New England Patriots: Cornerback
Even casual football fans know the New England Patriots have an elite offense with Tom Brady under center. It is no secret the Patriots can score points in a hurry. The impressive display of offensive prowess can sometimes overshadow some of the Patriots deficiencies. What the casual observer may fail to notice is the Patriots most glaring weakness, the cornerback position.
Last season, New England was one of the worst in the league at stopping the opponent's passing game. The New England pass coverage was so bad head coach Bill Belichick was forced to pull off a mid-season trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to bring in cornerback Aqib Talib. With the future of starting cornerback Alfonzo Dennard up in the air, stemming from an assault charge on a police officer, New England desperately needs to address this position before the new season begins.
Miami Dolphins: Left Tackle
The Miami Dolphins made a clear statement when they let Pro Bowl left tackle Jake Long sign with the St. Louis Rams. The Dolphins clearly had other plans for the left tackle spot. What those plans are is still not known. What we do know is that the Dolphins have a glaring hole at left tackle. Miami could move right tackle Jonathan Martin over to the left side, however his inconsistent play makes this move unlikely. In his rookie season Martin did well at times, but his lack of experience was evident at others.
Moving Martin to left tackle would mean journeyman Will Yeatman would protect Ryan Tannehill’s right side. The bookend combination of Martin and Yeatman would make Miami coaches very nervous. The loss of starting corner backs Vontae Davis and Sean Smith left the Dolphins with a need at cornerback, however the signing of former Atlanta Falcons corner back Brent Grimes makes left tackle a priority.
Buffalo Bills: Quarterback
The Ryan Fitzpatrick experiment has ended in Buffalo. The Bills have moved on and have found a temporary stopgap in Kevin Kolb. Kolb is no savior. Kolb often struggled starting for his former team the Arizona Cardinals. Now the Buffalo brass is hoping he can turn things around in upstate New York.
Rumors have started to spread that the Bills are looking for a young signal caller to groom under Kolb. The Bills have many needs but none more so than quarterback. Buffalo finds itself in a dilemma. This year’s class of quarterbacks entering the NFL is nowhere near as deep as last year’s class. The Bills must decide whether to go all-in with Kolb or draft a young signal caller in a weak quarterback draft.
New York Jets: Quarterback
Similar to the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets have many needs. The Jets didn't do much to fill needs in free agency and can use upgrades at receiver, tight end, outside linebacker, guard and safety. Two years ago the Jets played in the AFC Championship Game, this seems like ages ago. Skip ahead to the present day, and Mark Sanchez is still the starting quarterback and Rex Ryan is still the head coach.
After a forgettable 6-10 season, changes were made and Mike Tannenbaum was ousted as general manager. In came his replacement John Idzik, who swiftly cleaned house. With an aging roster and many holes on both offense and defense, Idzik and company will have their work cut out for them, not only to fill the holes on the roster but also draft good, young players. The Jets have many tough decisions ahead but perhaps none more so than the decision whether to draft a quarterback early to push Sanchez for playing time.