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Picking a quarterback for the AFC East's All-Division Team might be the easiest call in the history of sports. Tom Brady at 40 is going to be far better than just about any other quarterback in the league. He has more wins in the playoffs (25) than Josh McCown (18) or Tyrod Taylor (14) do in the regular season, and McCown has been around since 2002. Brady has a .779 winning percentage in the regular season; Ryan Tannehill (37-40) could win his next 100 starts and still not top that.
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Picking just one RB from the division is a tough call after Jay Ajayi's breakout 2016 season, but McCoy gets the nod here thanks to his superior contributions in the passing game and the fact he still topped Ajayi's per-carry average (5.4 to 4.9) despite the latter having three 200-yard games. At 29 years old, McCoy certainly has at least one more elite season left in his legs.
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Tom Brady gets perhaps his best deep threat since Randy Moss in the form of Cooks, who topped 1,100 yards in each of his last two seasons with the Saints while scoring 17 touchdowns. His yards per reception average has crept up in each successive season, and he's a darkhorse to lead the league in receiving yards as defenses struggle with defending all of the Patriots' weapons.
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Watkins has been more potential than production over his first three seasons thanks to the injury issues that have plagued him, but if he can piece together a 16-game season in his walk year, he could be in line for massive production as Tyrod Taylor's top weapon. He managed 1,047 yards on just 60 catches while scoring nine touchdowns in 13 games with Taylor in 2015 before last year's struggles.
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Our slot receiver comes down to Landry or Julian Edelman, and while the latter has been an effective security blanket for Tom Brady, you wonder how productive he'd be in another offense. Landry, who has 205 receptions and 2,295 yards over his last two years, would likely be supercharged version of the Patriots' slot man if paired with Brady. And at just 24 years old, Landry even has room to still grow.
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When healthy, Gronk is one of the best tight ends not just in football today, but that the league has ever seen. But that health qualifier is a big one; the Patriots tight end has missed 24 regular season games over the last five years. Still, we'd take 10-12 games of Gronk over a full season of most tight ends, and though the Patriots have plenty other weapons to feed in the passing game now, having a Gronk is never a bad thing.
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Glenn has graded out positively at left tackle in each of the last four seasons, per Pro Football Focus, though he didn't quite match 2015's excellent season last year. While Nate Solder may have been slightly better in 2016 and Laremy Tunsil brings massive upside for the Dolphins as he kicks to the blind side, it's hard to go wrong with Glenn.
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After his controversial departure from the Dolphins and a season away from football, Incognito has been an elite force on the interior of the Bills line in each of the last two seasons. The Bills can save more than $6 million by cutting him after 2017, so he'll need another great season to make that decision tough.
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Last year was a lost season for Pouncey after playing in just five games due to injury, but he's been a mostly quality pivot since being taken in the first round of the 2011 draft. It looks like he's on track to be ready for Week 1, which would be huge for the Miami offense.
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The Jets manage to sneak one player on the All-AFC East offense in Carpenter, who struggled early in his career while with the Seahawks but has been excellent for the Jets in each of the last two seasons. The Jets can free up $4.7 million by releasing him after 2017, but if that happens, another year of quality play will earn him a big payday.
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After years of subpar play, Cannon morphed into the league's best right tackle seemingly out of nowhere last season. A legitimate cut candidate at this time a year ago, Cannon signed a five-year extension worth $32.5 million last November that will keep him in the fold through at least 2018.
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Wake may be 35, but in reality he's actually timeless. He delivered the fourth double-digit sack season of his career in 2016 and even managed to snare the first interception of his career as well, and that all came after a 2015 season cut short by a torn Achilles.
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Suh graded out second among defensive tackles in the entire league last season, and that came while playing more snaps than any other interior defensive lineman in the league. Elite for five years running, there's no reason to expect anything less in 2017.
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While Marcell Dareus could return to top form with the Bills' switch back to 4-3, Williams has done more than enough to earn a spot in his two years in the league. He's an elite run defender who also upped his sack total to seven in his sophomore season. The future looks bright on the Jets defensive line.
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With the defensive line being a rare strength for the Jets, they deserve to place two linemen on this list. Richardson is heading into a contract season that should keep him highly motivated, and while he was only good if not elite last year, he's shown the ability to be one of the league's best linemen in the past.
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Hightower has been a mainstay in the middle of the Patriots defense, and the team rewarded him this offseason with a four-year deal that averages slightly less than $11 million per year. Don't sleep on his ability to rush the passer even as a 4-3 linebacker.
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Picking a second linebacker from these four teams is a tall order: Lawrence Timmons is past his prime, David Harris and Kiko Alonso are just OK, Lorenzo Alexander is a stretch as a 4-3 linebacker. But Hodges actually brings excellent run defense and a decent amount of pass rush to the table, which is at least something.
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Stephon Gilmore landed the big contract in New England, but it's Butler who's the premier talent in coverage and one of the best corners in the league. He's improved in each successive year in the league, and with a massive payday awaiting after 2017, the best could be yet to come.
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Maxwell struggled in his one season in Philadelphia and was shipped to Miami, where he delivered perhaps the best season of his career in 2016, though injury issues ended his season early. He's the top coverage guy in what figures to be a strong Dolphins secondary.
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We're running with a nickel defense on the All-AFC East team thanks to a lack of quality linebackers and the talent at cornerback, and Gilmore, who just earned a $65 million payday, makes the final cut ahead of the oft-injured Morris Claiborne and Micah Hyde, who should play more safety than slot corner in Buffalo.
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The best coverage safety in the league, McCourty is a shoo-in for the free safety spot on this team. He managed just one interception in 2016 but graded out as a top-five safety overall per PFF despite not bringing the run defense or pass rush of a Landon Collins or Kam Chancellor.
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The Dolphins gave Jones an extension this offseason that will pay him $60 million over the next five years with $35 million guaranteed. And he's worth it despite being limited to just six games due to a torn rotator cuff in 2016; after all, he racked up 136 tackles and five interceptions in 2015.
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Long one of the best kickers in the league, Gostokowski is coming off a bit of a shaky season after missing five field goal attempts (including two from under 40 yards) and three extra point attempts in 2016. New Bills signee Stephen Hauschka could make a case, but we'd rather have Gostkowski in the clutch.
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Allen's coming off a season where he finished seventh in net punting average, and his 41.4 figure in that metric far surpasses what any of the division's other three punters provided in 2016.
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We have Jarvis Landry already on our team to help in the return game, but if we're picking a dedicated return man, Tate is a good option after finishing fifth in the league in average punt return yardage among players with at least 20 returns.
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