The AFC West has long been a tough division with fierce rivalries (the Broncos and Raiders have been in the same division since before the 1960 NFL-AFL merger; prior to that they were in the AFL West). The addition of Patrick Mahomes to the division has forced the other three teams to open up their wallets if they hope to compete, but the sheer volume of talent flooding into one division over the last week is nothing short of historic.
After years of lackluster performances from a myriad of quarterbacks, the Denver Broncos traded for Russell Wilson and finally solidified their hopes of competing in one of the toughest divisions in football.
Almost immediately, the Los Angeles Chargers traded for aging yet still elite edge rusher Khalil Mack from Chicago, where he had resided the past four seasons after being traded there from the Raiders. Welcome back to the division, Mack.
Los Angeles also ended the speculation on their explosive wideout Mike Williams, giving him a 3 year/$60M deal rather than let him hit free agency.
On the heels of the Mack news, Adam Schefter broke that Randy Gregory was backing out of his agreement with the Dallas Cowboys due to some unfavorable contract language protecting them in case Gregory were to be suspended for any reason. This isn't unheard of for teams to do (especially with players who have been suspended before) but it certainly rubbed Gregory the wrong way, and he took his services straight to the Mile High City.
Denver also signed ex-49er defensive tackle DJ Jones to the roster, a capable run stuffer and automatic upgrade over Shelby Harris, who was shipped to Seattle along with tight end Noah Fant and quarterback Drew Lock in the Wilson trade. Jones was second in the NFL last season in tackles for loss for an interior line position (second only to Aaron Donald).
The Chiefs decided to franchise tag star tackle Orlando Brown Jr, giving them more time to work out a long term contract, but that meant letting dynamic safety Tyrann Mathieu walk out the door. They brought in safety Justin Reid from Houston, who is a little cheaper and a little worse than the Honey Badger, and signed injury-plagued receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster to add depth to a receiving corp that lost Byron Pringle to Chicago. Not necessarily upgrades, but not large downgrades either.
The Raiders and their new coach Josh McDaniels were relatively quiet while all this was going down, snagging free agent backs Amir Abdullah and Brandon Bolden, but then the news broke that the best free agent pass rusher of the offseason had decided where to sign...and it was Las Vegas. Former Patriot and Cardinal Chandler Jones threw his hat into the AFC West ring, immediately allowing the Raiders to contain the firepower at quarterback they have to face six times a year in division.
The Chargers weren't done either, realizing their defense was one of the worst in the league in 2021 it and directly cost them a playoff shot, they brought in former New England ball hawk corner JC Jackson. Jackson is a little undersized but doesn't play that way, and makes up for his stature with incredible ball skill and awareness. This guy paired with Derwin James will be a nightmare for offenses.
Speaking of safety, Denver let hard-hitting veteran Kareem Jackson test free agency but there hasn’t been any signings yet. There isn’t really a plan opposite Justin Simmons if they can’t lure Jackson back to the roster, and a Simmons/Jackson duo is one of the best in the league.
Denver also shored up its offensive line with ex-49ers journeyman Tom Compton, who finished the final 10 weeks and the postseason starting at right tackle for San Francisco.
There couldn't be anything else, right...?
All was quiet on the western front until we finally learned what was going to happen with Davante Adams and the Green Bay drama that had been brewing for over a year. Green Bay franchise tagged him (again) but Adams refused to play on the tag. Enough bad blood existed from the Adams camp that he turned down more money from the Packers and accepted the trade to Las Vegas. With the Raiders, Adams joins his college quarterback Derek Carr, whom he set MWC records with at Fresno State.
So what's all this mean? All four AFC West teams will make the playoffs? The Super Bowl will definitely be won by one of these teams? No. We can just look at Mahomes and the Chiefs, who hosted the AFC Championship game four straight years, with two wins and just one Super Bowl victory out of it. Nothing in the NFL is guaranteed, and a lot of these older additions to the division (Wilson, Mack, Gregory, Jones) need to stay healthy in order to have any impact at all.
That being said, the AFC West teams have pretty much blown their cap in this flurry of signings, leaving just enough money to sign draft picks and fill their rosters before OTAs. We likely won't see much happen in the way of adding bona fide starters (except through the draft), so we can rank each team's position groups as we sit today, in the aftermath of the free agency "arms race".
Quarterback
1. Pat Mahomes, KC
2. Justin Herbert, LAC
3. Derek Carr, LV
4. Russell Wilson, DEN
Running Back
1. Josh Jacobs/Kenyan Drake, LV
2. Javonte Williams/Mike Boone, DEN
3. Austin Ekeler/Joshua Kelley, LAC
4. Clyde Edwards-Helaire/Derrick Gore, KC
Wide Receiver
1. Davante Adams/Hunter Renfrow, LV
2. Keenan Allen/Mike Williams, LAC
3. Tyreek Hill/JuJu Smith-Schuster, KC
4. Courtland Sutton/Jerry Jeudy, DEN
Tight End
1. Travis Kelce, KC
2. Darren Waller, LV
3. Albert Okweugbunam, DEN
4. Gerald Everett, LAC
Offensive Tackles
1. Orlando Brown Jr/Lucas Niang, KC
2. Rashawn Slater/Storm Norton, LAC
3. Alex Leatherwood/Kolton Miller, LV
4. Garrett Bolles/Tom Compton, DEN
Interior Offensive Line
1. Thuney/Humphrey/Smith, KC
2. Feiler/Linsley/Jaimes, LAC
3. Risner/Cushenberry/Glasgow, DEN
4. Simpson/James/Good, LV
Interior Defensive Line
1. DJ Jones/Telvin Agim, DEN
2. Bilal Nichols/Kendall Vickers, LV
3. T. Wharton/K. Saunders, KC
4. Austin Johnson/Brandon Fehoko, LAC
Pass Rush
1. Maxx Crosby/Chandler Jones, LV
2. Joey Bosa/Khalil Mack, LAC
3. Frank Clark/Chris Jones, KC
4. Randy Gregory/Bradley Chubb, DEN
Interior Linebacker
1. Denzel Perryman, LV
2. Kenneth Murray Jr, LAC
3. Nick Bolton, KC
4. Josey Jewel, DEN
Cornerback
1. Pat Surtain II/Ronald Darby, DEN
2. JC Jackson/Asante Samuel Jr, LAC
3. Roc Ya-Sin/Darius Phillips, LV
4. Rashad Fenton/L'Jarius Sneed, KC
Safety
1. Jonathan Abram/Trevon Moehrig, LV
2. Derwin James/Nassir Adderly, LAC
3. Justin Simmons/PJ Locke, DEN
4. Justin Reid/Juan Thornhill, KC
Special Teams
1. Kansas City
2. Las Vegas
3. Denver
4. Los Angeles
Coaching
1. Andy Reid, Kansas City
2. Brandon Staley, Los Angeles
3. Nathaniel Hackett, Denver
4. Josh McDaniels, Las Vegas
If we average out where each team placed in each position group, we get a rough idea of how each team stacks up compared to one another. Preliminary results? This is how the AFC West looks after the offseason additions.
1. Las Vegas Raiders
2. Kansas City Chiefs
3. Los Angeles Chargers
4. Denver Broncos
Let's see how the draft goes.
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