The 2024 NFL Draft is now behind us as teams begin their various offseason activities. Where do the Denver Broncos fall in the AFC West hierarchy? The Denver Broncos have helped their case this offseason. The team has shed some dead roster weight, gotten younger, filled their urgent needs, and most notably drafted a rookie QB.
It's a new era in Broncos Country, and while Bo Nix might not develop, it's good to see the team at least trying to implement this plan. The AFC West still has three other teams that Denver will need to get by if they want to make the postseason for the first time since 2015.
How do the Broncos stack up in the AFC West after the 2024 NFL Draft?
AFC West Power Rankings after NFL Draft: Broncos higher than you think
4. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders have had an embarrassing offseason, which has featured hiring a bad, retread general manager, an overhyped head coach, missing out on a QB in the first round, overpaying for Gardner Minshew, and taking a TE with their 13th pick. Truly, what have the Raiders done to warrant being ranked any higher?
With no franchise QB in sight and limited talent on the roster outside of Davante Adams, Maxx Crosby, and Christian Wilkins, Vegas is barreling toward a 4-win season in 2024, which would at least put them in position to take a QB high in the first rund of the 2025 NFL Draft. Vegas has, again, failed to embrace a tangible plan of action, and just kind of throw stuff at the wall and hope that it sticks.
3. Los Angeles Chargers
The Denver Broncos swept the Los Angeles Chargers during the 2024 NFL Season, and I'd say that Denver has improved more than LA this offseason. The big move the Chargers made was being able to lure Jim Harbaugh back into the NFL after a decade out of it. You have to figure that the LA market and Justin Herbert were the driving forces in Harbaugh making the return, but outside of that, there is not a whole lot to like about the Chargers roster.
Their play-makers on offense feature Gus Edwards, Quentin Johnston, Ladd McConkey, and Will Dissly. And outside of the oft-injured Joey Bosa and the aging Khalil Mack, the defense doesn't really have much else to like. I guess Derwin James is still balling.
Overall, the Chargers are just going to be another team in 2024, and they could win six or seven games.
2. Denver Broncos
A tick above the Chargers are the Denver Broncos, who have done quite the job at filling their roster holes this offseason, which has notably included moving on from QB Russell Wilson and drafting Bo Nix. Other moves that should not be discounted including signing safety Brandon Jones, CB Levi Wallace, and drafting CB Kris Abrams-Draine.
Other moves that need some love are trading for John Franklin-Myers and beefing up the DL with Malcolm Roach and Angelo Blackson. Denver doesn't have a great roster, but it's mad strides and features some solid depth all-around.
The Broncos are likely hoping to take a big enough step forward in 2024 to make an all-in type of push that the Houston Texans are making this offseason. Denver won eight games in 2023, somehow, and are in a great spot to add to that win total in 2024.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
Do I need to explain why the Kansas City Chiefs are the best team in the AFC West? If nothing else, Denver finally snapped their million-game losing streak against KC during the 2023 NFL Season. However, the Chiefs won their third Super Bowl in five seasons and did get better where they needed it the most - wide receiver.
They signed Hollywood Brown and drafted Xavier Worthy, all while extending Chris Jones and Travis Kelce. The team is again set to be among the top in the NFL, and Patrick Mahomes is still Mahomes. In the Broncos case, them being able to compete with the Chiefs at the top of the AFC still might be years away, but to Denver's benefit, that isn't where they're at at this point in time.
Denver should focus on trying to build with their rookie class, and if they can beat the Chiefs in 2024, great! The Broncos are probably looking at 2025 as the true year they can begin to seriously contend, and that's if 2024 goes how they want it to go.
But for now and until proven otherwise, the Chiefs are at the top. In other news, the sky is blue.