Eight AFC East players with the most to prove in 2023

Whether it's a young player who has yet to live up to expectations or a veteran who hasn't matched the level of his contract, several players every year have much more to prove than others.

Here are the players with the most to prove on offense and defense for each team in the AFC East.

Buffalo Bills

Offense: Josh Allen, quarterback | On talent alone, Allen doesn't need to prove a thing. The 6-foot-5, 238-pounder has the fourth-most total yards (21,496) and sixth-most total touchdowns (138) by a quarterback since entering the league in 2018. Additionally, Allen has finished in the top three in MVP voting in two of the past three seasons, but his recent playoff showing has marred his résumé. 

Allen followed up a regular season in which he led the league in turnovers by completing 59.3% of his passes and throwing three interceptions across two postseason games. His ineffective play in the divisional round led to star wideout Stefon Diggs lashing out at him on the sideline. Although the issue has since been "resolved," and Allen has claimed the incident was overblown, if this season ends in a similar fashion, the offseason could bring significant changes.

Defense: Dorian Williams, linebacker | Buffalo saw former first-round pick Tremaine Edmunds, its defensive anchor, leave the team in free agency. It's no easy task to replace someone with the 10th-most tackles in the NFL since being drafted in 2018, though the Bills have an intriguing option in Williams, a rookie linebacker with 4.4 speed. 

Williams led the Tulane Green Wave in tackles (131) and sacks (five) last season, wrapping up his career with 17 tackles against USC in the Cotton Bowl. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler expects Williams to have "an immediate impact" on Buffalo's defense this season. Nevertheless, if he doesn't show promise as a rookie, the team could spend high draft capital on a linebacker next year. 

Miami Dolphins

Offense: Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback | The Dolphins' QB doesn't crack the list based on his production, considering he's been one of the better quarterbacks in recent years, but rather for his inability to stay healthy. Tagovailoa, whose college career was cut short by a hip injury, has missed nine games in three seasons with various ailments. 

After building one of the finest rosters on paper — ESPN's Mike Clay and Seth Walder ranked it as the fourth best in the NFL — Miami needs Tagovailoa on the field to make a run. If he's unable to stay on the field or guide the Dolphins to their first playoff win since 2000, questions will be raised as to whether he's worth extending.      

Defense: Xavien Howard, cornerback | Last offseason, Howard signed an extension that made him the NFL's highest-paid cornerback at the time, and the initial returns weren't encouraging. The two-time league leader in interceptions picked off just one pass last season and had three games in which he surrendered over 100 yards in coverage.

Playing alongside new addition Jalen Ramsey will likely mean more targets will come Howard's way, and if his 2022 struggles persist, Miami may be forced to move on next offseason. If the Dolphins opt to trade Howard after June 1, 2024, they'd only incur $8.8M in dead money. This decision would also pave the way for 2023 second-rounder Cam Smith to assume a starting role.

New England Patriots

Offense: Mac Jones, quarterback | There might not be a player entering a more pivotal season of his career than Jones, who was subject to trade talks this offseason following an underwhelming 2022. Jones' 2,997 passing yards ranked 18th among quarterbacks a season ago, and he finished 23rd in passing touchdowns (14) and tossed 11 interceptions. 

Last season's troubles can't be blamed on Jones alone, as the entire offense was a mess under now-Eagles senior defensive assistant coach Matt Patricia. With a competent play-caller in OC Bill O'Brien, Jones is well-positioned to have a resurgent third season. However, if his performance and attitude mirror those of last season, chances are slim that his fifth-year option will be exercised next offseason. 

Defense: The team's new free safety | For the first time since 2009, the Patriots enter a season without Devin McCourty patrolling the secondary. The safety, a longtime team leader, missed five games in his 13-year career. The Patriots will hold an open competition to succeed him. The contenders who stand out are three-year starter Kyle Dugger, along with veterans Jabrill Peppers and Adrian Phillips. 

Dugger, Peppers and Phillips were each rated top-20 safeties by Pro Football Focus last season. Even so, Patriots beat reporter Evan Lazar believes 2021 sixth-rounder Joshuah Bledsoe could be a name to watch in the competition, pegging him as a potential breakout candidate. Despite an abundance of options, if one safety doesn't emerge as a long-term piece, it could be a position that needs addressing early in the 2024 NFL Draft. 

New York Jets

Offense: Mekhi Becton, offensive tackle | While the Jets' Super Bowl hopes hinge on quarterback Aaron Rodgers' performance, the 39-year-old future Hall of Famer isn't playing for his career like Becton is this season. The No. 11 overall pick in 2020 has played 15 career games, including one in the past two seasons after suffering multiple knee injuries.

The injuries, coupled with weight problems, prompted New York to decline his fifth-year option, but Becton has transformed his body this offseason, shedding over 50 pounds. Perhaps Becton's new physique will positively impact his performance so he can be free of the draft bust label and earn a second contract with the Jets. 

Defense: Carl Lawson, defensive end | Lawson had to restructure the three-year, $45M contract he signed in 2021 to remain on the team. The former prized acquisition made his Jets debut in 2022 after missing the previous season with a ruptured Achilles and wasn't too effective, but managed to notch seven sacks. 

Entering the final season of his deal, Lawson is penciled in as a starter, but he must exceed expectations to stay in New York. The Jets have young options set to step in for Lawson in 2024. They traded up to select defensive end Jermaine Johnson 26th overall during the 2022 NFL Draft and spent another first-round pick on an edge-rusher, Will McDonald, earlier this year.