The New England Patriots find themselves in another Super Bowl, which means we have to wait before we address off-season topics for the teams in the division. That means this week on the AFC East roundup we take a look at the coaching hires and moves each team has made or in the Patriots case, will have to deal with before the season comes to an end.
Buffalo Bills
The core coaches for the Bills are making a return with Sean McDermott, Leslie Frazier, and Brian Daboll returning to the sidelines to provide consistency for the team. The differences comes with a new special teams coach in Heath Farwell (following the firing of Danny Crossman, who led a unit ranked in the bottom of the league). Buffalo also hired Bobby Johnson to coach the offensive line. Johnson was an assistant line coach with the Indianapolis Colts last year, a team that went from fielding a league-worst line to one of the best in just a year. Something to monitor are reports that Chad Hall will become the wide receiver coach, however nothing has become official at this time.
New York Jets
The Jets will have a new head coach on the sidelines in Adam Gase who was fired by the Dolphins at the end of last season. Gase hired one of the best defensive minds on the market, announcing Gregg Williams as his defensive coordinator. On the other side of the ball, the Jets received permission from the Dolphins to speak with Dowell Loggains who was Gase’s offensive coordinator last year down in Miami. Gase should play a vital role in the development of Sam Darnold, so the Jets will be a team to watch next year.
Miami Dolphins/ New England Patriots
These two teams are grouped together because one impacts the other. Once the season ends for New England, it’s expected Miami will announce the current defensive coordinator of the Patriots, Brian Flores, as their next head coach. That has not stopped Flores from building his staff. Former head coach Jim Caldwell has been linked to the Dolphins to be an assistant head coach. The team is also planning to hire Patrick Graham from the Green Bay Packers to be their defensive coordinator. There has been no word recently in their search for an offensive coordinator. The Patriots do not seem to be worrying about hiring new coaches because aside from Flores, no other coaches are expected to leave the staff.