AFC East Breakout Candidates 2015

Buffalo Bills

Stephon Gilmore, CB: Get ready for Gilmore to join the elite group of cornerbacks in 2015. Health has held him back these past couple of years, but if he can stay injury free then he is in for a huge year. Gilmore has the size, athleticism and ball skills to join the upper tier of cornerbacks, and he is in a terrific position with Buffalo to do just that. Rex Ryan has had a lot of success with defenses in general, and he often relies on great cornerbacks (Revis and Cromartie) to anchor his defenses. Ryan will be able to get the most out of Gilmore, and the Bills have arguably the best front 4 in all of football (between them and St. Louis) to aid Gilmore even more. I'm predicting a big jump from Gilmore, and for him to have 5 interceptions by seasons end.

Miami Dolphins

Jelani Jenkins, OLB: Jenkins has games where he is the best player on the field. He can be a tackling machine that plays all over the field. The problem is that there are games where he is very quiet and has such a small impact on the field. I'm going to bet on the former becoming more of a regular appearance in 2015. Jenkins is very good in coverage, and he also looked solid as a pass rusher too. Where he struggled at times was against the run, but lucky for him the Dolphins invested in Ndamukong Suh to beef up their D-line. This should give Jenkins more space to operate, and allow him to use his athleticism to flourish. I'm predicting Jelani Jenkins to have 135 combined tackles, with 3 interceptions and 4 sacks.

New England Patriots

Dominique Easley, DT: Easley is another year removed from his ACL tear, and should be in line to play a lot of snaps for New England. Alan Branch and Sealver Siliga are not good starters to have, and the Patriots have two very talented young players in Easley and Malcolm Brown waiting to replace them. Since I don't mention rookies as breakout candidates, I won't talk about Malcolm Brown, but Easley is a talented interior pass rusher and penetrator, and can be a key cog in a talented Patriots front seven. New England will rely on him to step up because they lost Vince Wilfork in the middle, and need another threat in between their ends. Even though he won't play nose tackle like Wilfork, he can eat up space in the middle to give the Pats linebackers space to work their magic. What's working against him is his health. He has torn both of his ACL's in his career but if he can stay healthy I'm predicting 4 sacks, and for him to be an impact run stuffer too.

New York Jets

Calvin Pryor, SS: What better way to retool a struggling secondary then by signing Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine. They also have an incredible defensive line to support their secondary. This puts Calvin Pryor in a perfect position to do what he does best, hit hard, make plays and strike fear into opponents. Todd Bowles has a better Deone Buchanon to use in Calvin Pryor, and with a substantially better secondary, this allows Bowles to play Pryor to his strengths. He had a solid rookie season, but at times he struggled with consistency and went through expected rookie struggles. If he can fix a few technical issues, he could turn into a terrific safety. This kid is a flat out playmaker and he should begin to realize his potential next season. I'm predicting 80 total tackles, 3 interceptions, 1.5 sacks and a handful of bone crushing hits.

Ryan Tannehill, Locked Up

Yes it's true. Ryan Tannehill is now on track to be a Miami Dolphin through the 2020 season. He signed a $96 million deal over 6 years. That includes the final year of his rookie deal, and the club option they have for 2016.

This seems like a good deal for both parties at this stage. Ryan Tannehill is a young, talented quarterback, and he should continue to develop even further. He also has shown enough already to be above the tier of Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick, so this amount of money shouldn't shock anybody. This seemed inevitable, as the Dolphins quite possible have their first franchise quarterback since Dan Marino, and it's common knowledge that if you have a franchise QB, you do whatever it takes to keep him because they are hard to come by. This roster also presents Tannehill with the most talent he has ever had on offense, so expect an even bigger season from the young QB.

Offseason Outlook 2015: Miami Dolphins

Offense

What a difference an offseason makes. The Dolphins are coming in with a revamped roster, and a new swagger. Offensively, they will bank on Ryan Tannehill. He has a lot of differing opinions about him, but the truth is that he is a good quarterback. Not spectacular, but he was above average last year and he's still young so expect even more development. The running back situation relies almost solely on Lamar Miller this year, and he had a very underrated year so that isn't a bad situation to be in. I'm also a big believer in Jay Ajayi who was drafted in the 5th round this year by Miami, if he stays healthy he can be a terrific compliment to Miller. There was a lot of turnover for the Dolphins at the wide receiver position. Jarvis Landry is still going to be leading the pack, most likely playing out of the slot most of the year, but new additions in Kenny Stills, Greg Jennings and first round pick DeVante Parker make this an exciting and talented group. If the Dolphins get DeVante Parker to step up immediately, then look out rest of the NFL because this can be a very explosive offense. Parker has terrific hands and size so he will be a perfect red zone target for Tannehill. Speaking of red zone targets, the Dolphins also signed Jordan Cameron to a 2 year/$15 million deal to replace Charles Clay who they lost in free agency to the Bills. While Cameron doesn't exactly have Clay's flexibility, he could be a better asset in the passing game and for the development of Tannehill. On the offensive line, the Dolphins are in a tricky situation. Brandon Albert is healthy, which will have a huge impact on the Fins. They also have Mike Pouncey who is a good center, and Ja'Wuan James who showed real promise last year at tackle. The issue is that their guards on the roster are not good. There is no way around this, they lack talent at guard and it could hurt them once the year starts. That being said, don't let the lack of depth inside sway you from believing in this offense. It will produce, and most likely it will produce more then last year. I'm sure fans are happy about trading the ever so frustrating Mike Wallace as well, and the weapons for Tannehill look a lot better. There should be a lot of growth in this offense, and a top 10 offense is not out of the question. In fact, they finished 11th in points per game last year, a top 10 offense should be expected from this Dolphins team.

Defense

Ndamukong Suh. The big man on campus. His arrival brings a lot of excitement to an already talented Dolphins defense. Suh is an elite defensive tackle, and paired up with the Dolphins other elite defensive linemen in Cameron Wake, they should have no trouble in bringing the heat on opposing quarterbacks. Oliver Vernon, who is the DE opposite Wake, also showed a lot of promise last year, and could be even better this year. The Dolphins saw a bit of a transformation on defense this year too, as they traded Dannell Ellerbe and released Phillip Wheeler. They have Koa Misi at ILB, who was a quality starter last year, and Jelani Jenkins at weak side line backer who showed tremendous flashes but struggled with consistency. In the secondary, the Dolphins have a star cornerback in Brent Grimes. He can shut down the opponents number one wide receiver and is a very valuable asset for this Miami squad. The Dolphins also have Reshad Jones at safety who is a great player, and they re-signed Louis Delmas who will be a solid starter for them this year. They lack the depth at cornerback to have a shutdown secondary, as their second cornerback and slotback are both unproven players. This is a defense with a lot of star talent on it. There are some holes at cornerback and potentially linebacker, but if Wake, Suh, Grimes, and Jones play up to their potential, this defense will wreck havoc on opposing offenses. Expect them to end the year around the top ten in fewest points allowed per game as this is a talented squad, but there still are some questions.

This could be the year for the Dolphins. The Patriots are not looking as strong as reigning Super Bowl champions should look because of DeflateGate and Tom Brady is suspended. The AFC East is an incredibly tough division with all the roster moves every team has made, but the Dolphins were on the brink of a playoff berth last year, and one should be expected this year. It's still tough to bet against Brady and the Pats for the division, but a wildcard berth and a playoff win or two isn't completely out of the question for a young, talented Dolphins squad.