AFC East preview: Division is home to some of the best defensive backs in the NFL
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2023 AFC East preview
The Miami Herald will rank and preview different positions for each team in the AFC East from strongest to weakest during an eight-part series leading into the start of training camp.
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The AFC East will feature some of the best defensive backs in the NFL in 2023.
The Dolphins traded for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey days before free agency opened, pairing him with fellow All-Pro Xavien Howard to form arguably the best corner tandem in the league.
The New York Jets Jets’ Sauce Gardner is already in the discussion for the NFL’s best cornerback after earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills are hoping for better health with a proven secondary, while the New England Patriots will likely have a highly-touted draft pick starting at corner.
During an eight-part series leading into the start of training camp, the Miami Herald will rank and preview different positions for each team in the AFC East, from strongest to weakest. Part 6 is defensive backs, and next is linebackers.
1. Miami Dolphins
▪ Depth chart: Cornerbacks: Jalen Ramsey, Xavien Howard, Kader Kohou, Cam Smith, Nik Needham | Safeties: Jevon Holland, Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott
▪ Skinny: Last offseason, the Dolphins traded for All-Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill, pairing him with up-and-comer Jaylen Waddle to form one of the league’s most dangerous receiving duos. This offseason, Miami went to the other side of the ball to land an All-Pro, trading for Ramsey to join Howard. The two will be centerpieces in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme, and Ramsey’s versatility playing in the slot will allow the unit to adjust to week-to-week matchups.
Kohou started 13 games as an undrafted rookie and ended up being one of the defense’s most dependable players. The addition of Ramsey likely moves Kohou into a permanent role as a nickel back. But like Ramsey, Kohou has the ability to line up in multiple spots. Miami has depth behind the top three, with players such as Smith — the team’s top draft pick — Needham and Trill Williams competing for playing time. The safety spot next to Holland will be decided this summer. The team signed Elliott but he did not participate in organized team activities because of an injury. Jones also was sidelined as he continues to rehab from the ACL tear he sustained last October.
2. New York Jets
▪ Projected depth chart: Cornerbacks: Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, Michael Carter II | Safeties: Jordan Whitehead, Adrian Amos
▪ Skinny: As mentioned before, Gardner is the star of this group after earning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. But Reed is one of the most underrated corners in the league. The Jets often entrusted him with matchups against the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver and he typically held his own. New York lost Chuck Clark, whom they acquired in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the offseason, to a season-ending knee injury during offseason workouts. But the Jets quickly signed Amos, who has 122 starts in his career and projects as the starting safety next to Whitehead.
3. Buffalo Bills
▪ Projected depth chart: Cornerbacks: Tre’Davious White, Taron Johnson, Dane Jackson, Kaiir Elam | Safeties: Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Damar Hamlin, Taylor Rapp
▪ Skinny: The Bills have one of the league’s best secondaries when healthy but that was not a luxury afforded to them last season. Poyer and Hyde, who might make up the best safety tandem in the NFL, appeared in just 14 games last season. Hyde missed all but two games because of a neck injury. White was returning from a significant knee injury and didn’t make his season debut until late November. If all can stay on the field, Buffalo should have the makings of a top unit again. Buffalo also has good depth in this group. Hamlin, who started 13 games before experiencing a scary cardiac arrest on the field in January, has been cleared to return to the field. In free agency, the Bills signed Rapp, who has started 48 games in his career.
4. New England Patriots
▪ Depth chart: Cornerbacks: Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones | Safeties: Kyle Dugger, Jabril Peppers, Adrian Phillips, Jalen Mills
▪ Skinny: In recent years, the Patriots have lost high-profile cornerbacks such as Stephon Gilmore and J.C. Jackson but always seem to find a replacement. Last season, it was Jonathan Jones, who stepped into a full-time role as an outside cornerback and performed admirably. New England used a first-round pick on Gonzalez, an all-conference performer at Oregon. Marcus Jones is penciled into the slot and is an all-purpose player who contributed as a returner and scored an offensive touchdown as a rookie last season.
The retirement of Devin McCourty leaves a big void for the Patriots to fill, both on and off the field, but they seem to have players in place to make up for his departure. Kyle Dugger is one of the most versatile safeties in the NFL and Phillips can line up in myriad spots, too. There is speculation that Mills could play more at safety in 2023, and that would only add to the unit’s depth.
This story was originally published June 30, 2023 at 1:40 PM.
