The Denver Broncos have clear roster advantages over the Chiefs for 2025 that are simply too hard to ignore. Roster-wise, I am not sure the Chiefs have the better squad at this point. While some may not want to go that far, it's easy to see the arguement.
Heading into 2025, the Broncos hope to surpass the Chiefs and reclaim the AFC West for the first time since the 2015 NFL Season. Yes, it's been a decade, but the last nine year of KC winning the division has no impact on what 2025 can bring.
And when you consider the Broncos roster advantages over the Chiefs, the path to re-capturing the division might get a lot easier.
The Denver Broncos have clear roster advantages over the Chiefs for 2025
Offensive Line
To be fair to the Chiefs, the Denver Broncos might end up with the best offensive line in the NFL this year. Kansas City traded Joe Thuney and now have multiple questions along their OL. Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey are both very good, but left tackle, left guard, and right tackle are all, at best, on shaky ground. Denver's OL is head-and-shoulders better than Kansas City's.
Defensive Line
The Denver Broncos run defense greatly improved from 2023 into 2024, and their pass rush was the best in the NFL. They led the league with 63 sacks, and defensive end Zach Allen led the league with 40 QB hits.
While Kansas City does have a strong DL headlined by Chris Jones, Denver out-talents the Chiefs in this department, and that should not change in 2025.
Secondary
The Denver Broncos added two high-profile players to their secondary this offseason in Talanoa Hufanga and Jahdae Barron. These tow join forces with some high-end players in Patrick Surtain II and Brandon Jones, and some other quality players in Riley Moss, Ja'Quan McMillian, and Kris Abrams-Draine.
It is an objective fact - you cannot dispute this - that the Denver Broncos have more talent in their secondary than KC does. The Chiefs' starting corners will be Trent McDuffie, Chamarri Conner, and Kristian Fulton, which is a solid trio. Their safety tandem should be Bryan Cook and Jaden Hicks, which isn't nearly as talented as the duo of Jones and Hufanga.
Denver's advantage in the secondary is clear.
Honorable Mentions: Tight End, Running back
I put tight end on here because Travis Kelce is clearly in a physical decline - he's not nearly the player he once was and wasn't nearly as productive as he used to be. With the Broncos having signed Evan Engram, it is fair to assume that the position is a 'wash,' meaning no team has the clear advantage, but Engram is younger is more explosive, so perhaps the Broncos do have an advantage here.
As for the running back position, the Broncos added to it this offseason with JK Dobbins and RJ Harvey. The Chiefs are expected to field a room with Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, and Brashard Smith. When you compare the talent in each room, I could argue that the Broncos signing Dobbins put this unit over the top of KC's, but Dobbins is injury-prone and Harvey is a rookie. It is fair to look at this position as another 'wash.'