Biggest remaining needs for each AFC West team

We have arrived at the final edition of my biggest remaining needs for every team in the NFL. After going through all the other division, it's time to discuss the positional upgrades the Broncos, Chiefs, Raiders and Chargers need to make.

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Denver Broncos – Right guard

Have we all forgotten that the Broncos won a Super Bowl two years ago? We are acting like this team has nothing to do with that 2015/16 squad, but several of their key pieces are still there. Denver’s defense looked like championship material once again early on, until the QB carousel began and Von Miller & company didn’t have a lot of time to exhale.

Of course, Aquib Talib and DeMarcus Ware are not on that roster anymore, but having Bradley Roby as their number three CB was a huge luxury and we seem to forget that Su’a Cravens was a promising young player. As far as the defensive front goes, Bradley Chubb was a premier draft prospect, who is already technically sound, and last time I checked Shane Ray is still with them – in a contract year.

As far as the offense goes, newly acquired Case Keenum is coming off a career year and with their star wide receiver duo, he should definitely be able to give them what a broken down Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler three years ago run. Even though they don’t have a tight-end on their roster, who has been productive in the league, I love the young talents they have.

The O-line now looks pretty formidable, but I think they could use an upgrade at right guard. The Broncos have built that front up through the draft and free agency since the start of last offseason. They signed Ronald Leary from Dallas and Jared Veldheer from Arizona a year ago and capped things off by drafting Garrett Bolles. However, they still lack a piece at right guard to be able to push people around. Max Garcia has had a role as a backup for these Broncos, but he has had his fair share of struggles in pass protection. Connor McGovern was forced into the starting lineup for the five games Leary missed at the end of last season and he got killed. I don’t want to get into the Jeremiah Poutasi’s and Billy Turner’s behind them.

Kansas City Chiefs – Cornerback

No team was hotter at the start of last season than these Chiefs. Kansas City won their first five games of the season, including matchups against both of the eventual Super Bowl teams, but it felt like opponents started figuring out Alex Smith and company on offense, by doing a better job at protecting the edges with their cornerbacks and late pre-snap mix-ups.

Now with Patrick Mahomes taking over the reins and Sammy Watkins added as another deep threat, I expect an explosive vertical attack offensively and not as much work in-between the numbers in the passing game. No matter their approach on that side of the ball, it was the Chiefs defense, which really let them down in a lot of games and they certainly didn’t improve that unit during this offseason.

KC added some defensive linemen in the draft and linebacker Anthony Hitchens in free agency, but even with their leader Eric Berry coming back from injury, their secondary looks suspicious since trading away Marcus Peters. Okay, I like Steven Nelson at nickelback and Kendall Fuller is coming over from Washington after a huge 2017 season, but please show me a second quality corner on that Chiefs roster?

I’m waiting. I believe Kansas City committed one of the biggest thefts in recent memory, when they acquired Fuller and a third-round pick for Alex Smith, despite having their future guy at the quarterback position sitting right behind him. Nevertheless, I’m not sure about any of the guys, who they could potentially put in as their number two CB.

David Amerson was handed a one-year prove it deal, who I liked quite a bit a few years back, but he had a horrible 2017 campaign and not even the Raiders wanted to keep him, despite their cornerback problems. Behind those three guys, I don’t think you can tell me that you have any trust in Keith Reaser, Will Redmond or Ashton Lampkin. The 29th-ranked passing defense now is even more questionable.

Oakland Raiders – Cornerback

The Raiders had kind of a weird draft. I thought they completely messed up by drafting a project tackle in UCLA’s Kolton Miller 15th overall and a small-school freak defensive lineman in Sam Houston State’s P.J. Hall. Some way though, they snagged two first-round talents in the third and fifth round respectively.

LSU’s Arden Key I thought was the most natural pass rusher in the nation, when I evaluated him a year ago, while Michigan’s Maurice Hurst was the most disruptive force on the D-line I saw in the last college football season. Key had off-field concerns and Hurst seems to have a serious heart condition, but if they are right and have their minds set on making an impact, those are two starters right there in my opinion.

The Raiders’ offense took a little bit of a dip last year, but with Derek Carr, Amari Cooper and a good offensive line coming back, plus the additions of Jordy Nelson and Doug Martin, I see them climbing back up the ranks under John Gruden. The defense is what concerns me. It simply didn’t feel like they could ever stop anybody, when it really counted a year.

Khalil Mack is a one-man wrecking crew and like I said, I think they upgraded their front in the middle rounds, but what they have behind it looks pretty shaky. Derrick Johnson should take over as a leader at MIKE and Marquel Lee will benefit from a move to WILL. I love young Karl Joseph and Reggie Nelson is still a playmaker at free safety, but the cornerback position is a question mark right now.

Shareece Wright was brought over from Buffalo to play nickel, but nobody really knows, who will start on the outside. Last year’s first-round pick Gareon Conley didn’t even see 100 snaps during last season, Daryl Worley’s status is still up in the air after being charged with six offenses and Leon Hall started just seven games in the last three years. There was some speculation that Obi Melinfonwu might move to the outside, coming out of UConn a year ago, but none of these guys have experience covering at the highest level.

Los Angeles Chargers – Tight-end

To be honest, I originally put kicker next to the Chargers’ name and I was ready to say that when the kicker position is your highest priority at this point, you have done something right with your roster. The Chargers are easily one of the most loaded teams in the NFL and while they had serious concerns with their kicking game, in terms of losing several games recently due to last-second misses on field goals as well as being put in unfavorable situations by not being able to convert on easy attempts throughout games, I can’t ignore the devastating injury to their young tight-end Hunter Henry.

To me, there was no doubt that the Bolts were the favorites to win the division and I looked at them as a potential Super Bowl darkhorse, but once there is something that keeps me from crowning them. I love the collection of wide receivers to go with a slashing Melvin Gordon and a premier veteran QB in Philip Rivers. I even like the offensive line with Mike Pouncey now in the middle and guard Forrest Lamp coming back from injury, after I had him as a top-15 draft prospect a year ago.

Defensively, they have a very good argument for having the top duos at edge rusher and cornerback, plus they stole Florida State’s Derwin James to their Kam Chancellor-esque enforcer in Gus Bradley’s one-high safety scheme. They were ready to go and now they are left with Virgil Green and some unknown dudes at tight-ends. Don’t get me wrong – I think Green can stretch the seems and give them some production, but Henry was on his way to becoming one of the bright young stars at the position. There is some chatter going on about the Chargers bringing back Antonio Gates out of retirement and that is obviously a perfect match with Rivers, but the 37-year old does the majority of his work from the 20-yard line in at this point of his career.