Dick Cimini was just on NFL radio on SXM and man that dude just loves being a pessimist. I mean I get it, covering this team as long as he has, it makes sense, but even after this draft (which he graciously gave JD an A for) to say we're still at the bottom of the AFC seems extreme.
Who are we clearly better than in the AFC? Texans for sure. Not sure you can say anybody else with certainty. I would like to think Jacksonville, but I'm sure they look at the Jets and think they're better. Anyone else? Nobody I can say confidently. The team with the 4th-longest odds to win the AFC are the Steelers, and the Steelers haven't had a losing record since 2003 (and made the playoffs last season).
The gap has closed, but we still haven't proven anything. We have the 2nd-lowest win total in the AFC based on the odds. I haven't seen any projection models, but I'm sure we're near the bottom of the AFC in most metrics. I'm optimistic about this team, but the AFC is really deep and really good. Until Zach Wilson shows more, we're near the bottom.