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We aren't even at the NFL Draft yet, and the AFC West has made some huge offseason moves. What was already viewed as a top divison in the NFL just got so much better. New additions, such as Russell Wilson and Davante Adams, elevate the talent in the division to, perhaps, the best in the league.
Now, every team in the AFC West is viewed as a playoff-contender. All four teams will certainly be contenders in the AFC, but not necessarily the Super Bowl. Let's take a look at which teams are contenders and which are pretenders.
Kansas City Chiefs - Pretenders
Any team led by Patrick Mahomes will almost immediately be viewed as playoff contenders. Mahomes and the Chiefs have made it to the playoffs every season that Mahomes has started. Coming off his worst season as a starter, Mahomes should be hungry for success.
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The newly acquired Juju Smith-Schuester will pair nicely next to speedy receiver Mecole Hardman, but the loss of Tyreek Hill is horrible for the Chiefs. Hill has been one of the best receivers in the league over the last five years. He has been the key piece of the Chiefs receiving core over this time period and is a huge part of Mahomes' success.
Juju has been on a decline in terms of play, and the Chiefs will surely hope that he has a resurgance for his career. The Chiefs did recently sign Marquez Valdes-Scantling to a three-year $30M contract. This adds more speed to the receiving core and makes the loss of Hill ever so slightly better.
The one main defensive problem that the Chiefs could face this season is the loss of Tyrann Mathieu. The Honey Badger, as fans like to call him, is currently a free agent and could be seeking a new home in 2023. Mathieu has been atop the safety rankings in the NFL for quite some time now. Some would even rank him the best in the AFC, if not the entire NFL. Losing him would be a huge loss, and the Chiefs defense would take a big blow. Their surrounding defense is solid, but not enough to be a championship-contending team.
The loss of Hill, and possibly Mathieu, takes their odds of winning a championship way down. In a division with as much talent as the AFC West, they'll need a number of guys to step up throughout the season.
Patrick Mahomes is a miracle worker, but even he won't be able to single-handedly carry this team. This has been a very unsuccessful offseason so far, and it has made the Chiefs pretenders.
Los Angeles Chargers - Contenders
The Los Angeles Chargers were one timeout away from being in the playoffs last season. As heartbreaking as the ending may have been, Chargers fans should know that their future is bright. Led by 24-year-old Justin Herbert, the Chargers have a very solid offense. This offense is one of the most elite in the AFC with a solid all-around core.
The Chargers have re-signed Mike Williams for the next three years, keeping the elite duo of Keenan Allen and Williams. With Austin Ekeler in the backfield behind a solid offensive line, he completes their very good offense.
The Chargers' main issue last season was their lack of defense. The Chargers have already greatly improved their defense with the additions of J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack. Pairing Mack and Joey Bosa makes for one of the nastiest duos in the league. The Chargers also signed defensive linemen Austin Johnson and Sebastian Joseph-Day.
Now, with a greatly improved all-around team, the Chargers will look to make a deep playoff push this season. In each of the last three seasons, the Chargers finished in either third or fourth place in the AFC West. This will likely not be the case this season with the additions that they have made so far this offseason.
With an elite offense and an elite defense, the exact recipe for a contender now rests with the Los Angeles Chargers. Not only will they be coming for the AFC West title, but they'll be playing with the Lombardi Trophy in mind.
Denver Broncos - Pretenders
The Denver Broncos finished in last place in the AFC West last year with Teddy Bridgewater taking snaps behind the line. The Broncos now have a large upgrade in Russell Wilson and are looking like a much different team. It'll be interesting to see how Russell WIilson plays in the AFC. It's amazing how much of a difference just one player can make on a team. Wilson will have receivers Jerry Jeudy and Courtland Sutton to target throughout next season. With a young Javante Williams at running back, it sounds like a recipe for success, right?
As much of a difference as the addition of Russell Wilson made, it won't change the play of the defense. There was a lot of hype around the Broncos defense last year, which sadly didn't amount to much. This isn't to say that the Broncos defense wasn't good, but there was only so much they could do to carry the offense.
The Broncos have allowed just 17.4 points per game, which is the franchise's fourth fewest since 1991. If the defense and offense can align to play well at the same time, this would be a very scary Broncos team.
Regardless of the mis-matched success between the offense and the defense, the Broncos are contenders. A few key additions, such as a veteran receiver and a solid defensive player, could really put them among the best teams in the league.
Von Miller is someone who teased a Broncos signing before signing a six-year $120M contract with another AFC team in the Bills. Adding just Russell Wilson doesn't make you a contender, but there's a lot of off-season left to make a move.
As of right now, the Broncos aren't done adding veteran players, and Wilson wants to build a super-team.
Las Vegas Raiders - Pretenders
The Las Vegas Raiders added the best free agent available this offseason in Davante Adams. The Raiders now have an elite wide receiver duo in Hunter Renfrow and Davante Adams. This addition makes the Raiders offense a serious threat to any defense in the NFL. The offense will certainly be one of the best in the AFC, if not the whole league.
The Raiders are a team that, somehow, always finds a way to fail. Last season they made the playoffs, which is definitely considered a success. Their main concern for this season will be defense. They haven't made any huge moves to improve their defense so far this offseason, which could prove to be an issue.
Last season their defense ranked in the bottom-seven in categories such as points allowed per game and turnovers.
There will be a lot of hype around this team because of Davante Adams, but that hype will not amount to anything big. The playoffs are definitely within reach, but they will not make any deep runs with the team they have now.
