Every NFL team is undefeated and full of optimism at this point in the offseason, with loaded 90-man rosters and every reason to believe the best for the upcoming season. And this is always the best time of year to project breakout candidates for every team in the league, because every player is getting a nice blank slate.
The AFC East is loaded with potential breakout player candidates, and perhaps the one breakout candidate that will be in focus for everyone this season: Patriots quarterback Drake Maye.
Who are the other top offensive playmaker breakout candidates in the 2025 season for the AFC East? We're going to take a quick look at players on the Patriots, Jets, Bills, and Dolphins who could break through in the 2025 NFL season.
Breakout offensive playmakers for the Jets, Patriots, Dolphins, and Bills in 2025
New York Jets: Malachi Corley, WR
One of the more interesting potential breakout offensive weapons on the New York Jets' roster this year is wide receiver Malachi Corley. The Jets are going to get Garrett Wilson plenty of targets this year, and the addition of Justin Fields means they're going to be a very run-heavy offense.
With that in mind, the quick passing game could very well be an extension of the running game and Malachi Corley is an absolute demon in the open field after the catch. He was known for his ability to take short throws the distance at Western Kentucky, and even though he didn't do much as a rookie, the 65th overall pick in last year's draft could be a big-time breakout player for this offense and a key weapon for Justin Fields.
Miami Dolphins: Jaylen Wright, RB
The Miami Dolphins moved on from Raheem Mostert in the 2025 offseason, letting him walk in NFL free agency and sign with the Las Vegas Raiders.
The opportunity is there for Jaylen Wright to be the other top running back in the offense along with De'Von Achane, and this Miami offense has been super friendly to running backs since Mike McDaniel took over as the team's head coach.
Achane took a huge step forward last year in terms of his overall usage with 281 total touches and 12 total touchdowns, but Wright will be given a chance to see a significant uptick after getting 71 touches last year and Mostert vacating over 100 touches.
New England Patriots: Ja'Lynn Polk, WR
I really thought Ja'Lynn Polk was going to break through last year for the Patriots as a rookie, but it was a rough year for him. He did catch two touchdowns, but had just 12 receptions on 436 offensive snaps. The effectiveness per target was not there, and certainly he was feeling a long way from Washington where he could seemingly do no wrong.
But there's no reason to give up on Polk heading into his second NFL season. In fact, the opposite is true. Polk should be expected to take a huge leap forward in 2025 even with the arrival of guys like Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins, and third-round pick Kyle Williams. He can emerge this coming season as one of Drake Maye's top overall targets in the passing game.
Buffalo Bills: Keon Coleman, WR
We've got our lowest-hanging fruit here with the Buffalo Bills and wide receiver Keon Coleman. In fact, he's really the only true breakout candidate I see on this Buffalo roster unless you want to maybe include someone like Ray Davis, who showed some really nice stuff as a rookie last year.
Coleman had a big impact for the Bills last season but did it on just 29 receptions in 13 games, and then he disappeared in the playoffs. The Bills need him to really emerge as a true WR1 for them this season and I think he can.
He's got the size and ball dominance at the catch point to be a true alpha in the Buffalo offense. He was 9th on the team in total touches last season and while Buffalo has a lot of mouths to feed, I think he's going to take a big step forward in 2025.