One week into the new league year, and most of the top free agents are already off the market. As teams start to turn their attention to the draft, we can take a step back and check in on how each squad stacks up following the initial wave of free agency.
In the first part of an eight-article series power ranking each division in football, we start with the AFC West. All four teams in this division have gone through tremendous changes over the past couple weeks. From Peyton Manning announcing he’s going to return to the Denver Broncos to the Kansas City Chiefs swapping out veteran receivers, each team is looking to position itself to win the division in 2015.
Here’s our power rankings of the AFC West heading into draft season.
1. Denver Broncos
Courtesy of USA Today: How will the loss of Julius Thomas impact the Broncos?
Key Additions: Shelley Smith (G) and Owen Daniels (TE)
Key Losses: Julius Thomas (TE), Orlando Franklin (G), Terrance Knighton (DT) and Rahim Moore (S)
The losses of Orlando Franklin, Julius Thomas and Rahim Moore surely are going to hurt this team. That’s three solid starters that Denver has to replace either internally or on the open market. Denver did sign Shelley Smith to replace Franklin, but that has to be seen as a downgrade. Thomas was vastly overrated prior to signing a ridiculous five-year, $46 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars. While both of these losses could impact the team in 2015, Denver has plans to replace them. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the loss of Rahim Moore. At this point, Darian Stewart is the likely replacement there. Much like Shelley Smith along the offensive line, that has to be seen as a downgrade.
Either way, Denver was able to retain Demaryius Thomas via the franchise tag, and has Peyton Manning returning for another season. As long as Manning is under center, this team is the favorite in the AFC West in 2015. The rest of the offseason is now about plugging the holes with mid-tier free agent talent heading into the 2015 NFL draft.
2. San Diego Chargers
Key Additions: Orlando Franklin (G), Stevie Johnson (WR) and Patrick Robinson (CB) and Jacoby Jones (WR)
Key Losses: Ryan Mathews (RB) Eddie Royal (WR), Nick Hardwick (C), Shareece Wright (CB) and Marcus Gilchrist (S)
Retaining Brandon Flowers was huge for the Chargers. He’s legitimately one of the most underrated corners in the entire NFL. He graded out among the top-15 cornerbacks in the league last year, according to official Pro Football Focus metrics (subscription required). The idea of teaming Flowers up with second-year corner Jason Verrett has to be a sexy proposition for the Chargers. Equally as important, the Chargers were able to retain starting left tackle King Dunlap on a four-year, $28 million contract.
However, it’s not all great when it comes to a team that just missed out on the playoffs last year. Eddie Royal, who recorded 62 receptions and seven touchdowns, moved on in free agency. Former first-round pick Ryan Mathews—the Chargers leading rusher in three of the past four seasons—is with the Philadelphia Eagles. San Diego will need to fill these two holes with solid starter-caliber players if it wants to compete with Denver for the division title.
3. Kansas City Chiefs
Courtesy of USA Today: Jeremy Maclin gives Alex Smith a true No. 1 receiver.
Key Additions: Jeremy Maclin (WR) and Tyvon Branch (S)
Key Losses: Rodney Hudson (C), Dwayne Bowe (WR) and Joe Mays (LB)
It will be interesting to see if Jeremy Maclin can add another dimension to the Chiefs’ offense. The team signed Philadelphia’s leading receiver from the 2014 season shortly before parting ways with Dwayne Bowe. If Maclin struggles this upcoming season, we might have to start realizing that it’s the scheme and/or Alex Smith holding the team’s offense back. Kansas City also lost starting center Rodney Hudson to the division-rival Oakland Raiders in free agency. As of right now, there’s not a replacement on the Chiefs roster for Hudson.
Defensively, Kansas City did a great job retaining Tamba Hali while placing the franchise tag on Justin Houston. It was just a couple weeks ago that this seemed extremely unlikely.
Unless Kansas City is able to pick up its offensive performance, especially through the air, it’s not going to be competing for a division title anytime soon. With the cap situation as it currently stands, any upgrades on that side of the ball will likely have to be done through the draft.
4. Oakland Raiders
Key Additions: Roy Helu (RB), Rodney Hudson (C), Dan Williams (DT) and Curtis Lofton (LB)
Key Losses: Darren McFadden (RB) and Tyvon Branch (S)
It’s going to be a while before Oakland is even mentioned among the top teams in the AFC West, and its performance during free agency won’t speed this process up. The Raiders did sign some solid players who are in the midst of hitting their prime. Rodney Hudson is an upgrade along the interior of the team’s offensive line. Meanwhile, Dan Williams is one one of the most underrated defensive tackles in the NFL. Building from the inside out is a model that some of the top teams have used in the past. It appears that general manager Reggie McKenzie and company are doing just this in Oakland.
With that said, the bread-and-butter of Oakland’s offseason will come during the draft. That’s the way McKenzie is going to build this fledgling football team. Even then, there are too many holes for this team to fill in the draft. Unfortunately for fans in Northern California, this rebuilding process is going to be lengthy. At the very least, the Raiders are finding a way to add talent up and down the roster. It started with Derek Carr, Khalil Mack and Gabe Jackson in the 2014 draft. It will be interesting to see who the Raiders target late next month.
Photo: USA Today