The initial wave of free agency has come and gone in the NFL, and all eyes are now fixed on the 2026 NFL Draft. The Denver Broncos have done the majority of their work for this offseason and are going to be in the ultimate back seat for this year's draft, as they have the latest initial selection of anyone in the league, along with the second-least capital, according to Tankathon.
The Broncos have made minimal changes to their roster so far, adding only one external free agent so far while also landing star receiver Jaylen Waddle via trade. Before any of those additions, the Broncos worked hard to retain the majority of their offense, retaining all of their free agent starters and role players aside from Marcedes Lewis.
Despite that, it has still felt like a great free agency period for the Broncos, and fans have tons of reasons to feel optimistic. The same can be said for a few other fan bases in the AFC West, especially as the Las Vegas Raiders sit atop the 2026 draft order and the Kansas City Chiefs signed the reigning Super Bowl MVP. The Los Angeles Chargers, however, have moved around a lot of pieces that don't actually do much for them.
Let's take a look at how the four offseasons of the AFC West stack up against each other with the draft right around the corner.
The Denver Broncos have clearly kept distance in the AFC West
4) Los Angeles Chargers
If you are looking for a team that spent a lot of money, made a lot of moves, and did not change their 2026 seasonal outlook one bit, the Chargers are your team. There isn't a true top receiver for Justin Herbert, and their offensive line will once again be a question mark after severe injuries last year. Probably their biggest addition by a mile has been Mike McDaniel as their offensive coordinator, which should really say something.
The offensive line was a major concern heading into the offseason, and their biggest signing was center Tyler Biadasz, who is a good player, but both guard spots needed improved, and all the Chargers have to show for there is Cole Strange and Trevor Penning, two below-average players.
3) Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs' vision is clear: take as much off the right arm and legs of Patrick Mahomes as possible, and look to the 2027 season. Trent McDuffie is now a Los Angeles Ram, but the Chiefs got a good package for him in return. Kenneth Walker will be the focal point of their offense next year, regardless of who is their quarterback. The Chiefs might be in for another weird season, but they have a clear vision for their 2027 season that isn't hard to understand, and it just might work.
2) Denver Broncos
The Broncos returned basically everyone on their offensive unit, only lost John Franklin-Myers and PJ Locke on defense, and added Waddle to their offensive group. Denver added that top-tier playmaker that Bo Nix has been desperately missing in his first two seasons, which was the only glaring hole Denver had heading into the spring. Their draft capital is light this year, but they have a chance to add future starters in the second and fourth rounds.
1) Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders hired a solid head coaching candidate in Klint Kubiak, aggressively attacked their major holes in free agency, highlighted by adding one of the best centers in the game in Tyler Linderbaum to protect their quarterback next year, and are set to draft Fernando Mendoza at first overall. Very simply, the Raiders are having as good an offseason as anyone could have asked them to. It has been awful to watch as a Broncos fan, but they're set to add two top-35 draft prospects at the end of the month. Watch out for Vegas.