Free agency recap: The rest of the AFC West
Tyler Brown
The Kansas City Chiefs have won eight straight AFC West titles and with what has gone on around the rest of the division, it does not look like a streak that is ending in 2024. Eight straight division championships are nothing to take for granted, but after years of trying to catch the Chiefs, the Denver Broncos, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers are left with poor salary cap situations and rosters.
Heck, the Chiefs have more playoff wins in Las Vegas than the Raiders do. On the surface, you would think the Chargers would have addition by subtraction by exiting Brandon Staley out of the building while successful coach Jim Harbaugh enters it, but their roster around quarterback Justin Herbert has been depleted. Meanwhile, the Broncos are eating nearly $80 million for Russell Wilson to play quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2020 the run-it-back campaign started well but ended poorly for the Chiefs. In hindsight though, there were holes on that team that the front office could have seen coming. Then again, who could have known bookend tackles Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher’s careers would all but come to a close at the ripe ages of 30 and 31?
That season with wide receiver Sammy Watkins over the hill, there was a not-so-great cornerback room and a mediocre, at best, linebacking core. The Chiefs simply did not match up well with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV. They are much better suited to “run it back” this time around with a young and dominant defense in addition to the signing of wide receiver Hollywood Brown.
With the Brown signing and seemingly most of the defensive core staying intact, plus a new draft class incoming, the Chiefs seem intent on giving it another go without much turnover to try and win a third championship in a row. Ultimately, while the Chiefs are getting better or staying the same at the very least, the rest of the division is taking another step back to re-group.
Let’s take a look at what exactly the other teams have done thus far into the offseason and you can draw your conclusions from there.
Denver Broncos
Key additions
- Safety, Brandon Jones
Key subtractions
- Quarterback, Russell Wilson
- Wide receiver, Jerry Jeudy
- Center, Lloyd Cushenberry
- Linebacker, Josey Jewell
- Safety, Justin Simmons
The Broncos are in an interesting proposition, and by interesting I mean not good. Their QB-one is currently Jarett Stidham, Wilson is carrying an astronomical cap hit, they got rid of their best defender since Von Miller and they have traded away a ton of draft capital for both Wilson and Sean Payton.
The other thing that is going to hold them back is their draft position. They were just good enough to only have the 12th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, which is not necessarily the worst position to be in if you need a quarterback. The problem is some combination of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels and J.J. McCarthy is going to go in the top three.
That leaves four quarterbacks for three spots and in most years Denver could package a couple of first-round picks together to trade up to the fourth spot, except it is widely known that the Minnesota Vikings now own two 2024 first-round picks and will likely use the capital to get up to the four slot.
Essentially the Broncos will have to put all their eggs in the Michael Penix Jr. basket. Say what you will about the contract the Cleveland Browns handed over to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, but that is one less dangerous weapon a rookie quarterback can utilize.
I am not quite sure how Payton is going to get out of this mess and I have my doubts on if he will at all. I am sure he misses the Fox booth right about now, especially with his big offseason splash being safety Brandon Jones, who will have to replace four-time second-team all-pro Justin Simmons.
Both Simmons and new Carolina Panther Josey Jewell consistently seemed to give the Chiefs trouble. Perhaps the plan is to eat Wilson’s salary, start Stidham and tank for a top pick next year with 2025 as their leap year, but 2024 ain’t it.
Las Vegas Raiders
Key additions
- Quarterback, Gardner Minshew
- Running back, Alexander Mattison
- Defensive tackle, Christian Wilkins
Key subtractions
- Quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo
- Running back, Josh Jacobs
- Wide receiver, Hunter Renfrow
- Defensive tackle, Bilal Nichols
The Raiders are the one team in the AFC West that I can say with confidence has improved thus far into the offseason. Any defensive line that consists of Max Crosby and Christian Wilkins will give any offensive line some serious issues on any given Sunday.
The good news for the Chiefs is that Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew are going to be duking it out in training camp to try and catch up to the Chiefs. They do have two good receivers in Devante Adams and Jakobi Meyers to catch the rock, but neither quarterback has ever led a team to the playoffs. Perhaps second-year tight end Michael Mayer can come into his own, but this too seems like a team that is headed into a plan where 2025 is the year they draft a quarterback.
The loss of Josh Jacobs is paramount as well given he has been the identity of this offense for the last five years. Alexander Mattison is a respectable running back in the league but when given the keys to an offense that is favorable to running backs in the Minnesota Vikings, he rushed for 700 yards.
Then there is the decision to hire head coach Antonio Pierce. It feels like we have seen this story before and with his inexperience, it could crash and burn fast. His comments on the Raiders
playing with the “Jordan Rules” were heard by Patrick Mahomes, I promise. I do not think that will go over well for Pierce and the Raiders the two times they face off, especially after the Chiefs' embarrassing loss on Christmas last season.
Los Angeles Chargers
Key additions
- Running back, Gus Edwards
- Tight end, Will Dissly
Key subtractions
- Running back, Austin Ekeler
- Wide receiver, Keenan Allen
- Wide receiver, Mike Williams
- Tight end, Gerald Everett
- Linebacker, Eric Kendricks
- Linebacker, Kenneth Murray
You always have a fighting chance to have a good season when you have a good quarterback, which the Chargers do in Justin Herbert. They also now employ an elite head coach, Jim Harbaugh, which is a recipe for success.
I would imagine that within a few years, Harbaugh will bring his desired identity to Los Angeles and they will be a force to be reckoned with for the Chiefs and the rest of the AFC. With that being said, the cupboard is extremely bare, especially on offense.
With the losses of franchise staples Austin Ekeler, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Herbert and Harbaugh will not have much to work with. Running back Gus Edwards will bring a certain toughness with a north and south running style, but that will only get them so far.
So far, 2023 first-round pick wide receiver Quentin Johnston seems like a bust, putting up 431 yards in his rookie campaign, although maybe a new scheme will fit him better. Other than him they have Joshua Palmer and really nobody else you have ever heard of at the receiver position. They are in a prime position to potentially take Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze, however.
Harbaugh prefers to have an identity with the run game highly involved, though, so it will not shock anybody if they go offensive line in a historically deep class. The defense still has its big names with Derwin James, Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa after restructuring the latter two. They have many holes otherwise though, especially in the back seven of the defense.
Simply with the addition of Harbaugh and good-to-elite quarterback play, I would pick the Chargers to finish second in the division. As currently constructed, they are certainly no threat to dethrone the Chiefs' eight-time championship run, though. They are, however, a sneaky wild-card team with the last-place schedule they will be playing.
It is never smart to chalk up six divisional wins in this league, but that is entirely on the table for the Chiefs. The Chiefs have not been extremely active this offseason, other than retaining their own and bringing in Brown, but the division, other than the Raiders have been busy subtracting.
