NFL Key Performance Indicators: AFC East

Every spring, every NFL team looks to get better: they draft rookies, they sign free agents, they let underperforming players go. But when teams aren't being put to the test against each other, how can we know if they're really improving? Throughout July, VICE Sports will be identifying Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for each squad: the things fans should be watching in August for hints about how their teams might perform come kickoff time.

The Dolphins entered 2015 with an all-in push: They signed All-Pro defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to a cap-busting contract, drafted wideout DeVante Parker, and continued building the offensive line. The idea was to put on-the-cusp young quarterback Ryan Tannehill in a position to maximize his talent, and help head coach Joe Philbin finally get the team over the hump.

Tannehill regressed, and Philbin was fired at the Week 5 bye.

Under He-Man interim head coach Dan Campbell, the 'Phins nearly kept their head above water the rest of the way—but the permanent gig went to professorial young Adam Gase. After a ton of free-agency churn and an intriguing draft class, training camp will give us the first glimpse of whether the Dolphins have taken more steps forward than back.

• Taking the Tunsil Out: First-round pick Laremy Tunsil came into the league under the harsh glare of the NFL's in-progress draft scandal. The Dolphins have since moved him from his natural left-tackle position inside to left-guard, which will heavily test the one hole in Tunsil's game: his functional strength. Why set up the future cornerstone of your offense to fail as a rookie? Dolphins fans should hope Tunsil quickly rises to the occasion, or Gase sees reason and lets him run with the twos.

• Wake and Bake: Achilles injuries are notoriously difficult to come back from—especially with older players, and double-especially when they play a position where explosion and agility are key. And yet defensive coordinator Vance Joseph told Hal Habib, of the Palm Beach Post, that DE Cameron Wake "looks explosive" just seven months removed from his injury. This is practically unheard of; if he truly looks that good in August it will be a huge victory for a defense that desperately needs him.

• A Well-Organized Caroo: Free-agent disappointment Mike Wallace is finally gone—but that puts plenty of pressure on DeVante Parker, 2014 second-round pick Jarvis Landry, and third-round rookie Leonte Caroo. Caroo's draft stock dropped due to assault charges, later dismissed, stemming from this late-night rugby scrum. On the field, he's an explosive receiver/returner with surprising polish. Together with veteran straight-line threat Kenny Stills, the Dolphins will have plenty of speed, but Tannehill needs to click with his young receivers on timing and inside-to-outside routes during camp if the offense is going to get better during games.

• Easy Come, Easy Go: The defense said goodbye to defensive ends Olivier Vernon and Derrick Shelby, linebackers Kelvin Sheppard and Quinton Coples, and cornerback Brent Grimes. Now it's hello to defensive ends Mario Williams and Andre Branch, linebacker Kiko Alonso, cornerback Byron Maxwell, and safety Isa Abdul-Quddus. Joseph described the defense as "close to being good" last year, per the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero, and there's some truth to that: despite finishing 29th in forced turnovers, the Dolphins finished in the middle of the pack in points allowed (19th) and per-drive scoring percentage (18th). When a team replaces the coordinator and half the starters, it's tough to pin down specific KPIs to watch, but generating more turnovers would be a huge start. Second-round cornerback Xavien Howard feels like a boom-or-bust type; bringing plenty of boom in camp would be a fantastic sign for the defense.

Rex Ryan promised to "build a bully" in Buffalo, and then signed guard Richie Incognito, who had been kicked off his last team for bullying teammates. Ryan promised to build a north-south running game, and then traded for a tailback who'd lost favor in Philadelphia for running east-west too much. He put a team ready to win now in the hands of untested youngster Tyrod Taylor.

All of it worked.

Surprisingly, the one part of the Bills equation that didn't compute was the defense. Blessed with plenty of front-seven talent and one of the game's best defensive minds, they finished 15th in scoring defense and 19th in yardage defense. So what did Ryan do? Doubled down, of course, by hiring his twin brother Rob as assistant head coach. VICE Sports reached out to Tyler Dunne, the Buffalo News' Bills beat writer, to see if Ryan's counterintuitive decisions will work out even better this year.

• The Quarterback, Duh: "It sounds so simplistic to say it comes down to the quarterback," Dunne said ruefully. "Tyrod Taylor, if they open it up for him, let him run it more at the line of scrimmage, let him throw more across the middle of the field…" Given Taylor's physical tools, and the success he had last year working within tight constraints, any sign he'll be trusted to make more plays is a positive one for the Bills offense.

• The Tight Ends Getting Involved: "I remember there was one tight end last year during camp," Dunne said, "he called this 'Tight End Heaven.' Greg Roman's offense, they're just so featured, used in so many different ways." But prize pass-catching tight end Charles Clay only caught 51 passes for 528 yards last season, and that was about it. Whether it was the over-the-middle limitations on Taylor or something about the way Clay was deployed, Roman and the Bills have to get more out of this position group in 2016. If Taylor is looking Clay's way often in camp, that's a great sign for the overall efficacy of the offense.

• Preston Brown Taking Charge: "He's the key to the whole defense, in terms of everybody being lined up in the right spots and executing what everyone's said is the most complicated playbook they've ever had," Dunne said. "Last summer, Preston Brown told me he was staying up until 1:00 AM most nights just trying to learn this thing." Brown has to lead the Bills defenders in making reads and checks, even as the Ryans sub players on and off with seconds left on the play clock. Last year featured many communication breakdowns, and players like Mario Williams in open revolt. Brown is still just 23, but the linebacker will have to have a veteran's intuitive grasp of the defense. If the front seven is still swimming throughout August, and the secondary is still blowing assignments, it's a very bad sign for a defense that will have to be much better to finally unseat the New England Patriots.

Last year, a journeyman quarterback, an overlooked running back, and a rejuvenated receiver had the Jets nipping at the heels of the Patriots. A win streak that stretched from Thanksgiving to New Years' gave them a win-and-in playoff shot on the last week of the season—but that journeyman quarterback, Ryan Fitzpatrick, threw three fourth-quarter interceptions to end their season.

Now Fitzpatrick is sitting at home, waiting for the Jets to decide he's worth better-than-backup money.

If they can get Fitzmagic back in their pocket, there's no reason to think the Jets can't be at least as good this year as they were last. If not, well…

• Ge-No Kidding, He's Actually Talented: As Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke recently wrote, there's real reason to believe that 2012 second-round pick Geno Smith could play well if given the opportunity. Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker were one of the most dynamic and productive receiver combos in the league. The longer the Fitzpatrick standoff lasts, the more opportunity Smith will have—and the better Smith shows, the less leverage Fitzgerald has. Of course, that sword cuts the other way, too; NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reports the impasse could even drag into the preseason.

• Devin in the Details: Second-year wideout Devin Smith would be the perfect third wheel for the Marshall/Decker duo, but his health continues to hold him back. Still recovering from a late-season ACL rupture, Smith told the New York Post he's not sure when he'll get back on the field; if he misses camp completely it's hard to see him having much impact in his second season.

• The Secondary Locking It Down: The Jets had the ninth-best scoring defense last season, and the fourth-best yardage defense. That's good and all, but the addition of Darrelle Revis was supposed to make an already formidable front seven invincible titans. But Revis didn't play like the perennial All-Pro he has been: he tied for 30th in Pro Football Focus' grades of 110 qualifying cornerbacks. Buster Skrine will start across from Revis in the base alignment, per NJ.com's Darryl Slater, and kick inside in nickel while Marcus Williams holds down the outside. If Revis Island has become more like a peninsula, and the rest of the secondary isn't improving, the Jets' lack of off-the-edge pass rushing will limit the entire defense.

Eh, nothing is much is happening with the Patriots. I'm sure they'll be fine.

I'm kidding, of course. The Jimmy Garoppolo Era has begun, thanks to Tom Brady accepting his four-game Deflategate suspension. For Pats fans going "ONOZ" and "ZOMG," though, relax: Garoppolo has shown enough in his limited pre- and regular-season action to indicate the Pats won't go 0-4 with him under center—or if they do, at least it won't all be his fault.

The last time we saw the Patriots, Brady's miserable performance against the Denver Broncos ended their season. Just days away from his 39th birthday, Brady has more left in the tank than Peyton Manning had in 2015—but not much more. After an offseason where the Patriots let one of their best young defenders go, do they have enough left to hang on to the division?

• A Three-Headed Monster: The Patriots drafted quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the third round this spring—a clear sign they don't view the No. 2 position as settled, and Brissett's physical tools make it at least possible that he steps in and makes an impact. While it's hard to imagine the rookie starting Week 1 no matter how well he plays, he could get some time in before Brady comes back—and again, given Brady's age, it's entirely likely that non-Brady quarterbacks will be asked to win the Patriots more than just four games this season.

• Shearding the Competition: Underrated edge defender Jabaal Sheard will likely take over for the traded-away Chandler Jones, per ESPN.com's Mike Reiss, even with the Pats signing veteran Chris Long. Sheard had eight sacks in just 13 games (one start) last season; he could be primed to explode with more opportunities. Or, as the case sometimes happens, a full-time role will expose his weaknesses. Long will provide quality depth and run-stopping mojo, but Pats fans should be hoping Sheard picks up in camp where he left off last season.

• Guarding the Franchise: Defenses have long since figured out that interior pressure is the most disruptive to modern passing games (See: Suh, Ndamukong). It's no wonder the Patriots drafted two guards, and traded for another. Whether third-round rookie Joe Thuney or embattled 2013 No. 7 overall pick Jonathan Cooper can win the jobs in question, let alone represent improvements, is another matter. Pats fans hoping to see Tom Brady in Week 17 as well as Week 5 should be watching the interior line battles closely.

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