Ranking the AFC East Offensive Line Situations, Pre-Draft Edition

After the first wave of free agency, it's a good time to revisit every AFC East team's roster and see where everybody stands at each position.

On the offensive line, the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets were able to land probably the most coveted tackle and guard in free agency, respectively, and probably put themselves in position to make the most improvement.

Let's examine each team's situation before we proceed with our AFC East ranking of the offensive lines.

BUFFALO BILLS

On the roster: C Mitch Morse, G Ike Boettger, G Cody Ford, G Rodger Saffold, OL Ryan Bates, OL Jacob Capra, OL Greg Mancz, T Spencer Brown, T Tommy Doyle, T Bobby Hart, T Dion Dawkins

Offseason moves: Released G Jon Feliciano ... released G/T Daryl Williams ... re-signed C Mitch Morse to a two-year contract ... signed G Rodger Saffold as a free agent ... tendered OL Ryan Bates as a restricted free agent and matched Chicago's offer sheet of a four-year contract ... signed OL Greg Mancz as an unrestricted free agent from Miami ... re-signed G Ike Boettger as a UFA ... re-signed T Bobby Hart as a UFA

Projected opening-day starters: LT Dion Dawkins, LG Ryan Bates, C Mitch Morse, RG Rodger Saffold, RT Spencer Brown

2021 stats: Rushing average per play, 4.79 (6th in NFL); rushing yards before contact per attempt, 2.6 (t-9th); sacks allowed per pass attempts, 4.12 percent (2nd); times pressured per dropback, 25.5 percent (24th)

Outlook: The Bills' big move of the offseason was adding the veteran Saffold, who ended up in the Pro Bowl last season for Tennessee and looks like a clear upgrade over another veteran, Williams. Another solid move was matching the offer sheet to Bates, who moved into the starting lineup as an injury replacement late last season but kept the job in the playoffs.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

On the roster: C/G Michael Deiter, G/T Robert Jones, G Solomon Kindley, G/T Robert Hunt, G/T Austin Jackson, OL Connor Williams, T Terron Armstead, T Larnel Coleman, T Liam Eichenberg, T Greg Little, T Adam Pankey, T Kion Smith

Offseason moves: Signed T Terron Armstead to a five-year contract as an unrestricted free agent from New Orleans ... signed OL Connor Williams to a two-year contract as a UFA from Dallas ... lost G/C Greg Mancz as a UFA ... released G/T Jesse Davis

Projected opening-day starters: LT Terron Armstead, LG Connor Williams, C Michael Deiter, RG Robert Hunt, RT Austin Jackson

2021 stats: Rushing average per play, 3.55 (31st in NFL); rushing yards before contact per attempt, 2.0 (30th); sacks allowed per pass attempts, 6.50 percent (18th); times pressured per dropback, 23.1 percent (t-15th)

Outlook: While the trade acquisition of Tyreek Hill was the headline-grabbing move of the offseason for the Dolphins, it easily can be argued that picking up the four-time Pro Bowl selection Armstead was even more significant because he not only provides an anchor for an offensive line that struggled in 2021 but veteran leadership that could prove invaluable. Adding Williams was another strong move for the Dolphins, who also will be looking for improvement from their large group of recent draft picks at the position (Deiter, Kindley, Hunt, Jackson, Eichenberg).

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

On the roster: C David Andrews, G Yasir Durant, G Arlington Hambright, T Trent Brown, OL Yodny Cajuste, OL Drew Desjarlais, OL James Ferentz, OL Justin Herron, OL Mike Onwenu, OL Isaiah Wynn, T Will Sherman

Offseason moves: Signed OL James Ferentz as a free agent ... C/G Ted Karras became an unrestricted free agent ... traded G Shaq Mason to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a 2022 fifth-round pick ... re-signed T Trent Brown to a two-year contract as an unrestricted free agent

Projected opening-day starters: LT Justin Herron, LG Isaiah Wynn, C David Andrews, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Trent Brown

2021 stats: Rushing average per play, 4.40 (12th in NFL); rushing yards before contact per attempt, 2.2 (t-28th); sacks allowed per pass attempts, 5.23 percent (8th); times pressured per dropback, 18.2 percent (4th)

Outlook: The big move here, and one that came as a major surprise to many, was the decision to ship Mason to Tampa Bay after he had started for seven years, particularly considering the low return. Karras, the one-time Dolphins center, was valuable because of his ability to also play guard. Re-signing Brown was a good move.

NEW YORK JETS

On the roster: C Connor McGovern, G Laken Tomlinson, G Greg Van Roten, OL Cameron Clark, OL Dan Feeney, OL Parker Ferguson, OL Grant Hermanns, OL Conor McDermott, OL Ross Pierschbacher, OL Dru Samia, OL Alijah Vera-Tucker, OL Isaiah Williams, T Mekhi Becton, T Chuma Edoga, T George Fant, T Greg Senat

Offseason moves: Re-signed OL Conor McDermott to a one-year as an unrestricted free agent ... G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif became an unrestricted free agent ... T Morgan Moses became a UFA ... signed G Laken Tomlinson to a three-year contract as a UFA from San Francisco ... re-signed OL Dan Feeney as a UFA ... re-signed OL Greg Senat ... released T Alex Lewis

Projected opening-day starters: LT George Fant, LG Laken Tomlinson, C Connor McGovern, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, RT Mekhi Becton

2021 stats: Rushing average per play, 4.39 (13th in NFL); rushing yards before contact per attempt, 2.5 (t-15th); sacks allowed per pass attempts, 8.79 percent (27th); times pressured per dropback, 27.5 percent (29th)

Outlook: Outside of the Dolphins landing Armstead, the Jets made the biggest splash of the offseason on the offensive line in the AFC East when they were able to snag Pro Bowl selection Laken Tomlinson away from the 49ers. His arrival will mean 2021 first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker will move from left to right guard after he showed great promise as a rookie. One big issue for the Jets will be what they can get from 2020 first-round pick Mekhi Becton after he played only one game last season because of a knee injury.

RANKING THE AFC EAST OL SITUATIONS

Let's face it, there was a big gap among AFC East offensive lines last year with Buffalo and New England at the top and the Dolphins and Jets at the bottom, but the gap clearly has closed.

The question, of course, is: by how much?

The addition of Armstead is a game-changer for the Dolphins, who now have a Pro Bowl player on their offensive line, though the reality is they had a very long way to go after last year and it's difficult to rank them ahead of their division rivals at this time.

The call: 1. Buffalo; 2. N.Y. Jets; 3. New England; 4. Miami

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Alain Poupart has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989. You can follow him on Twitter at @PoupartNFL.

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