2022 Preseason All-AFC East Team: Josh Allen leads 13 reps on Bills’ loaded roster

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be unveiling our pre-season all-division teams, as is our annual tradition at this time of year. As always, the lists were compiled largely by a panel of just one, although there was significant input from CBSSports.com’s writing and editorial staff after taking a first race on the lists by myself.

We’ll start today with the AFC East, then move on to the rest of the conference this week. Next week, place at the NFC. Without delay …

Offensive Skill Stations

QB: Josh Allen (BUF)

AR: Rhamond Stevenson (NE)

WR: Stefon Diggs (BUF), Tyreek Hill (MIA), Gabriel Davis (BUF)

TE: Dawson Knox (BUF)

FLEX: Elijah Moore (NYJ)

Selecting the quarterback for this division was extremely easy. Over the past two seasons, Allen has totaled 8,951 passing yards, 73 passing touchdowns against 25 interceptions, as well as 1,184 additional rushing yards and 14 rushing scores. He is one of the few best signallers in the NFL and the hardest hitting player in the AFC East on either side of the ball.

The choice of running back was a bit more difficult. Each of the four teams in the division should split the snaps between at least two fullbacks, with each of Stevenson, Damien Harris, Devin Singletary, Breece Hall and Chase Edmonds having a reasonable case to come out on top. Ultimately, what Stevenson showed last year, along with his expected emergence as a Patriots comeback, made us settle on him.

Diggs remains Allen’s clear No. 1 target, and even in a “low” season a year ago, he had 103 catches for 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns. A better chance to connect on deep passes will lead to an even better season in 2022. Even after leaving Patrick Mahomes, Hill should still be one of the NFL’s most explosive point guards, and the accuracy of Tua Tagovailoa should play as Hill tries to get the ball into open space. Davis is a popular breakout pick, and with good reason. When we last saw him on the court, he set up arguably the greatest playoff game in NFL history, catching eight passes for 201 yards and four scores in Buffalo’s divisional round loss to the AFC against the Chiefs.

At the tight end, there are several worthy candidates. Mike Gesicki is expected to be more of a tackle in Miami than he has been in the past, given the change to Mike McDaniel’s Shanahan-style offense. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, and Tyler Conklin and CJ Uzomah should split snaps in some form. That leaves Knox, who became one of Allen’s most reliable red-zone targets last season and also showed his ability to stretch the court.

Moore was setting up the best streak of his rookie campaign when he suffered a season-ending injury last year, totaling 34 receptions for 459 yards and five touchdowns in his last six games. He should be Zach Wilson’s main target in Year 2, and his versatility to line up inside, outside, or even in the backfield makes him a dangerous all-around weapon.

offensive line

OT: Terron Armstead (MIA), Dion Dawkins (BUF)

G: Alijah Vera-Tucker (NYJ), Laken Tomlinson (NYJ)

C: David Andrews (NE)

The concern with Armstead remains injuries. When healthy, he is among the best left tackles in the NFL. Among 88 tackles who played at least 250 snaps last season, he had the fifth highest pass blocking rating in Pro Football Focus. Dawkins was not far behind him, clocking in at 13th. Trent Brown could have been another pick at tackle, but swinging to the left side of the line raises questions about whether he’ll be as effective as years past.

Tomlinson earned a big payday this offseason and is expected to team up with Vera-Tucker to form one of the best guarding duos in the league. In Mike LaFleur’s offense, the interior offensive line is quite important, and the Jets seem to have settled those two points. Andrews is coming off a rebound season in which he seemed to have regained his previous form. He was one of the most effective pass-blocking centers in the NFL last year.

defensive front

EDGE: Von Miller (BUF), Matt Judon (NE)

IDL: Quinnen Williams (NYJ), Ed Oliver (BUF)

GM: Matt Milano (BUF), Tremaine Edmunds (BUF)

Miller’s stretch run with the Rams last season cemented his status as one of the NFL’s top rushers. He had five sacks, eight quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss in eight regular season games, then added four more sacks, six more hits and six more tackles for loss in Los Angeles’ run at the Super Bowl title. In Sean McDermott’s defense, he should shine. Judon hit a career-high playing 81% of New England’s defensive snaps last season, and Bill Belichick showed his typical ability to put Judon in position to succeed. There’s no reason to expect a dropout from one of the league’s most consistent rushers.

Williams is an emerging player inside Robert Saleh’s defense, and his ability to rush the passer from inside puts him in rare company. He had 13 sacks over the past two seasons as well as 26 quarterback hits. Oliver is apparently set to have his own breakout, and with the Bills having added even more talent up front to play alongside him, that breakout could happen this year. (The good reviews of his performance in Buffalo’s training camp are encouraging in this regard.)

This division’s linebacking squad lacks high-end talent. New England has seen its depth attacked by other teams in recent seasons, and none of the players the Dolphins took from the Pats have remained as effective in Miami. Therefore, we’ll go with Buffalo’s pair of athletic defensemen who are making their bones in pass defense, rather than betting on New York’s CJ Mosley turning the clock back to 2018.

Defensive backfield

DC: Xavien Howard (MIA), Tre’Davious White (BUF), Byron Jones (MIA)

SAF: Jevon Holland (MIA), Micah Hyde (BUF)

FLEX: Jordan Poyer (BUF)

Howard got his new contract and delivered another Pro Bowl season with another bunch of takeaways. He remains an elite possession changer on defense and should be the bedrock of Miami’s defense with Jones. When this duo is in the lineup, it’s extremely difficult to pass the ball against the Dolphins. With JC Jackson leaving New England for Los Angeles, we’ll be on Tre White making a successful comeback from ACL surgery, rather than assuming one of the Patriots’ remaining turns or the hodgepodge of options from New York at the position can surpass it.

Holland was a standout as a rookie, playing the same kind of versatile role at the back of defense as Dallas’ Micah Parsons up front. He can line up just about anywhere and play just about any role in any given game, and that’s incredibly valuable. Both Hyde and Poyer are still vastly underrated, even after Poyer finally earned an All-Pro nod last year. They might be the NFL’s best safety tandem.

Specialists

K: Tyler Bass (BUF)

P: Jake Bailey (NE)

RET: Braxton Berrios (NYJ)

I won’t lie. … I asked our resident kicking expert (John Breech) who he thinks are the best kickers and punters in each division, and I copied/pasted those names on each team in all divisions . Meanwhile, Berrios was last season’s first-team All-Pro returning player, and he’s been a dangerous playmaker with the ball in his hands since his days at the University of Miami.