AFC East preview: Dolphins wide receivers lead division that could be filled with No. 1 options

The AFC East is shaping up to be arguably the toughest division in the NFL in 2023. The Buffalo Bills have won the division each of the last three years.

The New York Jets made the biggest move of the offseason, trading for future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. And the New England Patriots, despite an 8-9 record and third-place finish last season, are always a hard out under coach Bill Belichick.

The Dolphins have constructed, on paper, one of the strongest rosters in the league and are looking to take another step after making the playoffs for the first time since 2016. But their efforts to win their first postseason game since 2000 and pursue their first championship since 1973 will start in the division, which the team has not won since 2008.

Over 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 2 is wide receiver and tight end, and next is quarterback.

1. Miami Dolphins

▪ Projected depth chart: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Robbie Chosen, Braxton Berrios, Durham Smythe (tight end)

▪ Skinny: The Hill-Waddle tandem was everything the Dolphins could have asked for and more in 2022. Hill set franchise records for catches and yards and now is eyeing the league’s first 2,000-yard receiving season. Waddle was as good of a No. 2 as you will find, leading the NFL in yards per catch.

Miami will need to replace wideout Trent Sherfield and tight end Mike Gesicki, who departed in free agency and combined for over 100 targets last season. Chosen, formerly Robbie Anderson, may be up to the task. He impressed throughout the Dolphins’ offseason workout program and adds even more speed to Miami’s offense in 2023.

2. New York Jets

▪ Projected depth chart: Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, Corey Davis, Tyler Conklin (tight end)

▪ Skinny: The Jets have a rising star in Wilson, who won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award last season, and brought along a few of Aaron Rodgers’ old friends to ease in the transition to New York. The Jets not only signed Lazard but also Randall Cobb, giving Rodgers a pair of trusted targets. New York traded Elijah Moore to the Cleveland Browns but still has a deep group with Hardman also on board and Davis still on the roster, though his role could decrease given the recent additions.

3. Buffalo Bills

▪ Projected depth chart: Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, Trent Sherfield, Deonte Harty, Dalton Kincaid (tight end), Dawson Knox (tight end)

▪ Skinny: Who steps ups a pass-catcher aside from Diggs? Davis, who recorded a career-high 836 yards last season, has had his moments. The Bills signed Sherfield and he could eventually take on a similar role he did in Miami as a reliable No. 3 receiver. Kincaid, who the team drafted in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, could also help as he was viewed as the best receiving tight end in the draft.

4. New England Patriots

▪ Projected depth chart: JuJu Smith-Schuster, DeVante Parker, Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Hunter Henry (tight end), Mike Gesicki (tight end)

▪ Skinny: Similar to the Dolphins’ situation with running back Dalvin Cook, a big addition could be coming for New England that would change the complexion of its wide receiver room. Free agent wideout DeAndre Hopkins visited the team in Foxborough last week but left without signing a contract. If he decides to sign with the Patriots and join offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien, who was his head coach with the Houston Texans, he’d lift a position group that has been lacking playmakers for a while now.

New England did sign Smith-Schuster in free agency, but he, as well as Parker, are better suited as secondary options in the offense. After struggling to find a fit in Miami’s new offense last season, Gesicki has now joined the Patriots, effectively replacing Jonnu Smith, who was traded to the Atlanta Falcons. Gesicki is still known more as a receiver than a blocker but could find more success in a scheme that likes to utilize formations with multiple tight ends.

AFC EAST POSITION PREVIEWS

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