AFC East Notes: Pats, Ayers, Jets, ASJ, Fins

In the wake of Dont’a Hightower‘s season-ending injury, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes Akeem Ayers would be a logical candidate for the Patriots should the team look to add a hybrid-type linebacker. Reiss notes that Ayers, who was a part of New England’s Super Bowl-winning team in 2014, was in for a workout prior to the start of the season but the Patriots decided to pass at the time. A second-round selection in 2011 by Tennessee, Ayers last played with the Colts in 2016 and posted two sacks and an interception.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • Despite Josh McCown performing well, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty could see action down the stretch should the Jets falter with a tough upcoming schedule, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. Cimini notes that though McCown ranks 13th in passer rating (91.5), the fact remains that the 38-year-old quarterback is not in the team’s long-term plan. The veteran also is owed $125K per start, so New York could save a little money while also getting a better look at the team’s two young signal-callers.
  • Austin Seferian-Jenkins is happy in New York and would love to be with the Jets for the foreseeable future, the tight end told Connor Hughes of NJ Advance Media.”I would love to be here long term,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I love this place. I consider this home for me.” After being cut from the Buccaneers in 2016 following an arrest for suspicion of DUI, the tight end was signed by the Jets and has reignited his promising career with a touchdown in three consecutive games this season.
  • Dolphins starting left guard Anthony Steen had surgery on his left foot and will be out indefinitely, Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post reports. Miami used undrafted rookie Jesse Davis in Steen’s stead on Thursday vs. Baltimore, and Habib speculates veteran Ted Larsen, who started the season on IR with a torn biceps, could see time at the spot.
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