During August, as football season rolls upon us, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be breaking down every division in the league by position. This is the 2018 breakdown of the AFC West at the offensive positions. This will include “the best” of each unit, with “the rest” following in descending order.
2018 AFC West Breakdown by Position: The Offense
Quarterback
The Best: Los Angeles Chargers
The Rest: Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs
After two excellent seasons, Derek Carr had the opportunity to make his case for being the best quarterback in the West in 2017. However, after a lackluster campaign from Carr, Philip Rivers remains the undisputed top dog in that division after another strong year from him. Rivers should have another strong year with a wide receiver corps that looks to possibly have surprising depth. Carr may very well bounce back in 2018. But for now, he sits still as the second-best quarterback in the division.
After those two, the conversation gets a bit more interesting. The Broncos and Chiefs both have brand new starters this year, both of which could go either way. The Broncos brought in Case Keenum, who is coming off an excellent year with the Minnesota Vikings. Whether he will repeat the success remains to be seen. One would be forgiven for being nervous as to whether his 2017 season was a one-time wonder, especially given how the Vikings have been able to succeed with almost anyone at quarterback the last few years. Still, Keenum has some good upside. And if he implodes, Chad Kelly has been lighting it up this preseason.
As for the Chiefs, they are now going with second-year signal caller Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes definitely has a lot of upside. It helps that he has a rocket arm, which is ideal for throwing to Tyreek Hill. However, the fact is we just don’t have much to judge him on yet. He’s only played one full game so far. Keenum at least has one good season to his name. Mahomes is still a bit of an unproven commodity, which leaves him last in his division for now.
Running Back
The Best: Kansas City Chiefs
The Rest: Los Angeles Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos
It’s debatable whether Melvin Gordon or Kareem Hunt is the best running back in the division. What’s less debatable, however, is that the Chiefs have the most depth at the position. Hunt had a big season in his rookie year, and while some regression may feel inevitable, he’s still probably going to be pretty good. Meanwhile, Spencer Ware is returning from a season-ending injury last year. People may have already forgotten that he was a quality starter back in 2016. His return may make him one of the better backup running backs in the entire league. They also have Damien Williams and Kerwynn Williams to work with.
As for the Chargers, they have a pretty solid starter in Gordon. The problem is they hardly have any proven talent beyond that. Austin Ekeler seems somewhat promising, although he may be more of a receiving back than anything. Beyond that, the most intriguing player is Justin Jackson… and he’s a rookie, and thus unproven.
Now the Raiders arguably also have more depth than the Chargers. The problem is, they don’t have anyone as good as Gordon or Hunt which leaves them at third on this list. Marshawn Lynch isn’t doing bad for his age of 32… but the fact is he’s still 32 and can’t have that much left in the tank. Then there’s free agent signing Doug Martin, who may be one of the most inconsistent backs alive. He’s had two 1,400-yard seasons… but also has averaged 2.9 yards a carry both of the last two years. He’s also 29 and in the later part of his career too. They also have Jalen Richard as a decent backup. Ultimately, the problem is that while the group has depth and upside, hardly any of the backs stand out at this point compared to some of their peers.
As for the Broncos… the most promising running back on their roster right now may actually be rookie Royce Freeman. There’s very little depth beyond that. Devontae Booker has never really stood out and everyone else is a rookie or still-unproven second-year. Freeman has shown promise early on in the preseason, but the fact that he’s a rookie and there’s really no one else behind him besides Booker leaves the Broncos firmly at the bottom at this position.
Wide Receiver
The Best: Los Angeles Chargers
The Rest: Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs
This was a tough pick to make. All four teams really have quite a bit of upside, but also the potential to fail (which could be said about all four teams in general, really). So, the decision came down to which team had the best receiver overall. And that is Keenan Allen of the Chargers without question. After being injured most of the time for a couple years, Allen showed just how much he can terrorize defensive backs when he’s healthy a full season. He put up the third most receiving yards in the league with 1,393.
Now, as for the rest of the Chargers lineup: like really every other team in the division, there’s a bit of uncertainty. Tyrell Williams had 1,000 yards in 2016 but then regressed in 2017 and needs to prove he’s just not a speed option. Mike Williams needs to break out in his second year; and if the preseason is any indication, he might well be on his way to doing that. But he also needs to stay healthy after missing most of his rookie season. Travis Benjamin rounds out the depth as strictly a speed option. Both receivers named Williams could easily go off but could also struggle.
The Raiders arguably have the most uncertainty of all, even if they do have quite a bit of upside. Amari Cooper is coming off a weird season with a lot of drops, but also one superb 200-yard game. The potential to go either way is clear there. They also brought in Jordy Nelson and Martavis Bryant this off-season. Some believe Nelson may be washed up after a poor season last year; however, he played like his normal self until Aaron Rodgers got hurt. He could easily return to his old self with Carr throwing him the ball now. But given his age (33), he could still end up becoming an afterthought. Meanwhile, Bryant just has to stay out of trouble. Three receivers… all of whom could have good seasons, but also all of whom could implode.
The Broncos do have two more reliable options in Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas. However, due in part to poor quarterback play last year, neither of them reached 1,000 yards. Whether they will return to their old selves this year remains to be seen. But up until 2017, they had been one of the best receiver duos in the league. Regardless, the Broncos don’t have much beyond those two, with the most promising third option being the rookie Courtland Sutton.
The Chiefs have been easily at the bottom of this list for the last few years. They have slightly more upside this year, but still have a lack of depth at the same time. Their top receiver is Hill, who is more the second coming of Devin Hester than a traditional receiver. Still, he’s pretty good and should present a problem for defensive backs due to his speed alone. They also brought in Sammy Watkins this year, who has upside but struggled last year and also needs to stay healthy. They don’t have much beyond that; Chris Conley would be the third option. Essentially, the success of the corps as a whole depends on Watkins. That’s a prospect that could work but still feels rather iffy right now.
Tight End
The Best: Kansas City Chiefs
The Rest: Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos
Travis Kelce helps the Chiefs have the best tight end lineup in the division by default as he’s one of the best tight ends in the league in general. They don’t have a lot of depth beyond that, but they don’t really need to unless Kelce gets hurt. Demetrius Harris has been the second tight end out there, and he was serviceable last year.
After the Chiefs, the discussion gets more interesting. With regards to the Chargers, there’s no doubt that they would be the second-best tight end group… if Hunter Henry wasn’t out for the season with an ACL injury. The Chargers never made any moves to replace him and appear to actually be going with Virgil Green as the top tight end, who does not inspire confidence despite being a good blocker. Also, none of the remaining tight ends on the roster have caught a pass in the NFL before.
With that in mind, the Raiders get to have the second-best tight end lineup this year. Jared Cook is a name that some scoff at, but he actually had a decent season in 2017 with 688 yards. Again, there is not much depth beyond that. Lee Smith and Derek Carrier are the backups. But Cook did well enough last year despite a disappointing Raiders season that he gets his team the nod in the wake of Henry’s injury.
The Broncos, on the other hand, don’t really have anyone proven – not even on injured reserve like the Chargers. Jeff Heuerman has the most experience on the roster, and he only has 283 yards in his two-season career. Jake Butt may get a chance in what is effectively his rookie year, but one gets the feeling that the Broncos won’t be targeting the tight ends much this year.
Offensive Line
The Best: Los Angeles Chargers
The Rest: Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos
The Chargers pushed themselves into the top spot here with the somewhat underrated signing of three-time Pro Bowler Mike Pouncey, who might finally give the team some needed stability at the position. They also have left tackle Russell Okung, who is coming off a Pro Bowl season as well. And former second-round pick Forrest Lamp is set to have what is effectively his rookie season as well, and the organization feels good about him. They still have some questions at right tackle, but this still feels like one of the better offensive lines Rivers has had in years.
The Raiders are in a similar position regarding have good starters at most positions save for right tackle. Donald Penn is a good left tackle, and they also have two strong guards in Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson. They also have Rodney Hudson at center. Out of those starters, all of them (save for Jackson) are coming off Pro Bowl seasons.
The Chiefs have the opposite problem: they have a dependable right tackle in Mitchell Schwartz, but not a lot of standouts elsewhere. Eric Fisher has done a little better lately, but he still hasn’t lived up to his number one pick status. While the tackles may be set, the unit is still definitely below the level of the Chargers and Raiders overall.
A lot of people like to blame strictly the quarterback position for the Broncos’ bad season in 2017. However, the offensive line was equally (if not more) to blame. And they still haven’t made any big moves to fix it. They did bring in a couple new faces, namely Jared Veldheer. However, this still looks to be the weakest o-line group in the division.
Be sure to check out LWOPF’s breakdown of the top units in the AFC West on defense and special teams.
