NFL.com has the updated AFC East salary cap numbers as of late Friday. A lot has happened through two weeks of free agency.
Let's take a look of where the division teams currently stand.
Cap room: $9,715,709
Analysis: Buffalo entered the offseason with a ton of cap room and spent it primarily on its pass-rush. Defensive end Mario Williams became the highest-paid player in Bills history with $100 million contract and fellow defensive end Mark Anderson also reportedly got $27.5 million. Bills general manager Buddy Nix says the team will spend to the cap this offseason. They still have room to make more signings. But all of the top free agents are gone.
Cap room: $6,470,157
Analysis: I'm still scratching my head how Miami arguably has the least amount of star power on its roster, yet remains the most cap-strapped team in the division. Jake Long and Karlos Dansby are big names. But other than that, where is all the money going? The Dolphins traded Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall and cut leading tackler Yeremiah Bell to save cap room. They're also not paying for a franchise quarterback. Miami could use free agency to help fill the right side of the offensive line. But there's not much cash left to make any significant signings.
Cap room: $9,944,664
Analysis: The Patriots are quietly bargain hunting in free agency, and many of their moves makes sense. Signings like receiver Brandon Lloyd, and defensive ends Trevor Scott and Jonathan Fanene were very affordable. Chad Ochocinco and Tom Brady's restructures gave the Patriots even more flexibility. I thought the franchise tag of about $9.4 million to Pro Bowl receiver Wes Welker could hurt New England this offseason. But the Patriots have plenty of room to be fine with that number if Welker and the team do not work out an extension.
Cap room: $7,692,283
Analysis: Several restructures and quarterback Mark Sanchez's contract extension has put the Jets back on decent footing this offseason. Safety LaRon Landry and backup quarterback Tim Tebow were New York's big acquisitions. It also appears the team will retain veteran starting linebacker Bart Scott. The Jets are one of those teams where you're not sure if the arrow is pointing up or down in 2012. This is a club just one year removed from the AFC Championship Game. But last year's 8-8 season may be a sign of where this group currently stands.