Ranking the AFC East QB rooms: Where do Aaron Rodgers and the NY Jets stand?

1. The Buffalo Bills reign supreme lead by superstar QB Josh Allen

The depth chart: Josh Allen leads the way as one of the league's true superstars. Former first-round bust Mitchell Trubisky has now carved out a career as one of the league's better No. 2 QBs. Journeyman Shane Buechele rounds things out.

Allen is one of the most electrifying players in the league. At 6-foot-5, 237 pounds, he's built like a linebacker and is comfortable beating you with his cannon arm or with his legs. He moves like a much smaller player when on the run, and isn't afraid to lower his shoulder and make defenders pay.

Allen has proven to be elite at putting points on the board. Last season he threw for 29 touchdowns while adding 15 more on the ground. There might not be a QB in the league who is as uniquely gifted as he is.

While the Wyoming product came into the league as a raw prospect who struggled to harness his big arm and make accurate throws, he has since developed into a reliable passer, posting completion percentages of 63.3% or better each of the past four seasons.

As discussed with Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, separating the QB from his supporting cast is important. For Allen, 2024 will be a real test as his top two wide receivers, Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, have left for greener pastures.

Diggs in particular is a big blow. The standout receiver has long been regarded as one of the best route runners and separators in the league. That's important for a player like Allen who, while making massive strides with his accuracy, doesn't possess pinpoint ball placement skills.

Whereas a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers can throw a covered receiver open, Allen needs some sort of window in order to avoid a turnover. It's no surprise that Diggs's arrival in 2020 coincided with Allen's dramatic improvement in completion percentage over the past four seasons.

Now, Allen will be tasked with replicating his performance with a young and unproven receiving corps. 2024 second-round pick Keon Coleman will be thrust into the No. 1 wide receiver role, while veteran Curtis Samuel, and 2022 fifth-round pick Khalil Shakir round out the top three receivers.

Shakir did produce a hot streak to end 2023 posting 31 of his 39 total catches and 536 of his 611 receiving yards from week 8 on. The Bills also have a formidable tight end duo in Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox, both of whom could start for many teams in the league, while James Cook has proven to be a receiving threat out of the backfield.

Allen will severely miss one of the game's best receivers in Diggs and one of the league's best deep threats in Davis. Still, Allen is what a mad scientist would create in a lab at the QB position. His rocket arm, speed, size, strength, and ability to make plays outside of structure are all skills that the modern NFL covets.

Allen is not without his faults. He's posted double-digit interceptions five out of his six years in the league, including a career-high 18 last season. In addition, he fumbled seven times last year. Opportunistic defenses can take advantage of his aggressiveness and use it against him.

As for Trubisky, the failed starter has emerged as one of the league's better backups. In Buffalo, his skillset mirrors that of Allen's though on a much more limited scale. He has the athleticism to make plays with his legs and extend plays outside of the pocket while possessing the requisite arm strength to make all the throws.

Like Allen, he also has a penchant for turnovers, but unlike him, he hasn't proven dynamic enough to overcome that fatal flaw. The good news for Bills fans is an injury to Allen wouldn't require a scheme adjustment to suit the backup. For a short-term injury, Trubisky is capable of holding down the fort.

Longer term, Trubisky gets exposed which is why he's now embracing his new role as a journeyman backup.

The Bills, unlike the other three teams in the AFC East, don't have a true developmental third quarterback. No. 3 QB Shane Buechele is a 26-year-old who has never appeared in an NFL game. He's more or less a camp body that might have a shot at the practice squad.

The quarterback landscape of the AFC East is fascinating. All four teams have some questions about their presumed starters but have also invested in high-quality backups. One through three in these rankings could look very different by year's end.

Should Rodgers return to 2021 form, he'd easily vault the Jets to the number one position. If Allen can improve upon his turnover-prone nature he could solidify the Bills as the number one team. Even Tagovailoa could vault Miami upwards if he can limit his turnovers and continue to grow within his scheme.

Lastly, if Drake Maye sets the world on fire as a rookie these rankings could look very different by season's end. It will be interesting to look back on this at the end of the season and match the actual performance to these early power rankings and see how what we know about these players has changed.