The Kansas City Chiefs entered the 2026 offseason with several clear priorities: improving the pass rush, adding another weapon at wide receiver, improving the secondary, and getting tougher against the run. For the most part, they checked every box.
Chiefs’ AFC West Competition Is Stronger Than Ever
Kansas City attacked free agency aggressively, found value in the draft, and continued restructuring contracts to stay competitive financially. The cap situation still is not ideal, especially after losing pieces like Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson, but the roster looks deeper in several important areas.
The Chiefs currently sit around $6 million under the salary cap, which still leaves enough room for another veteran player before training camp. The June 1st deadline should also provide some extra flexibility.
Even with another strong offseason from Kansas City, the AFC West is getting tougher across the board.
Chargers: The Offensive Line Is Finally Healthy
The Chargers expected the offensive line to be one of the strengths of the roster last season. Instead, injuries completely disrupted the unit. Losing both tackles exposed the interior quickly, and protection became inconsistent for most of the year.
Now the group looks much more stable.
The projected starting offensive line of Rashawn Slater, Jake Slaughter, Tyler Biadasz, Cole Strange, and Joe Alt has size, experience, and much better depth behind it than last season’s group.
Los Angeles clearly made fixing protection a priority after allowing 54 sacks. The additions of Biadasz and Strange brought experience to the interior, while players like Logan Taylor added developmental depth through the draft.
That matters in a division with Chris Jones still wrecking games from the interior. Rookies Peter Woods and R Mason Thomas help boost the Chiefs’ Defensive Line, and in the NFL, trench play is what wins games late in the year.
In this division, every game will be determined by the strength of the line play. If the Chargers can consistently protect Justin Herbert, this offense will be dangerous week to week.
Raiders: They Finally Look Stable
For years, the Raiders felt stuck in a cycle of coaching changes, roster resets, and short-term fixes. Since 2002, the franchise has only made the playoffs twice while posting one of the worst winning percentages in football.
This offseason felt different.
John Spytek put together a strong offseason that balanced immediate help with long-term structure. Tyler Linderbaum gives the offensive line a centerpiece, and bringing in Kirk Cousins gives Fernando Mendoza a mentor to learn from at quarterback, even if his contract structure raised some questions.
Defensively, the additions of Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean stand out immediately. Both linebackers bring some range and physicality to a defense that needed more speed in the middle of the field.
The bigger issue for the Kansas City Chiefs is the division itself continuing to improve. The New England Patriots benefited for years from weak divisional competition, but the AFC West is already one of the toughest divisions in football. If a third team truly becomes competitive, the road for the Chiefs starts looking a whole lot harder.
Broncos: Bo Nix Looks Real
Bo Nix took a major step forward during the 2025 season.
Early in his career, there were questions about consistency, arm talent, and whether Sean Payton’s system was doing too much of the work for him. Those conversations slowed down late last season.
Nix looked more confident attacking underneath coverage, handled pressure better, and played with much better timing overall. He stopped looking like a quarterback surviving games and started looking like one controlling them.
That becomes more concerning when you look at Kansas City’s current defense. The secondary is younger now after recent draft additions, and outside of Chris Jones, the pass rush still relies heavily on development from several younger pieces.
Quarterbacks who process quickly tend to give young defenses real problems. Bo Nix started showing more of that late last season, and if he takes another step with a top 5 defense behind him, Kansas City is going to be in a lot more high-leverage, uncomfortable games than they’re used to.
Last Word on Chiefs AFC West Competition
The Chiefs’ season didn’t go the way they hoped. Injuries, inconsistency, and questionable coaching decisions derailed things at key moments. But for a team that’s reached five of the last seven Super Bowls, they’re still the standard in the AFC West. As long as Patrick Mahomes is under center, Kansas City stays in that conversation.
They’ve also done a solid job addressing the issues. Eric Bieniemy is back in the mix, they’ve added key draft pieces who’ve impressed early in rookie minicamps, and Mahomes appears to be ahead of schedule in his recovery from injury.
But the division feels different now.
The Chargers have finally rebuilt their offensive line the right way. The Raiders look more structured and stable than they have in years. And Denver may already have its long-term answer at quarterback.
The days of sleepwalking through the AFC West are likely over. Kansas City got its wake-up call last season, and now it’s about responding. If they can reset, get healthy, and tighten things back up, they’re still more than capable of returning to the top of the AFC and the league.
