Team Needs: AFC East
The New England Patriots enter the offseason as Super Bowl champions, and the rest of the AFC East is looking for ways to dethrone the class of the league.
However, the Patriots won't be complacent. The Miami Dolphins are in striking range, and in an offseason that's already seen the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets employ new head coaches, the landscape of the division could rapidly change.
Let's take a look at some players the AFC East teams may be targeting in free agency and the draft.
NFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
AFC
EAST | NORTH | SOUTH | WEST
Buffalo Bills
Positions of need: Guard, quarterback
Although the Bills will revert to a 3-4 hybrid defense under head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, their ferocious unit doesn't need too many additions, especially with linebacker Kiko Alonso returning to the club after suffering a torn ACL last summer.
It's the putrid offense that needs fixing, with the Bills requiring a quarterback to challenge or supplant EJ Manuel, who's been wildly inconsistent in his first two seasons. Buffalo signed guard Richie Incognito, who is an immediate upgrade over Kraig Urbik and Erik Pears, the latter of whom was arguably the worst starter at his position in the NFL last year.
Potential free agent targets: Buffalo successfully recruited former San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman, and 49ers guard Mike Iupati would be a dream for their run-heavy offense, grading out as the NFL's second-best run blocker, per Pro Football Focus. New England's Dan Connolly would also be a nice option for the Bills, if he were to leave the champions.
At quarterback, the problem is a lot murkier. With a dearth of available free agents, Buffalo likely will have to settle on a placeholder like Miami's Matt Moore, keep Manuel as the starter and pray he develops into a low-risk, low-reward quarterback in the vein of Alex Smith. That, or draft a quarterback in the third round.
Miami Dolphins
Positions of need: Linebacker, center
The Dolphins' defense positioned the club for a potential playoff run, until a December implosion in which they allowed over 35 points per game. Baltimore and New England exposed Miami's lack of depth at linebacker and cornerback during the four-game stretch.
Miami would be wise to find an additional cornerback to play alongside Brent Grimes, with Cortland Finnegan and Jimmy Wilson struggling in coverage.
Samson Satele struggled immensely at pass blocking, allowing a position-high 12 quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus. He also took a number of penalties. Satele is slated to become an unrestricted free agent, causing a vacancy at center entering 2015.
Entering free agency, Miami has less than $2 million in cap space, and will have to be wise about who they target as a result.
Potential free agent targets: The Dolphins are reportedly targeting David Harris, who is more than familiar with the team's scheme after eight years with the Jets. Harris would be an ideal fit and would give the Dolphins some underrated punch alongside Koa Misi.
It would be unwise to retain Satele, but it's an option for the Dolphins. If they choose a different route, they could go after Oakland's Stefen Wisniewski, a very good player who's slipped under the radar.
New England Patriots
Positions of need: Wide receiver, linebacker
Life's pretty good for the Patriots, who don't have too many glaring weaknesses. Tom Brady took an average group of wide receivers and molded them into Super Bowl champions, with a standout performance from Julian Edelman. However, the team would do well to grab another depth receiver.
New England's linebacker corps is the envy of most teams, with Jamie Collins and Dont'a Hightower emerging as bona fide stars. But it's uncertain whether the Patriots will be able to retain Collins after next season, and after Jerod Mayo was sidelined with a torn tendon, it wouldn't hurt to sign an additional linebacker as insurance.
The Patriots paid the cost to be the boss, and are $4.7 million over the salary cap, per Spotrac's data, which limits their potential spending. It's rare when Belichick and company splurge, with their acquisition of cornerback duo Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner last summer more the exception than the rule.
Potential free agent targets: With limited money to spend, and the team likely preparing to extend Collins to a Goliath deal, New England could target Cecil Shorts III as their newest reclamation project, much akin to Brandon LaFell.
Tampa Bay's Dane Fletcher is familiar with Belichick and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia's scheme, and would be an ideal fit as a rotational linebacker. Other options include Chicago's D.J. Williams or Seattle's Heath Farwell.
New York Jets
Positions of need: Quarterback, cornerback, guard
New York hired Todd Bowles as their new head coach and one of his first priorities is to upgrade the team's porous cornerback group. The Jets spent first-round selections on Kyle Wilson and Dee Milliner, both of whom have been unmitigated disasters who have returned absolutely no value for the team. Darrin Walls also struggled, and too much responsibility fell on first-year safety Calvin Pryor, who flashed signs of stardom.
Geno Smith has been a punchline since entering the league, but it appears for now that the Jets are committed to him as their quarterback. With a weak free agency class ahead, New York may use the sixth overall pick in this year's draft to try find their franchise player.
The Jets' guards did little to support Smith and Michael Vick, who both played below replacement-level. New York would be wise to go after two guards this offseason, wiping the slate clean.
New York has $48 million in cap space and expect new general manager Mike Maccagnan to spend without restriction.
Potential free agent targets: San Francisco's Mike Iupati would be an ideal fit, and Seattle is likely to let former first-round pick James Carpenter go.
Antonio Cromartie has been heavily rumoured to be returning to New York, and has total familiarity with Bowles' defensive system. He outplayed his more heralded teammate Patrick Peterson last season. San Diego's Brandon Flowers and Seattle's Byron Maxwell are also intriguing options.