This article is part of our Payne's Perspective series.
It's been a crazy couple weeks in the AFC East with the Bills surprisingly trading Kiko Alonso for LeSean McCoy, the Jets trading for Brandon Marshall and the Dolphins committing $58 million to Ndamukong Suh.
The Bills moved on from 2010 first-round pick C.J. Spiller, who should get a second chance somewhere to show can be a full-time running back. Signing Richie Incognito upgrades Buffalo's offensive line, and even though the team might still draft a guard or running back, those positions are no longer a priority after landing two starters.
The Suh signing was interesting, but that's a lot of money to give one defensive lineman (albeit the best tackle in the NFL). Last season Detroit led the NFL in rushing defense, allowing only 3.2 yards per carry while the Dolphins ranked 21st at 4.3 yards per carry. The defending Super Bowl champions are still the elite team in the division, but if the Jets lure Darrelle Revis from New England, that would be a big blow to a team that won't have Vince Wolfork and perhaps Brandon Browner. The Patriots often restructure contracts to open cap space, so it would be surprising if they lost both Revis and Browner.
The Brandon Marshall trade should put Geno Smith back on everyone's radar as he'll have an excellent receiving corps in Eric Decker and Marshall. Provided the Jets don't use the sixth overall pick to take Marcus Mariota, Smith should be under center Week 1.
It's been a crazy couple weeks in the AFC East with the Bills surprisingly trading Kiko Alonso for LeSean McCoy, the Jets trading for Brandon Marshall and the Dolphins committing $58 million to Ndamukong Suh.
The Bills moved on from 2010 first-round pick C.J. Spiller, who should get a second chance somewhere to show can be a full-time running back. Signing Richie Incognito upgrades Buffalo's offensive line, and even though the team might still draft a guard or running back, those positions are no longer a priority after landing two starters.
The Suh signing was interesting, but that's a lot of money to give one defensive lineman (albeit the best tackle in the NFL). Last season Detroit led the NFL in rushing defense, allowing only 3.2 yards per carry while the Dolphins ranked 21st at 4.3 yards per carry. The defending Super Bowl champions are still the elite team in the division, but if the Jets lure Darrelle Revis from New England, that would be a big blow to a team that won't have Vince Wolfork and perhaps Brandon Browner. The Patriots often restructure contracts to open cap space, so it would be surprising if they lost both Revis and Browner.
The Brandon Marshall trade should put Geno Smith back on everyone's radar as he'll have an excellent receiving corps in Eric Decker and Marshall. Provided the Jets don't use the sixth overall pick to take Marcus Mariota, Smith should be under center Week 1. The biggest disservice to Smith was the Jets benching him last season for Michael Vick, delaying his development. Smith's 6.9 YPA is far from elite but was in the same neighborhood as Tom Brady (7.1) and Cam Newton (6.9). The further development of tight end Jace Amaro would help Smith's fantasy prospects, as well. For the record, you'd have to go back to 2008 to find the last time the Patriots didn't win the AFC East -- and Miami only won the division on a tie-breaker as they both had the same record.
As for the Eagles, it remains to be seen how good Alonso will be coming off a knee injury, but it's obvious the Eagles are addressing their defense this offseason. Former Seattle Seahawk Byron Maxwell is expected to sign with the Eagles on Tuesday, giving Philadelphia a physical corner to match up with division foes Dez Bryant and Odell Beckham Jr. They also have made a push for Frank Gore to replace McCoy, which would be a questionable sigining. Gore averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry last season with San Francisco but hasn't been used as a receiver and has more than 2,400 career carries. The Eagles likely will use a draft pick on a running back, which is a deep class this year, and it will be interesting to see how Chip Kelly divides the touches. Re-signing Mark Sanchez to a new two-year deal should have plenty of teams inquiring about Nick Foles.
As a Bills fan, part of me would have liked to see Foles included in the McCoy/Alonso deal, perhaps sending a second- or third-round pick for him. Foles is only two seasons removed from a ridiculous 27:2 TD:INT ratio, and I'd rather see the Bills take a chance on him than gamble in the draft. Foles had four 300-yard games in his eight starts last season and would be a nice mid-round fantasy play if he stays aboard in Philadelphia and wins the starting job.
Around the League
• Speaking of Odell Beckham Jr., how early would you take him in a draft? He's easily top 10 for me, and it wouldn't surprise me if I took him middle of the first round. Before you think that's crazy talk, prorating his final nine games over a full season gives him 144 catches for 1,780 yards and 16 touchdowns. Those numbers would have led the league (tied with Dez Bryant in TD).
• I've been leading the Kevin White hype train since early in the college season and his performance at the Combine did nothing to slow me down. White ran an impressive 4.35 40, bench pressed 225 pounds 23 times (tied for most at wide receiver) and had a 36.5-inch vertical jump. At 6-foot-3, he has prototypical size to be an elite wide receiver and showed tremendous improvement from his junior to senior season. It'll be interesting to see if Raiders owner Mark Davis channels his father and selects White with the fourth overall pick. Pairing White (or potentially Amari Cooper) with Derek Carr would give the Raiders a franchise QB-to-WR combo for the next five years, at least. Another interesting landing spot for White is St. Louis, which needs a legit No. 1 receiving option. White's final numbers at West Virginia for his senior season -- 109 catches, 1,447 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns (13 games) -- shows his potential. White's teammate, quarterback Clint Trickett, is a reminder of what a brutal game football is. Trickett quit West Virginia after sustaining five concussions in 14 months.
• What were the Browns thinking by giving Josh McCown a $14 million contract? The soon-to-be 36-year-old journeyman likely will start next season after an unimpressive season with the Buccaneers. Despite having the league's tallest tandem of wide receivers in Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans, McCown managed just a 6.7 YPA and had an 11:14 TD:INT ratio. Cleveland averaged 3.6 yards per carry last season, and its leading wide receivers are Taylor Gabriel and Andrew Hawkins. Also keep in mind that they once had Charles Johnson on their roster and lost him to the Vikings. The fantasy takeaway here is to be ready to stream defenses against the Browns early next season.
• If your team was void of a quarterback, would you want them to spend the first overall pick on Jameis Winston? He drew rave reviews at the Combine, and he apparently impressed during his visit to Tampa Bay, as well. The "knucklehead" factor is in play here, though. Instinctively, I was down on Winston, but I think I'm gaining more optimism. He has the physical tools, and I did some idiot things myself as a college kid, too. Like any rookie quarterback, learning the playbook, reading defenses and gaining familiarity with his receivers will be paramount for Winston to have an immediate fantasy impact. Remember, it wasn't too long ago Cam Newton came into the league and was immediately effective for the Panthers.
