AFC Notes: Odell Beckham, Drake Maye, Dolphins, Jets, Patriots

Dolphins

How much does new Dolphins WR Odell Beckham Jr. have in the tank? There are some split opinions. One executive from a team in the market for a receiver told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer they thought Beckham had lost a couple of steps. Miami signed him for a base value of $3 million, far less than what he got from the Ravens last year even though that was viewed as a massive overpay even at the time. But another executive from an AFC team thought Beckham could still be productive. 

“I don’t know if I agree that he’s lost it so much as that he’s just older, and that’s what the market says on older players,” they said to Breer. “He’s not always healthy, which is part of that. By the end of last year, he looked good, his legs were back. Now, does he need to play himself back into shape? The offseason stuff being in the contract would be important for me. But you’re late on that, and can’t put workout bonuses in now. He signed so late in Baltimore, that he had to play himself back into shape. And when he did, his burst came back, and he could still do a lot of the normal OBJ stuff.”

Jets

Mike Sando of The Athletic cites an anonymous NFL executive who thought the Jets were going to take TE Brock Bowers at No. 10 overall and feels OT Olu Fashanu is a developmental player given he may not contribute in 2024. 

“They are in win-now mode, which is why I thought they would go Bowers all the way or any player that would help them win this year,” an executive said. “Instead, they drafted a tackle who might not play for them this year, and might not be well-suited to kick inside and play guard. It certainly is good long-term process, but where they are as an organization, they gotta win this year.”

Another executive believes New York made the right choice by bringing in an offensive lineman. 

“O-line made so much sense there,” another exec said. “I don’t know how you go any other way.”

Patriots

The Patriots selected first-round QB Drake Maye in hopes of finding their franchise quarterback. NFL Network’s Cameron Wolfe noted offensive assistant Ben McAdoo will be a major factor in Maye’s development.

“One thing I was told by Jerod [Mayo] and by multiple people, Ben McAdoo is gonna have a huge role for Drake Maye,” Wolfe said, via the CLNS Media Network. “They hired him for a reason. They think that he’s a quarterback savant. He’s been a former head coach, and there’s a thought there that he can develop Drake Maye. So not saying that he’s going to have more [of a] role than Alex Van Pelt. But, I’d say that Ben McAdoo is gonna have a really significant role in developing Drake Maye.”