The 2026 NFL season has officially reached the midway point. We're 15 weeks removed from the Super Bowl, and 15 weeks away from Sundays being filled with a full slate of the greatest game in the world.
After another drama and intrigue-filled offseason, the AFC East appears to be setting up to be an intense battle for the top spot, and possibly feature one of the NFL's top breakout teams of the season.
This is one of the divisions that, sitting here in the middle of the offseason, feels like one of the few divisions around the NFL that is truly just a two-horse race when it comes to who could realistically be a division champion. But these brand-new NFL Power Rankings are going to take a look at the state of the AFC East after all that we've seen so far this offseason, and rank each team worst to best based on their offseason player movement, coaching changes, and more.
NFL Power Rankings: Bills taking over top spot in the AFC East from the Patriots
4. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins aren't really trying to convince anyone of anything other than the fact that they are rebuilding this season.
That message has been loud and clear all offseason, and for good reason. New general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and head coach Jeff Hafley ripped the roster down to the studs, and rebuilt with a massive incoming NFL Draft class.
I don't mind the idea of Malik Willis getting a shot here as the full-time starting quarterback, especially working with Bobby Slowik as his offensive coordinator. Willis has shown some really nice things in his relief duty for the Packers over the past couple of seasons, and it feels like he's progressed enough to earn a real shot to start. And the Dolphins are giving him a golden opportunity.
Willis reaching heights no one anticipates will push the Dolphins beyond the point of what anyone considers realistic at this point. If he ends up being an absolute stud as a starter for them, they could end up being a surprise team.
3. New York Jets
Don't look now, but the New York Jets might be cooking with gas.
The Jets brought in Geno Smith as their quarterback this offseason, and while that move doesn't exactly move the needle a whole lot, Smith should be a considerable upgrade over what the Jets had at quarterback all of last season.
This team had no interceptions last season, and combined that with some of the worst quarterback play you will see from an NFL team. When you're not turning the ball over and can't move the ball offensively, the entire operation is going to be stuck in the mud.
But the Jets have made more improvements this offseason than a lot of teams, thanks to some of the million trades general manager Darren Mougey has made. The first round of the NFL Draft alone is enough to boost this team's projection for 2026. They added pass rusher David Bailey, tight end Kenyon Sadiq, and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr.
This Jets team could be a surprise 8 or 9 win team this coming season if Smith can limit interceptions and play average football.
2. New England Patriots
The Patriots won a lot of regular season games last year, and then they made it all the way to the Super Bowl. But the way the Patriots were systematically dismantled in the Super Bowl really emphasized some of the team's struggles against better opponents, even when they were able to emerge victorious.
It felt like the Patriots were gifted a trip to the Super Bowl with Bo Nix's injury forcing the Broncos to start Jarrett Stidham in the AFC Championship Game, but this Patriots team did not win the AFC without merit last season.
The questions with this team, however, are many.
What is going on with Mike Vrabel and how is it going to affect him doing his job? How are the Patriots going to keep Drake Maye upright? Will this team actually pull off a trade for AJ Brown?
As good as the Patriots were last year, the deck is being reshuffled. They made some nice improvements to the roster as a whole, but I'm skeptical we're going to see them repeat last season's success.
1. Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills's loss in the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Broncos set off a chain reaction of events that has people believing this could be the year for Josh Allen and company.
The Bills started off by firing head coach Sean McDermott, replacing him in-house with offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady's offense added a familiar face in DJ Moore at the wide receiver position, who has familiarity with Brady from their time together in Carolina, and simultaneously fills Buffalo's biggest offensive need.
The Bills have a first-year defensive coordinator -- Jim Leonhard -- coming in to provide a jolt to the defense. Leonhard inherits the best pass defense in the NFL and brings all of Vance Joseph's secrets with him from Denver, where they set franchise records in sacks each of the last two seasons.
This is shaping up to be not just another important year for the Bills, but a banner year for the team. Even without Mahomes in his way in the playoffs last year, Allen couldn't get into the Super Bowl. This will be another Super Bowl or bust year for Buffalo, even with a lot of major changes. The roster looks ready.