AFC WEST
Broncos
The Broncos surprised a lot of people last season with how strong they were on both sides of the ball. They made an incredible run through Playoffs as well and arguably could have made it even farther had they not lost Bo Nix to an ankle injury late in their AFC Divisional game. This year is going to be a bit different as the question now becomes can Head Coach Sean Payton and his staff take this roster and recreate last season up until that brutal Nix injury. The good news is they have just as good of a chance as any as they’ve put together one of the best staffs in league along with an incredibly talented and deep roster that is fully capable of doing so. On the hand while they’re certainly capable that doesn’t mean there isn’t questions to answered. What will Bo Nix look like returning from a pretty rough injury late last season? And how will the loss of Jim Leonard, who was key piece to their defensive staff, affect their defense?
The questions surrounding Bo Nix and his ankle are certainly something to keep an eye as it’s not the first time this has occurred but overall I expect him to largely look the same as he has throughout his career so far. Now that doesn’t mean he’s perfect either. Nix has flaws and deficiencies within his game and I’m afraid that if this team asks him to take another step he may not have it in him. This year I’m not so concerned with that as this team still has a plethora of talent all across the offense and amazing coaching so I expect him to play his role and come up with big plays when asked to, just as he did last season. As for the talent of the supporting cast and the coaching here, it’s truly up there for the best in the league. It’s largely the same group from last year but with the addition of Jaylen Waddle to their receiving corps and rookie Jonah Coleman to their running back room I expect them to only build and improve upon last season. Coleman provides them with an incredibly well rounded back that can fit in however they need him to. Whether it’s being a hard nosed runner between the tackles, using patience and vision on outside run plays, or being a 3rd down back where he’s asked to catch out of the backfield and most importantly hold up in pass protection he can do it all at a solid level. He should be great security for JK Dobbins who is consistently dealing with injuries and a really fun pairing with RJ Harvey. Waddle is the addition that really gets me excited though! Waddle is going to finally provide this team with a YAC threat that truly threatens a defense at all levels. Whether you are asking him to utilize his speed down the field or be a catch and run threat underneath he’s going to give this team a level of explosiveness they just didn’t have last season which should open the field even more for their run game and other pas catchers. The offense is very hard to pick apart and say there’s any true flaw. The O-Line depth isn’t perfect but certainly not the worst I’ve seen and should be serviceable enough to not give them too bad of issues. Great coaching and a well rounded roster with top end talent and depth… it’s up there for the most well rounded depth chart heading into the year.
The defense is a very similar story to the offense. While the question of how much the loss of Jim Leonard is going to impact them isn’t a zero it’s certainly not overly concerning, nor were any of there losses in free agency. It’s a lot of the same players on roster but when you’re one of the three best defenses last season it’s hard to argue against keeping your roster largely the same. Losing players like Dre Greenlaw, John Franklin-Myers, and PJ Locke isn’t nothing but considering the depth of talent here I see players like Eyioma Uwazurike, rookie Tyler Onyedim, Just Strnad, Drew Sanders, rookie Red Murdock, JL Skinner, and Jahdae Barron filling those spots without issue. It’s one of the best units in all of sports and outside of injury I don’t see them taking any steps back this season.
This team is ready to go and win at all and they absolutely have the tools to do so. I do have a few questions that will need to be answered throughout the season but largely I feel confident in this team. The few things that give me pause are not quite in their control. Whether it’s them playing in a division where I expect all three teams to improve from last season, including one with Patrick Mahomes at Quarterback, or simply that making a deep playoff run in back to back seasons is very difficult in the NFL it’s not going to be easy but this team is capable of doing it.
Prediction
10 – 14 Wins – Super Bowl Hopeful
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Chargers
The Chargers are coming off a largely disappointing season despite putting together 11 wins. The frustration stems from the Playoffs where they not only lost in the Wild Card but quite honestly got dominated by a Texans team that killed them up front all game. While the O-Line question wasn’t entirely answered this offseason the hope for a marked improvement for this offense starts with the hiring of former Dolphins Head Coach Mike McDaniel at Offensive Coordinator. The upgrade just by getting McDaniel in the building cannot be overstated as former Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman is a fine run game coordinator or offensive assistant but compared to McDaniel it’s similar to going from a flip phone to a smart phone overnight in terms of upgrade of play calling and overall coaching. On the other side of the ball the Chargers are dealing with the opposite. Losing their now former Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter to the Ravens Head Coaching job left them with promoting Chris O’Leary, their Safeties coach since 2024. While O’Leary is a very promising candidate and by no means am I saying he’ll be a bad coach it’s certainly an unknown of how he’ll do with the increase of roll to Defensive Coordinator. Not to mention Jesse Minter looks to be one of the leagues brightest defensive minds right now and even if O’Leary is good in his role the idea he’s the next Minter, McDonald, or Ryans is not exactly likely. He very well could prove me wrong and be a Head Coach somewhere in two or three years but until we see him in this role at the NFL level I have to hold off on projections along those lines. All in all it’s a strong staff with a few questions that are promising overall and I expect them to be an overall positive this year.
As for that exiting offense under newly acquired Offensive Coordinator Mike McDaniel, I expect this group to make a major jump this season… well as long as they stay healthy that is. Currently as I write this Tyler Biadasz, their projected starting Center they signed this offseason, was carted off with a lower leg injury and man does that hurt. Luckily they have a talented young player they took in the Draft, Jake Slaughter, behind him that should be able to fill in but the Biadasz injury now takes away the possibility of playing Slaughter at Guard which would have rounded out this starting five quite well. This continues to be an issue for them year after year as their Left Tackle Rashawn Slater and Right Tackle Joe Alt missed the majority of last season with injuries as well. While they’re both healthy as of now the concern of Slater especially ways heavy as they’re pivotal to making this offense work. Now with Biadasz out I expect this group to be okay in McDaniels scheme but when it comes time to use their drop back passing game it very well may be a difficult issue to overcome. On the bright side this team has a ton of talent, which has to start with Quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert gets a lot of hate for the Chargers losses in the Playoffs throughout his career and while he may not be blameless I can’t put the majority of it on him as there’s been major roster and coaching issues that have played a larger part in those losses, in my opinion. Herbert is exceptionally talented and I expect him to have a career year with McDaniel in charge of this offense as do I expect the run game to take major strides as well. Outside of the O-Line questions, which are not small by any means, this offense has a lot going for them. They have an excellent trio of backs that complement each other well with Omarion Hampton, Keaton Mitchell, and Kimani Vidal and a Tight End room that will allow them to play big and show run formations/personnel but still be effective in the passing game with Orande Gadsden, David Njoku, and Charlie Kolar. That core of players fits McDaniels offense perfectly and the best part is the receiver room is just as complementary of each other and exciting with Tre’ Harris stepping into a bigger role, Ladd McConkey being as versatile and effective as he is, and Quentin Johnston taking a step last season. The offense is super talented but the injury concerns and O-Line questions have me worried for their outlook despite the major coaching upgrade.
Aside from the wait and see approach on Chris O’Leary I feel very good about this defense. There’s star talent that is capable of taking over games with Derwin James Jr and the seemingly ageless Khalil Mack and the supporting cast around them is incredibly well rounded with a nice mix of youth and veterans throughout. Their biggest addition this offseason that I’m very excited for was their 1st round pick at Egde, Akheem Mesidor. Mesidor is an older prospect but with that comes a refinement in technique and polish to his overall game that will allow him to step in and play right away. Not only is he an incredibly talented player but he’s getting to learn from one of this generations best in Khalil Mack. This front seven with Mack, Mesidor, Tuli Tuipulotu, and a collection of solid players along the interior is very exciting for their outlook not only as a pass rush but just as importantly run defense as well. You also have Daiyan Henley at Linebacker who is one of the most underrated players in the entire league and a secondary that may not have the biggest names outside of Derwin James but is consistently one of the leagues most versatile and well disciplined groups in the entire league. It’s a very strong group and so long as Chris O’Leary is half of Jesse Minter they should be a top ten or borderline that group in the league.
This Chargers season is sadly once again being held hostage by injuries but if they get a lucky year for just once they’re capable of making a run despite what people will tell about a team led by Justin Herbert. In all honesty I still see them being one strong offseason away so that they can square away some of the O-Line concerns and depth issues but they’re absolutely capable of making a push for a Super Bowl this year if a few things were to break their way.
Prediction
9 – 12 Wins – Playoff Run Hopeful
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Chiefs
The Chiefs are coming off a year where seemingly all of their good luck over the Mahomes era flipped on it’s head and turned against them. Whether it’s the abysmal 1-7 record on the road, most of their big name stars taking steps back, their inability to find any consistency on either side of the ball, or of course the ACL injury to Mahomes that put the nail in coffin for their season it truly felt like nothing broke their way. The most frustrating part to all of this is they really couldn’t fix all of the issues I just listed (there were more as well) so they’re now having to count on progression within or the changes they did make to cover up some of the issues that still do exist across the roster. The good news in all of this is there were positives to take away from this offseason with nonetheless important than the hire/rehire of Eric Bieniemy to Offensive Coordinator. Bieniemy brought and now brings back an edge and creativity that this offense not only lacked last season but was flat out missing. Without Bieniemy the Chiefs offense felt very predictable and far too reliant on Mahomes to be a superhero to make everything. While the roster may still rely on Mahomes heavily at least the coaching and play calling is there to support him which frankly with Matt Nagy at Offensive Coordinator wasn’t the case, even when you take into account Andy Reid playing his role with the offense as well.
As for the aforementioned offense, I still have my concerns for this group from a roster perspective. Sadly the most glaring issue last year was the lack of support for Mahomes in the Wide Receiver/Tight End rooms and that largely hasn’t changed. The one “upgrade” they can hang their hat on is Rashee Rice being able to play all 17 games this coming season but considering he’s been dealing with a knee injury + has continued off the field concerns it’s hard to predict what he will even look like coming into the season. I have a feeling this group will be fine once again, largely due to Mahomes, but I’m hoping there’s some progression from guys like Jalen Royals, Xavier Worthy, or Andrew Armstrong or even a breakout from rookie Cyrus Allen that can add at least one more certainty to this group as it desperately needs it and Mahomes needs another consistent target. One area where they did add and I expect to be a marked improvement is to the running back room with the Kenneth Walker III signing from Seattle and drafting rookie back out of Nebraska Emmett Johnson. The addition of Walker III finally adds a level of explosiveness and versatility to their backfield they haven’t had in years and Johnson projects to be an excellent change of pace back that is a very solid zone runner and pass catcher. Adding these two backs along with Eric Bieniemy at Offensive Coordinator (Bieniemy is an excellent RBs coach) should allow them to take some of the weight off of Mahomes as they can now lean on their running game consistently and count on it to create explosives or simply utilize these guys as pass catchers to create mismatches. This offense should be improved from last year due to coaching and their backs being a drastic improvement over last season but the questionable depth along the O-Line and lackluster talent in the receiver/tight end rooms is still concerning.
Defensively there was no coordinator change but roster wise there’s a ton of turnover. Losing All-Pro level Cornerback Trent McDuffie to trade netted them the 29th overall pick but left a huge hole in the secondary. They eventually filled that hole or at least hope to with the 6th overall pick in the draft in which they took Mansoor Delane, the Corner out of LSU. While I was a bit lower on Delane and would have preferred to take him in the mid-late first his fit in Kansas City is absolutely perfect and in my opinion makes him worth the 6th overall pick. Along with Delane they also brought back former standout Corner L’Jarius Snead following a rough couple seasons with the Titans, Alohi Gilman to fill in at Safety, and rookie nickel Jadon Canady who should be a nice depth piece that can compete for a starting role down the road. This remade secondary now has a good amount of depth and should allow them to fill the loss of McDuffie fairly quickly. With that being said the main unit I still worry most about is the pass rush. With Chris Jones coming off his worst season is a number of years and the rest of the unit being frustratingly average the young additions they made will need to make an immediate impact. Those aforementioned young players coming in are rookies IDL Peter Woods out of Clemson and Edge R Mason Thomas out of Oklahoma. Woods is an incredibly talented young player that many thought would be a Top 5 pick coming into his last college season but following a down year he fell down draft boards and became more of a projection than a sure thing. R Mason Thomas on the other hand is less of a projection but has more of a known role as he’s a quick and powerful Edge rusher that is a bit too slight and lacks play strength to play on early downs consistently. These two guys are going to determine the ceiling of not only the pass rush but this defense as a whole as this team desperately needs more juice up front and without it they’ll once again be forced into blitzes and/or being over aggressive too often. This defense clearly has a higher ceiling this year but considering they’re so heavily reliant on their rookie class I’m hesitant to say for certain it’s going to be drastically better overall.
This Chiefs team did a good job of quickly retooling to keep a competitive team around Mahomes as they capitalized on his injury to reset and add a ton of exciting young layers to the roster. Although I applaud them for getting done what they were able to a short period I still feel they’re a year away from being the contenders they once were. This should be an exciting team and one that’s far more competitive game to game than last season but unless they make a drastic addition to their weaponry on offense, their rookies are immediate high end players, or Mahomes plays at a perfect level every play I don’t see this being the season the Chiefs are back to Super Bowl contention quite yet.
Prediction
9 – 11 Wins – Playoff Run Hopeful
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Raiders
The Raiders are coming off yet another frustratingly bad season under a new regime only this time they did the right thing and let them go after one season. While the Pete Carroll hire went about as poorly as it could have their new hire from Seattle, former Offensive Coordinator Klint Kubiak, looks to bring a promising infusion of modern offensive play calling and hopefully as much of that Mike Macdonald/Seattle Championship DNA as he can. Kubiak brought along Andrew Janocko who has been his Quarterbacks coach over the past two seasons with the Seahawks and Saints to be his Offensive Coordinator and promoted Rob Leonard to Defensive Coordinator after a three year tenure with the Raiders as a Defensive Line Coach/Run Game Coordinator. This staff not only has a first time Head Coach but first time Coordinators as well which could mean they could have a young promising staff with three Head Coaches on it or a staff that looks overwhelmed with the role increases early and struggles as they adjust. I’m hopeful for this staff as I have liked what I’ve seen from their recent track records as assistant coaches/coordinators but there’s no way of saying which way it could go until we see this season play out.
Offensively the new additions don’t stop and there’s none more in the focus than the two new Quarterbacks, Kirk Cousins and rookie Fernando Mendoza. Cousins may not wow anyone but there’s a very good chance we may not even see Mendoza this year or if we do it’s more than likely going to be a small sample size. I think Cousins will be serviceable enough for a year and will allow Mendoza to see how a long time successful Quarterback conducts himself throughout a year. Mendoza may not get the opportunity he deserves this year but I have no doubt in my mind that when/if he does get his chance he’ll make it worth his while. Mendoza already carries himself like a veteran and getting to learn under not only Kirk Cousins but Klint Kubiak and Andrew Janocko as well should only continue to help him grow and develop into the franchise Quarterback the Raiders hope he is. A big reason why we may not see Mendoza this year is because of the lackluster supporting cast here and how that could impact his development throughout the year. There’s some exciting parts of this offense but it’s clearly an offseason or two away from being where it needs to be for Mendoza to truly succeed. Stars like Brock Bowers, Ashton Jeanty, and Tyler Linderbaum are great pieces but the surrounding players and overall offensive unit leaves some clear holes that worry me for this year. The receiver room is fine but there’s no one here that is going to draw attention away from Bowers or dictate how a defense plays week to week. The O-Line is by far the most concerning part for Mendoza and Cousins especially. I like Tyler Linderbaum, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and while Kolton Miller has taken some steps back in recent years he’s still a fine player but DJ Glaze and Spencer Burford are far too inconsistent to be cemented starters for me. Considering Miller’s decline in play and Jackson Powers-Johnson’s injury issues even two of three I feel best about worry me. The hope for me is at least one of Caleb Rogers, Charles Grant, or rookie Trey Zuhn III find ways to earn snaps throughout this year as I see a higher ceiling for this unit with those guys on the field.
There was no shortage of drama regarding the defense this offseason. After yet another poor season Maxx Crosby was looked to be on the move and well… he was until he wasn’t. The Raiders and Ravens agreed upon a trade that would have sent Crosby to Baltimore but following the medical checks when Crosby arrived in Baltimore suddenly the Ravens decided to switch their plans. While it’s not entirely clear what happened in short Baltimore declined to officially accept the trade and pivoted to signing former Bengal Edge Trey Hendrickson. Luckily for the Raiders Crosby’s love for the fan base and franchise overruled how he felt about being traded so while he’s in a weird situation currently he’s overall handled everything like a true professional. As for the football side of it, the Raiders are very lucky to have him back. Without Crosby this defense’s front four would be looked at significantly lower than they currently are. Crosby adds a true down to down winner that offenses have to focus an entire game plan around and the best part is that he actually has a supporting cast around him this year. While their interior group needs some work there’s young players there that are promising moving forward and the Edge group with the additions of Kwity Paye, rookie Keyron Crawford, and Malcolm Koonce getting back healthy should be drastically improved. The Raiders also made it a point to bolster their Linebackers to round out their front seven with two young former Georgia Bulldogs Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean. Walker is a fine player but has some on the field maturity issues that lead to frustrating penalties, mental mistakes, and a lack of effort at times while Dean is a more polished Linebacker than Walker but has struggled with injuries far too often than you’d like. So while it’s an upgrade over what they’ve had in recent years I would have preferred to see them spend their money elsewhere. The secondary also looks to be improved from last year but it comes with no shortage of questions. With rookies Jermod McCoy, Treydan Stukes, Dalton Johnson, and Hezekiah Masses all coming in it leaves a ton room for upside if they’re able to get on the field and showcase their talent early but also leaves room for a ton of frustrating moments if they can’t figure it out. Along with the uncertainty of being rookies when you consider McCoy’s injury issues and Johnson and Masses being more projects/long term backups than ready to go out of the box prospects Stukes is really the only guy that I trust to have a solidified role this year. All in all the defense as a whole has far more upside than any Raiders defense than I can remember over the past few seasons but it’s going to take some time as there’s a lot of youth and overall new faces throughout the unit.
This Raiders team is far more competitive from a roster standpoint than the group they had last year. Now it’s up to this young and inexperienced coaching staff to show out and finally get a rebuild started on the right foot in Las Vegas. While in my eyes this team is still around two years away from being a real playoff contender there’s enough young talent here that they could speed up that timeline before we know. With that being said I believe this team is headed in the right direction and while it may not all click this season they may finally have their franchise Head Coach and Quarterback in place which for Raiders fans should be more than enough hope for the future.
Prediction
4 – 7 Wins – Rebuild/Retool Year
