The first waves of free agency have come and gone and now it’s time to look at what teams have gained and lost since March 13th and where they stand as they prepare for the upcoming draft. Let’s continue with the AFC West.
Denver Broncos
Key acquisitions: QB Joe Flacco, OT Ja’Wuan James, CB Kareem Jackson, CB Bryce Callahan
Re-signed: TE Jeff Heuerman, DE Zach Kerr
Departures: QB Case Keenum (Redskins), LB Brandon Marshall (Raiders), CB Bradley Roby (Texans), C Matt Paradis (Panthers), OLB Shane Ray (Ravens), LB Shaquil Barrett (Buccaneers), G Billy Turner (Packers), CB Tramaine Brock (Cardinals), G Max Garcia (Cardinals)
Remaining free agents: NT Domata Peko, CB Jamar Taylor
Analysis: At a point last year, the Denver Broncos had a legitimate shot at the playoffs, but injuries ruined that chance almost immediately. For a team that won the Super Bowl in 2015, it’s crazy to think that they haven’t made it to the playoffs since. They haven’t been able to find a replacement for Peyton Manning and that has really set back the franchise. In 2016, Paxton Lynch was drafted in the first round and hadn’t been able to win the starting job and was eventually released before the 2018 season after failing to win the backup job to Case Keenum. Keenum, by the way, did not live up to his contract signed in 2018 and was then traded to the Redskins. Now, Joe Flacco is in the building after 11 seasons in Baltimore and with three years left on his deal, and a potential playoff window in place, I don’t expect the Broncos to take a quarterback in the first round this year. The Broncos parted ways with some starters on the offensive line with center Matt Paradis, and guards Billy Turner and Max Garcia. Former Dolphin Ja’Wuan James signs a multi-year deal to be the Broncos starting right tackle, with 2017 first-rounder Garett Bolles starting at left tackle.
The defense also has some new faces with cornerbacks Kareem Jackson and Bryce Callahan. After trading Aqib Talib last season and let Bradley Roby sign with the Texans, the secondary has a new look, and could look even more different in 2019 if Chris Harris Jr. doesn’t get a new deal as he stated he either wants a new deal or to be traded. The linebackers will also look different in 2019 following the departures of Brandon Marshall and Shaq Barrett. The Broncos still have Todd Davis and last year’s fourth rounder Josey Jewell at the position, but should look to address the position early in the draft.
Conclusion: The Broncos are in an interesting situation as they might be a playoff team, but they are also rebuilding with some significant roster turnover in recent years. They need help at all levels, but if they have a good draft, they could make a quick turnaround and be a contender. The have a quarterback, for now, a good running game with Phillip Lindsay, Royce Freeman, and Devontae Booker, and some solid receiving options. Emmanuel Sanders is the leading guy with Demaryius Thomas out the door, and the development of Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton is key. The tight ends are interesting with Jake Butt coming off injury again and the re-signing of Jeff Heuerman. I could definitely seeing them drafting one in the first round this year, whether it be T.J. Hockenson or Noah Fant at No. 10. The offensive line needs work on the interior, with question marks at guard and center.
The defense has had a lot of turnover since their Super Bowl win in 2015. They still have Von Miller, Chris Harris Jr., and Derek Wolfe, but that’s about it from their championship team. They’ve got some young guys like Bradley Chubb, Josey Jewell, and Isaac Yiadom who will start after being drafted a year ago, along with starting safeties Will Parks and Justin Simmons entering the final year of their contracts.
The Denver Broncos are in purgatory right now, they could be a team moving towards a playoff run, or they could be in a rebuild. How they approach of the draft is something to keep an eye on, do they draft the quarterback of the future, or build around Flacco and make a playoff push. Stay tuned.
Kansas City Chiefs
Key acquisitions: DE Frank Clark (acquired from Seahawks), DB Tyrann Mathieu, RB Carlos Hyde, DE Emmanuel Ogbah, CB Bashaud Breeland, DE Alex Okafor, LB Damien Wilson, QB E.J. Manuel
Re-signed: FB Anthony Sherman
Departures: OLB Justin Houston (Colts), OLB Dee Ford (49ers), S Eric Berry, C Mitch Morse (Bills), S Eric Murray (Browns), CB Steven Nelson (Steelers), WR Chris Conley (Jaguars), TE Demetrius Harris (Browns)
Remaining free agents: RB Spencer Ware, CB Orlando Scandrick, DE Allen Bailey
Analysis: For a team that made it to the AFC Championship game a year ago, the Chiefs had a decent amount of turnover this offseason. The Chiefs defense was one of the worst in 2018, and the team just parted ways with three of their best players: Dee Ford, Justin Houston, and Eric Berry. In 2017, the Chiefs parted ways with Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali, staples of that defense for over a decade. Chiefs fans must be heartbroken over these losses, but it’s a new era, and it’s a very bright one. There will be some new faces leading that defense, starting with safety Tyrann Mathieu. The Honey Badger comes to KC after spending a year in Houston and figures to captain the back end of the defense for years to come. He was set to pair with Eric Murray, but the former fourth rounder was shipped to Cleveland for pass rusher Emmanuel Ogbah. The Chiefs also made another blockbuster trade, acquiring former Seahawks defensive end Frank Clark for a first round pick among other picks. Ogbah and Clark will pair with fellow new acquisition Alex Okafor along with some younger edge guys. The team also parted ways with starting cornerback Steven Nelson, signed veteran Bashaud Breeland to pair with Kendall Fuller, who’s in the final year of his contract.
We all know the situation with Kareem Hunt last season, and when the Chiefs let him go, it left a huge void in the backfield. Damien Williams filled in nicely and earned himself a contract extension, but the Chiefs added some help with Carlos Hyde, who is a great in between the tackles power runner and is a great compliment to Williams.
Conclusion: The Chiefs have one of the best offenses in the entire NFL, led by the league MVP Patrick Mahomes. There are no holes on the offense, you could argue running back, but I think they have much higher priorities, that being said this draft needs to be almost all defense. Without a first round pick, the Chiefs will have to wait until day 2 to make a pick, barring a trade. The defense needs some work, but it’s in better shape than people realize. The edge rushers have new faces with established veterans, along with breakout star Chris Jones rushing from the interior. The linebackers are solid with Anthony Hitchens, Reggie Ragland, and young guys Dorian O’Daniel and Breeland Speaks. The secondary has some new veteran leaders, but still needs some young talent to fill those holes. Once the Chiefs fill those holes, this will be a well balanced team from top to bottom. It’s Super Bowl, or bust in Kansas City.
Los Angeles Chargers
Key acquisitions: LB Thomas Davis, QB Tyrod Taylor
Re-signed: LB Denzel Perryman, SS Adrian Phillips, DT Brandon Mebane, DT Damion Square
Departures: WR Tyrell Williams (Raiders), CB Jason Verrett (49ers), DT Darius Philon (Cardinals), Jahleel Addae (Texans), Kyle Emanuel (retirement)
Remaining free agents: DT Corey Liuget, TE Antonio Gates
Analysis: The San Diego Los Angeles Chargers remain one of the most talented rosters in the league. They were finally able to put it together in 2018 with a playoff win. The Chargers didn’t make many moves, and parted ways with a couple starters. Former longtime Panther Thomas Davis signs on a two-year deal and helps a linebacker group that suffered through injuries in 2018. Denzel Perryman re-signs for two years and will join Davis, Jatavis Brown and Kyzir White. Jason Verrett has had a very sad NFL career, suffering through so many injuries and his only healthy season in 2015 led to a Pro Bowl. He is so good but it’s just been serious injury after serious injury for the former first rounder. He now signs with the 49ers, and leaves a hole in the secondary, which should be addressed in the draft.
Conclusion: The Chargers have always flirted with the playoffs in recent years, and they finally had one of the best seasons in franchise history. They have a window now to finally get the 37-year-old Philip Rivers his ring. The offensive is great with a strong running game with Melvin Gordon, if he can stay healthy, along with Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson. The receivers took a hit with the loss of Tyrell Williams, but he fell out of favor down the stretch last season with former first-rounder Mike Williams coming on, and we should see more of him next season, and fans should be excited. They still have a top 10 receiver in Keenan Allen and a top tight end in Hunter Henry, who is coming back from a torn ACL. The offensive line needs work, and should be a focus in the draft. Russell Okung performed well at left tackle, former Dolphins center Mike Pouncey was a great acquisition and was their best lineman, guards Dan Feeney and Michael Schofield struggled, and 2017 second-rounder Forrest Lamp is finally healthy and should compete for the starting job. Right tackle Sam Tevi was one of the worst starting tackles in the league, and definitely needs an upgrade.
The Chargers have one of the best passing rushing duos in Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa. The interior needs work after parting ways with Corey Liuget, and that was already a weak spot on that defense. This should be a priority in the draft, and a strong defensive-heavy draft should help them. The linebackers took some injury hits last year, and Kyle Emanuel just retired, but they should be healthy this year and the signing of Thomas Davis should help. The secondary needs some depth work, but they have a solid core of cornerbacks with Casey Hayward, breakout star Desmond King, and Trevor Williams with Pro Bowl safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips.
The Chargers have a championship window and a very talented roster. They have some holes to fill, but a good draft can fill those needs and the Chargers will be a winning team again.
Oakland Raiders
Key acquisitions: WR Antonio Brown, OT Trent Brown, FS Lamarcus Joyner, WR Tyrell Williams, LB Vontaze Burfict, RB Isaiah Crowell, LB Brandon Marshall, CB Nevin Lawson, TE Luke Willson, QB Mike Glennon, DE Benson Mayowa, FS Curtis Riley, WR Ryan Grant, QB Landry Jones, DE Josh Mauro, WR J.J. Nelson, SS Jordan Richards
Re-signed: WR/KR Dwayne Harris, DT Johnathan Hankins, RB Doug Martin
Departures: G Kelechi Osemele (Jets), TE Jared Cook (Saints), OT Donald Penn, WR Jordy Nelson (retirement), WR Seth Roberts (Ravens)
Remaining free agents: RB Marshawn Lynch, FS Reggie Nelson, FS Marcus Gilchrist, CB Leon Hall
Analysis: For the second-year in a row in the second coming of the Jon Gruden era, the Oakland Raiders were very active in free agency. We all know about the Antonio Brown situation, and he now goes from a high-powered offense to a team with one of the biggest question marks. Can these Raiders actually be good? On paper, the roster looks pretty good, chock full of free agent signings with only a handful of players drafted from the Reggie McKenzie/pre-Gruden era. But is it enough to bring this team to the playoffs when they were so close to a title in 2016?
After a season in New England, Trent Brown signed a monster deal that made him the highest-paid tackle in the league. Oakland drafted Kolton Miller in the first round last year to be their franchise left tackle, so it’s worth wondering why they gave so much money to Brown and whether he’ll play on the left or right side. Joining A.B. is former Charger Tyrell Williams, who broke out as an undrafted free agent and cashed in with Oakland. Other notable signings include running back Isaiah Crowell, who will compete for the starting job and tight end Luke Willson, who will work to replace the production of Jared Cook, who has signed with the Saints.
Lamarcus Joyner signs a multi-year deal after five years starting for the Rams. He’ll lead a struggling secondary with former Lion Nevin Lawson, former Giant Curtis Riley, and former first rounders Gareon Conley and Karl Joseph. After seven years in Cincinnati, Vontaze Burfict signs on for one year and his dirty style of play is perfect for the black hole. He joins former Bronco Brandon Marshall, Tahir Whitehead, and Kyle Wilber.
Conclusion: The Raiders were terrible last season under Gruden, but seemed to flash by the end of the season. Derek Carr is the franchise quarterback, unless they surprise everyone in the draft. He was an MVP candidate in 2016 and needs to have a bounceback season if he wants his job to be safe. The receivers are revamped with Brown, Williams, J.J. Nelson, and Ryan Grant replacing Jordy Nelson and Amari Cooper, who was traded mid-season in 2018 for a first round pick. The running back position is still up in the air despite signing Crowell and re-signing Doug Martin. They still have Jalen Richard, but this should be an area of focus in the draft. The offensive line has a different look after trading Pro Bowl guard Kelechi Osemele to the Jets and releasing Pro Bowl tackle Donald Penn. Brown and Miller will man the tackle positions with Rodney Hudson at center and Gabe Jackson at right guard.
The defense was one of if not the worst in the league last season. They had a league-low 13.0 sacks as a team, while Khalil Mack had 12.5 by himself with the Bears, so take that as you will. The secondary is filled with veteran signings that probably won’t work out and high draft picks who also haven’t worked out. The should once again address the secondary in the draft with one of their three first round picks.
The Raiders were bad in 2018, plain and simple. They traded away two of their best players for first round picks, and should hopefully use those picks and take the best players available, because they need help everywhere. This is a key offseason for Gruden and new GM Mike Mayock, because the move to Las Vegas is happening, and they need a successful franchise to make this move work.
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