Free Agency Preview- AFC East

  Unlike the rest of the American Football Conference, the AFC East does not have a football team that is primed to make huge signings during the 2014 free agency period. Although none of these teams have a huge amount of cap space, the AFC East is a very solid division, with only one team finishing under the .500 mark. So, without wasting any more time, let's take a look at the AFC East free agency preview.

New England Patriots: Finished 12-4
  For the third year in a row, the New England Patriots reached the AFC Championship Game, but failed to end the season with a Super Bowl win. Tom Brady makes the Patriots championship contenders every year, but there was little talent surrounding the future Hall-of-Fame quarterback. There are multiple positions where this football team can improve, and has multiple holes on their depth chart. Most importantly, New England needs to improve on defense (again). The Patriots especially need to improve in the secondary and the defensive line, which played average at best last year. New England's defensive line was one of the worst in the NFL during the 2013 season, and is progressively getting older and slower. The Patriots allowed the third most running yards per game last season, with 134. New England may not be losing a large amount of defensive lineman during this off-season, but improving at this area is still a major concern. Along with this, the Patriots also have a need at defensive back, which has troubled this organization for years. The New England Patriots were mediocre against the passing game last year, even with Pro-Bowl cornerback Aqib Talib. Now with the loss of Talib and an overall weak secondary, this unit needs serious improvement. Along with these issues on the defensive side of the ball, the Patriots also still need a talented receiver, to improve a very poor-playing receiving corps. This organization does not have a lot of money to work with during free agency, with only around $12 million in cap space. This is the reason why I believe the New England Patriots will not make very many signings during free agency, in an attempt to save their money for the NFL Draft. If the Patriots can improve their secondary, defensive line, and receiving corps this off-season, then this team will become a serious Super Bowl favorite.

 New York Jets: Finished 8-8
  In the beginning of the 2013 NFL season, the New York Jets seemed to be very well into the AFC playoff hunt. But, as the season progressed, the Jets began to play worse and worse, leading to an 8-8 record to end a disappointing season. Despite a well-performing run defense, the New York Jets seemed to play poorly in nearly every other position, especially on offense. Despite several critics that insist the New York Jets need a new quarterback, I am going to say that the wide receiver position is the biggest issue on this 53-man roster. The Jets' offensive passing game was awful during the 2013 season, relying on rookie quarterback Geno Smith and several no-name pass-catchers. The Jets only threw for 13 touchdowns and 2,932 yards last season, making them one of the worst in the NFL. New York is also expected to lose three receivers this off-season, creating an even bigger need at the position. Along with this, the New York Jets could also improve in the defensive secondary, which was near the bottom ten in the league last season. The Jets are also expected to lose four cornerbacks, including starter Antonio Cromartie. Luckily, the front office has a healthy $26 million in cap space heading into free agency, which should be enough to sign a decent receiver or two. If the Jets can improve their receiving corps and their secondary during the free agency period (which I expect them to do), I believe that this team could sneak into a playoff spot by the end of the 2014 NFL season.

Miami Dolphins: Finished 8-8

  After being in the AFC playoff picture for the last few weeks of the 2013 season, the Dolphins stumbled to an 8-8 record, finishing third in this division. Although the Dolphins are a team on the rise, there are multiple positions where the Miami Dolphins can improve, most importantly on defense. The Miami Dolphins' defense last year, similar to the Patriots, was average at best, and bad in the running game. I think that the front seven of this defensive line is the top priority in Miami, as they lack a large amount of depth. Despite only losing three people along the front seven in this defense, these areas are still major concerns on this team. Also, the Miami Dolphins could use major improvement on offense, to help a somewhat struggling Ryan Tannehill. The huge Mike Wallace signing last off-season did not turn out how the team would have liked it to, and I would not be surprised if this organization signed several wide receivers. The offensive line for this Dolphins team is being completely stripped by free agency, and is expected to lose five O-lineman. This obviously does not help an offensive line that was struggling to protect the quarterback to begin with. Due to the depth at the wide receiver and offensive lineman positions during free agency, I am expecting the Miami Dolphins to revamp their offense in an attempt to rival the Patriots'. The team has plenty of spending money to do so, as well, with over $35 million in cap space. If the Dolphins can manage to improve their offensive line and receiving corps during free agency, this team will be able to make a push for the playoffs next season.

Buffalo Bills: Finished 6-10
  During the 2013 NFL season, the Buffalo Bills simply did not play very well, but still managed to win six games. Although their offense was not very good during the season, the Bills' defense was even worse, especially in the running game. The Buffalo Bills were in the bottom five in the running defense during last season, and the linebacking corps of this team is clearly the biggest issue. In rushing yards allowed per game, the Bills were the 5th worst in the NFL, with nearly 130. Along with this, the Buffalo Bills could also use improvement in the offensive passing game, which was also one of the worst in the NFL. Similar to the New York Jets, the Buffalo Bills relied on a rookie quarterback in E.J Manuel, who was injured for a short time during last season. In order to build this roster around their young quarterback, I would expect the Bills to sign several offensive lineman and pass-catchers. Although it is not a fortune, the Bills' front office has an estimated $25 million in cap space, which should help fill up some of the holes on this mediocre roster. During the 2014 free agency period, I'm expecting the Buffalo Bills to sign multiple linebackers and offensive lineman, to create a more complete Bills team. If the Buffalo Bills can make a few big moves during this year's free agency period, then this organization can easily end up getting over the .500 mark next season.