gang Green hasn’t figured that position out. So far through their training camp, who’s the front runner? Jets Wire reports things are “neck-and-neck” between the two at camp.

“Sam and Brett are doing a very nice job,” special teams coordinator Brant Boyer said. “I see this coming down to the end here.”

If you recall, now former Jets and Bills kicker Kaare Vedvik had a brutal Week 1 against Buffalo in 2019, handing the Bills the win. Who do the Jets play in Week 1 in 2020? The Bills… again.

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Patriots re-sign kicker Nick Folk, sign defensive lineman Michael Barnett

The Patriots have re-signed kicker Nick Folk and also signed defensive lineman Michael Barnett.
Folk played seven games for the Patriots last season after Stephen Gostkowski went down with an injury.
He made 14-of-17 field goals and hit all 12 of his extra point attempts.
Barnett, 23, played in 46 games with the Georgia Bulldogs and accumulated 47 tackles over that time

Patriots re-sign kicker Nick Folk, sign defensive lineman Michael Barnett

Saints report multiple free agent tryouts at training camp

The New Orleans Saints tried out a group of five free agents after training camp practice, including four tight ends and WR Jake Lampman.

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The New Orleans Saints reported tryouts with five free agents following Monday’s training camp practice session, per the NFL transactions wire. And two of those names might be familiar to Saints fans.

Most notable is wide receiver Jake Lampman, who first entered the NFL on an undrafted free agent deal with the Saints back in 2016. The Ferris State alum began his rookie year on the practice squad but logged just 89 snaps on special teams before being released. He was quickly snatched up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where the 6-foot-0, 205 pound wideout hung around for a few years.

Another former member of the Saints called in for the tryout was tight end A.J. Derby, originally a sixth-round draft pick by the New England Patriots. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, he joined the Saints late in the 2019 preseason but wasn’t able to crack the roster. Before that, he was traded several times, taking the field with the Patriots (4 games), Denver Broncos (15 games) and Miami Dolphins (6 games).

The other three tryouts were all new to New Orleans, and all play tight end. The group was rounded out by Ethan Wolf, Donnie Ernsberger, and Ryan O’Malley. They have combined for four regular season game appearances between the three of them.

So why all the interest in tight ends? The Saints have been without Josh Hill for much of training camp due to an unspecific injury, and he’s a valuable co-starter in the Saints offense. With two backups having opted out due to the COVID-19 pandemic and rookie quarterback Tommy Stevens transitioning to the position, the Saints probably wanted to see if they could add someone more experienced to pad out the practice rotation. They haven’t signed anyone yet, but stay tuned.

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WATCH: Joe Montana reacts to Tom Brady’s move to Tampa Bay

Joe Montana shared news about what Tom Brady didn’t enjoy about his time recently in New England. Watch and react to that right here!

Few have ever played quarterback better in the NFL than Joe Montana did, as the former Notre Dame hero helped guide the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl Championships in his career.

Montana and the 49ers eventually split up though as the quarterback played out the rest of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs, getting them to the AFC Championship in January of 1994.

Montana sat down with Mackenzie Salmon on SportsPulse and discussed Tom Brady’s move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. During the conversation, Montana revealed something that bothered Brady about how things went in New England, see for yourself below.

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Color me surprised because my perception was always that Bill Belichick and Tom Brady worked hand in hand and that Brady had a ton of say as to what went into game plans and play calls.

Whatever the case in New England, it clearly worked for a long time as Brady left the Patriots after helping create the greatest dynasty the NFL has ever seen in his 20 years on the job.

I’ll be curious to see how Brady, who started to really look his age for much of the 2019 season, looks this year with what appears to be as talented of receivers and targets as he’s ever played with in his NFL career.

As for Montana, I’m wondering how Brady likes that conversation between a couple of legends getting out.

Report: Patriots to sign former Texans RB Lamar Miller

The Patriots agreed to a one-year deal with former Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller on Monday, according to ESPN.
Miller is coming off a torn ACL last preseason as a member of the Houston Texans.
Over the course of his career, Miller has rushed for 5,808 yards, and 32 touchdowns