This week, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be selecting starting lineups consisting of the best players from each division. In this article, the AFC West defense is the focus. Since three of the four teams in the division run a 3-4 defensive scheme, that is the scheme that will be used in this article.
2016 AFC West All-Division Team: The Defense and Special Teams
Defensive End: Khalil Mack
Khalil Mack has had an outstanding start to his career. Drafted fifth overall in the 2014 NFL Draft, the 25-year-old has accomplished a lot in only two seasons. He has established himself as the best edge defender against the run for two years straight. Last year, he improved his pass rushing skills, ending the season with 15 sacks. He had arguably the best defensive performance of anyone last year with his five sacks on Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler in Week 14.
Mack also became the first player to ever be named to the NFL All-Pro Team at two positions, earning that honor at the defensive end and outside linebacker spot. What’s next for Mack? He and his team will be competing for the division title this year as well as working to establish their defense as the best in the league. A division crown, and finishing the season with the number one ranked defense and the sack title would be almost the perfect season for Khalil Mack.
Nose Tackle: Dontari Poe
Dontari Poe of the Kansas City Chiefs is one of the best inside defenders in the game. Although his impact on the field doesn’t show up on the box score, it’s obvious when seeing the Chiefs play. The 346 pound monster takes up two and sometimes three blockers to hold him back, which opens up the pass rushing lanes for the other guys on that defense. Despite elite pass rushers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali being held back by injuries, the Chiefs still finished fourth in the league with 47 total sacks. That doesn’t happen without Poe.
Defensive End: Derek Wolfe
Defensive end Derek Wolfe had a great season leading that Denver Broncos defensive line. He was probably the most improved defensive lineman last year, and finished the season strong, getting at least half of a sack in the last seven games including the playoffs. He was a beast in the postseason, finishing with ten tackles and 2.5 sacks, helping lead that relentless pass rush that was the main factor in winning the Super Bowl.
Outside Linebacker: Von Miller
This All-AFC West team would instantly be dismissed if Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller was not on it. He had a bit of a down year in the regular season if one could call it that. His numbers dropped from 42 tackles and 14 sacks in 2014 to 30 tackles and 11 sacks in 2015. Nevertheless, his presence on the field was still felt at all times. In the playoffs, he was another level of dominant, sacking New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady 2.5 times as well as intercepting one of his passes in the AFC Championship Game. In the Super Bowl, Miller was just as good, collecting 2.5 sacks on Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton and forcing two fumbles. Miller came in clutch, and when it mattered most, on the biggest stage in American sports. He will need to keep up that sort of play if the Broncos are to have any chance of continuing their run of success.
Inside Linebacker: Derrick Johnson
Derrick Johnson is the aged general of the Kansas City Chiefs front seven. At 33, he’s getting up there in age, but he’s still playing at an elite level. The former Texas Longhorn earned his fourth Pro Bowl invite in 2015, and was a Second Team All-Pro. He was one of the biggest reasons the Chiefs finished seventh in total yards allowed on defense and ranked 11th by Football Outsiders in rushing defense. Age is just a number and Johnson has shown no signs of slowing down just yet.
Inside Linebacker: Brandon Marshall
Brandon Marshall has been overshadowed by Von Miller, Demarcus Ware, and former teammate Danny Trevathan. If Trevathan had not signed with the Chicago Bears this offseason, he would be here instead of Marshall. With that being said, he is a very good linebacker and the Broncos would not have been as good of a defense without him. There are only a handful of inside linebackers that are better than him. He’s smart, has great instincts and plays against the pass and run well. Now that he’s the main man in the middle, he will need to step up and embrace the alpha role. He won’t be the best player on that defense, but he can be the smartest and establish himself as their leader. Expectations are a bit higher now for him, but he’s a great linebacker and should be even better next season.
Outside Linebacker: Tamba Hali
This was probably the hardest position to make a decision on. If Justin Houston was healthy coming into this year, this would be a no-brainer, pairing him and Von Miller together as the two outside linebackers. However, Houston was out most of last season and how much he will play next year is in question. After having surgery on his ACL in February, Houston faces a 6-12 month recovery time.
With that being said, Tamba Hali won the competition for the fourth best outside linebacker in the division (after Mack, Miller and Houston). Although he turns 33 in November, Hali is still playing top level football. He made it to his sixth straight Pro Bowl last season, filling in as the premier pass rusher for the Chiefs with Houston out most of the year.
Hali finished the season with 6.5 sacks and was ranked by Pro Football Focus as the 11th best edge defender last year. This year, he’ll be expected to continue to mentor Dee Ford who will get an opportunity to show what he can do if Houston doesn’t make it to the start of the season. Hali is still a great athlete and a strong leader as he gets up there in age. He will continue to play on a high level for another season or two.
Strong Safety: T.J. Ward
T.J. Ward is clearly the best strong safety in the AFC West, and maybe a top five player at the position in all of the NFL, so it’s no surprise seeing him in this spot. Ward accumulated 61 tackles, two sacks, six defended passes, and two forced fumbles. Ward might be the most emotional player on that Broncos defense. He plays with high energy at all times and despite his 5’10” 200 pound frame, is one of the hardest hitting safeties in the game.
Ward graded out nicely by Pro Football Focus, ranked as the 10th best safety based on last year’s production. With the Denver Broncos bringing in two new faces at the safety position via the NFL Draft this past April, Ward will be expected to mentor them as well as keep up his stellar play to lead the Broncos secondary.
Free Safety: Eric Berry
After it was discovered that Eric Berry had Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the middle of the 2014 season, Berry’s life and career were threatened. He had a supporting family that surrounded him with good energy and he healed quickly, coming back prior to the 2015 season, completely healthy, and staying that way all year. He earned his fourth Pro Bowl invitation and second First Team All-Pro selection, as well as winning the 2015 NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Berry played at an elite level all season long and was a huge reason for the Kansas City Chiefs 11-game win streak. With veteran cornerback Sean Smith jumping ship to the Oakland Raiders, Berry will be burdened with even more responsibility in terms of keeping the Chiefs defense intact. He should be more than up to the task.
Cornerback: Chris Harris Jr.
Chris Harris Jr. of the Denver Broncos surrendered less than a yard allowed per snap in coverage (0.88 during the regular season) for his fourth straight season, the only cornerback to do so since 2012. Harris has not allowed a single touchdown pass in two straight seasons. Those incredible feats earn him the spot on this team without question.
Harris was named to his second Pro Bowl and it definitely was a questionable call to see him on the All-Pro Second Team. With what he did last year, it doesn’t seem right that he was not on the First Team. Awards aside, Harris will continue to play at an elite level and prove that he is the main reason the Broncos finished number one in passing yards allowed and ended the year allowing a first down completion only 28.3% of the time.
Cornerback: Jason Verrett
Jason Verrett has only displayed one weakness and that is an inability to play a full season. He only played six games in his rookie year, and missed another two games last year. If he proves to be more durable, he will make a case for being the best corner in the game. Verrett stands at only 5’10” and barely weighs 190 pounds, but he’s able to compete with and shut down any receiver in the NFL.
When the San Diego Chargers played the Chicago Bears, Verrett matched up with 6’4” wide receiver Alshon Jeffrey for part of the game and the ball was thrown his way three times. Those three passes ended with two incompletions and a 68-yard interception returned for a touchdown by Verrett. Even though he’s a smaller corner, Verrett has the athleticism to jump with those taller receivers and make a play on the ball, and quarterbacks have begun to realize and respect that when throwing his way.
The Pittsburgh Steelers visited the Chargers with wide receiver Antonio Brown coming off a four game stretch where he averaged 8.5 receptions, 120 yards and a touchdown per game. Matched up with Verrett, Brown finished the game with three receptions and 45 yards on six targets. This was the Steelers first game without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that year, but that shouldn’t take anything away from what Verrett did. He made amazing coverage plays and proved he can guard the best of them. Verrett has all the tools to be the best corner in the game, he just needs to stay on the field all season.
Kicker: Brandon McManus
Brandon McManus of the Denver Broncos is definitely one of the most consistent and reliable kickers in the NFL. He was automatic inside 40 yards, making 20 of those attempts and was 5-7 from 50+ yards. He also only missed one extra point attempt after that was moved back prior to the 2015 season.
Punter: Marquette King
Every player on an NFL team is important, even the punter. Marquette King of the Oakland Raiders is the best punter in the AFC West. He’s always had a monstrous leg, and displays it constantly. He bombed a 70 yard punt against the Baltimore Ravens at home as well as a 65 yarder against the Chargers later in the year. He limited his touchbacks and improved on his punts that landed inside the 20, increasing that percentage from 28.4% in 2014, to 48.2% in 2015.
Returner: Knile Davis
There isn’t a clear top returner in the AFC West, but Knile Davis separated himself from the rest of the pack with his kickoff return for a touchdown in the opening game on the opening kick of the 2016 NFL Playoffs. He finished tenth in league last year with a 25.1 kick return average.
If you haven’t done so already, make sure to check out the AFC West All-Division for the offense.
