Key concern for each AFC West team in 2024 as Raiders, Chargers, Broncos look to end Chiefs’ reign in division

The AFC West could also be renamed the “Kansas City Chiefs Invitational” as long as three times Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes is around.

The Chiefs are the winners of the last eight AFC West titles, a streak that began in 2016 when Alex Smith was Kansas City’s starting quarterback. The AFC West’s current first-place streak is the second-longest streak of division titles in NFL history, behind the 11 AFC East division championships the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick New England Patriots dynasty won consecutively from 2009-2019.

Can another team in the division challenge Kansas City? It is unclear at this time. We address some burning questions about a macro viewbut let’s delve into some of the biggest questions facing each AFC West team before training camps begin in July.

Kansas City Chiefs

Who will emerge as the Chiefs’ No. 2 pass catcher after TE Travis Kelce, with Rashee Rice facing likely suspension?

Tight end Travis Kelce is obviously the Chiefs’ preferred option in the passing game, but after his latest Super Bowl run, it looked like 2023 second-round pick wide receiver Rashee Rice was on his way to becoming the new Not Mahomes. .1 in the eventual post-Kelce era. Rice ranked second among Super Bowl champions in receptions (79) and receiving yards (938), behind Kelce, while leading in receiving touchdowns (seven) as a rookie.

However, Rice’s 2024 offseason has been anything but calm. He is being sued for allegedly being to blame for a multi-vehicle crash in Dallas on March 30, and he was under investigation for allegedly assaulting a photographer at a Dallas club in May. If Rice starts the 2024 season with suspension, who will take his place? His 8.3 yards after catch per catch ranked second in the NFL among receivers last season, behind only San Francisco 49ers All-Pro Deebo Samuel (8.8).

Will it be 2024 first-round pick (28th overall) wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who ran a record 4.21 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, or perhaps free agent signee Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, a pick of the 2019 first-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens? Plus, can these two bring back Mahomes’ deep passing game? Mahomes threw 41 touchdowns of 20 or more air yards when All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill was present from 2018 to 2021. Since 2022, he has thrown just two touchdowns of 20 or more air yards over the past two seasons.

Can the Raiders have a functional offense with Gardner Minshew and/or Aidan O’Connell running the show?

The Raiders were unable to trade for one of the 2024 NFL Draft best passers, which resulted in Caleb Williams (first overall to the Chicago Bears), Jayden Daniels (second overall to the Washington Commanders), Drake Maye (third overall to the New England Patriots), Michael Penix Jr.), JJ McCarthy (10th overall to the Minnesota Vikings) and Bo Nix (12th overall to the Denver Broncos) coming off the board before being selected 13th overall.

Las Vegas opted to add another weapon in Georgia tight end Brock Bowers – the SEC’s all-time career tight end leader in receptions (175), receiving yards (2,538) and touchdowns (26) – for whoever their 2024 quarterback is between journeyman Gardner Minshew and 2023 fourth-round pick Aidan O’Connell. Whoever is chosen, the results likely won’t be much different, but some consistency and production closer to league average is possible. Switching between Jimmy Garoppolo, Brian Hoyer and O’Connell in 2023, the Raiders rank 28th in the league in touchdown-to-interception ratio (20-18) and passer rating (80.1).

The 2024 season will likely be a transition year for the Raiders, but you never know. All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams, slot receiver Jakobi Meyers and the two young tight ends in 2023 second-round tight end Michael Mayer and Bowers are a decent cast of pass-catchers.

How will the Chargers passing game work without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, and with Greg Roman at OC?

The Chargers had a chance to provide quarterback Justin Herbert, whose passing yards (17,223) and completions (1,613) are the most in NFL history through a player’s first four seasons – his 114 career passing touchdowns are tied with Mahomes as the second-highest during a player’s first four seasons — with another high-flying weapon in LSU’s Malik Nabers or Washington’s Rome Odunze with the fifth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Instead, new head coach Jim Harbaugh opted to bolster Herbert’s offensive line and select the draft’s top offensive tackle, Notre Dame All-American Joe Alt. The Chargers front office addressed his receiver position, which became a need after trading Keenan Allen to the Chicago Bears and releasing Mike Williams, selecting Ladd McConkey from Georgia in the second round (34th overall) and adding two more receivers with their two seventh round picks: Brenden Rice from USC (225th overall) , Jerry’s son, and one of Harbaugh’s Michigan guys, Cornelius Johnson (253rd overall). DJ Chark also signed a one-year, $3 million contract in early May.

Harbaugh hiring Greg Roman as his offensive coordinator is also a strong indication of how he wants the Chargers to operate: with a running game to take some of the pressure off Herbert. Roman served as Harbaugh’s OC with the 49ers from 2011-2014 and then his older brother John Harbaugh’s OC from 2019-2022 with the Ravens, where he coordinated some of the most productive offenses in league history centered around the threat of MVP quarterback Lamar. Jackson can do it with his legs. Roman also brought two of his best running backs from Baltimore as free agents after Los Angeles signed JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards this offseason.

Will the stylistic shift to a more balanced offense, or even a starting offense featuring rookies plus 2023 first-round pick receiver Quentin Johnston (431 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 38 receptions as a rookie) in the passing game results in long-term gains in the win column for the Chargers? We’ll see.

Denver Broncos

Will coach Sean Payton put his offense into action in Denver in 2024 with Bo Nix and Zach Wilson?

Coach Sean Payton and Russell Wilson, on the wrong side of 30, couldn’t build a cohesive offense together, which is why the Broncos released Wilson and ate a historic $85 million in dead cap. Now, Denver has a quarterback room led by 12th overall pick Bo Nix and second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Zach Wilson.

Stylistically, Nix seems a good fit for what Payton liked to do with Drew Brees. DISCLAIMER: This is not to say that Nix is ​​Drew Brees. Nix Set college football single-season completion percentage record (77.4%) last year at Oregon while having the eighth-fastest time to throw (2.48 seconds). He also threw 22 touchdowns and no interceptions on throws he threw in under 2.5 seconds. Brees, a longtime Payton student, owns five of the seven highest single-season completion rates in league history, including each of the three highest grades.

It’s also worth adding this context to Nix’s numbers: Oregon has used screen passes on 12.4% of its throws with Nix under center over the past two seasons, the eighth-highest rate in college football and the fifth-highest rate among Power teams. Five. Nix’s 6.6 air yards per pass attempt at Oregon from 2022 to 2023 ranked 105th among 109 qualified FBS passers over that span. Part of this could be due to the scheme the Ducks were running, but there’s a chance they chose to operate this way after Nix’s up-and-down career at Auburn.

Meanwhile, the former Jets quarterback is a total comeback project: Wilson ranks last in the NFL in completion percentage (57%), TD-INT (23-25) and passer rating (73.2) during his three-year career span from 2021 to 2023.

Denver at least drafted Oregon Nix wide receiver Troy Franklin in the fourth round to go along with Courtland Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims and Tim Patrick. If Payton can build an offense around running back Javonte Williams that doesn’t ask too much of Nix or Wilson, perhaps there is a path to competence.