Denver Broncos: Roster matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs

The Denver Broncos have one of the most loaded rosters in the NFL, and they stack up well with their division rivals.

The Denver Broncos are fielding one of the most stacked rosters in the entire NFL, and they stack up very well in the AFC West.

Obviously, the Broncos will have 6 games this season with their AFC West rivals, and Denver can usually net 2 or 3 wins in their 6 games.

However, I think this year will be different; the defensive talent the Broncos have is absurd, and their young offensive core is about to explode.

A while ago, I wrote about how the Broncos roster is perfectly positioned to beat Kansas City.  I remain confident in that statement, and in this article, I want to break down each team by position group to further prove my point.

The Chiefs have some obvious advantages, but I think the Broncos have the deeper and more talented roster overall.

So, let’s get started.

Denver Broncos Roster up Against Kansas City

1. Offense – QB, WR, TE, RB, OL

The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes.  That should about cover the quarterback.  The Chiefs have the clear advantage there.

The wide receivers for both teams do have a lot of talent.

The Chiefs feature a younger wide receiver room headlined By Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman, Demarcus Robinson, and Byron Pringle.  Outside of Hill, none of the other receivers I mentioned have amassed 600 receiving yards in a season.

Hardman is an exciting young player with speed but doesn’t exactly move the needle.

The Broncos feature the deepest receiver room in the NFL, which includes Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and KJ Hamler.  It’s safe to say the Broncos have the clear talent edge, even if Tyreek Hill has the highest ceiling.

The Chiefs can only rely on Tyreek Hill so much before other wide receivers have to start contributing.  As of now, the Broncos have the advantage.

Let’s move to tight ends now.

The Chiefs’ tight end room features Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray, and Jody Fortson.  Outside of Kelce, there’s no one else, as of now, who is of note.

The Broncos’ tight end room features Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, and Eric Saubert.

In the long-term, I definitely like the Broncos’ tight end situation better.  There is an 8-year difference between Travis Kelce and Noah Fant, and big Albert Okwuegbunam is entering his second season.

As of now, the Chiefs have the TE advantage.  Travis Kelce has proven himself to be the best tight end in the NFL, has shown no signs of slowing down, and can seemingly produce even when defenses explicitly plan for his presence.

No one knows when Travis Kelce will lose a step, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Advantage, Chiefs.

Lastly on offense, the running backs.

The Chiefs running back crew features second-year man Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Jerick McKinnon, and Darrel Williams.

CEH put up 803 rushing yards in his rookie season to go with 297 receiving yards.  McKinnon is getting old and missed all of the 2018 and 2019 seasons with injury.  He’s never rushed for more than 600 yards in a season and looks very much like a third-down back.

He’ll contribute, but not much.

Darrel Williams doesn’t appear to be much of a factor, either.

While CEH may make a leap and amass over 1,000 rushing yards, the Chiefs RB room as a whole doesn’t move the needle.

The Broncos running back tandem of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams has insane potential.

Gordon is a Pro Bowl running back who has scored at least 9 touchdowns in every season since 2016.  Williams has been comped to Nick Chubb at the pro level and is an incredibly tough runner.

The Broncos have a clear advantage with their running backs.

If you’re keeping score at home, the Broncos have the advantage at WR and RB, and the Chiefs have the advantage at QB and TE.  It’s 2-2.

Time for the offensive line!

The reworked Chiefs offensive line features high ceiling players like Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Trey Smith, and Creed Humphrey.  They also have guys like Lucas Niang, Kyle Long, and Austin Blythe.

The Broncos’ offensive line is surely more gelled, given that the Chiefs just might start 5 new starters along the line.

I think the Chiefs offensive line has a higher ceiling, but who knows how long it will take them to develop the chemistry needed to function as well as they could.

I think, for the time being, the offensive lines are a wash.  I wouldn’t be surprised if, at the season’s end, the Chiefs line is one of the best.

I do think, though, that the Broncos will, at worst, have a league-average unit.

If you’re keeping score at home, it’s currently 2-2-1, with the Broncos having advantages at running back and wide receiver.

Now, time for the defense!