Football season is still a ways away, but football fans rejoice with the news of OTA’s and minicamp spamming their social media. For the AFC West, this has been an offseason full of change; coaching changes, roster changes, and even philosophy changes.
After such an offseason, these new additions are settling in with their new teams and there are many questions surrounding how these four teams will perform in 2015.
Here’s a look at the biggest questions and concerns for the teams in the West.
Denver Broncos
Will the Broncos show regression in 2015?
Denver didn’t finish the 2014 season the way they had hoped. They fired John Fox and hired Gary Kubiak. Kubiak had some success with the Houston Texans, reaching the playoffs in two of his nine seasons, but failed to reach a championship game.
Peyton Manning is a future Hall of Famer, but the Sheriff has dialed back his play as he ages. The quarterback has also lost one of his prime targets in Julius Thomas who signed a deal this offseason with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Not to mention, Ryan Clady tore his ACL during OTA’s.
Defensively, the Broncos lost Terrance Knighton to the Washington Redskins via free agency, which will have an impact on their front seven.
There’s little doubt that the Denver Broncos will regress this upcoming season, it’s just a matter of the severity. The roster has taken a hit both offensively and defensively, and they have to work with a new coaching staff with an aging quarterback, who could have possibly called it quits after last season.
Kansas City Chiefs
Will the receiving core improve?
The Chiefs were only team without a touchdown by their wide receivers in 2014, and it hurt their chances at another playoff appearance. In an effort to resolve this problem, they signed Jeremy Maclin one of the top wide receivers in the free agent market.
Maclin is a proven wide receiver whom Alex Smith looks to have as a top target in 2015.
The veteran missed practice last week due to inflammation in his foot, but it’s not considered to be anything serious.
KC’s lack of production from their receivers was the team’s biggest issue last season. They’ve made strides this offseason to make a playoff push and contend in the very tough AFC West, but their top receiver is learning a brand new offensive system which takes time.
They had a pretty good offense on paper last season, but it didn’t transfer on the field. Questions regarding the Chiefs surround the offense and how the receivers will perform this year.
San Diego Chargers
Will the Chargers show improvement in the run game?
The injury bug was not kind to the Chargers offensive line last season as it seemed like the injuries were never ending, and the running backs also suffered multiple injuries.
They made roster improvements this offseason, but the run game is a vital part of this team’s success.
Melvin Gordon looks to have an immediate impact, for huge gains downfield. The offensive line will be heavily relied upon to create holes for Gordon throughout the season.
Danny Woodhead also looks to be a factor this season.
Philip Rivers never fails to keep the Chargers in contention no matter what their roster looks like, but he can’t do it all on his own. He has some solid offensive targets, but the Bolts need a solid run game to create a dynamic offense.
Oakland Raiders
Are the Raiders ready to contend?
There are several questions when it comes to the rebuilding Oakland Raiders, but the most important question is are they ready to contend?
They’ve made strides and solid acquisitions this offseason, but none more important than their first round pick Amari Cooper. Oakland’s receivers have been mediocre at best and they needed a playmaker like Cooper to develop with Derek Carr for years to come.
Offensively they look like an improved team with a solid receiving core and run game with Latavius Murray. On the defense they look to improve from their good showing last season with youngsters like Khalil Mack and Sio Moore.
Oakland will feature yet another brand new coaching staff. Jack Del Rio brings experience to this young team in rebuilding mode, with high expectations for his players.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Raiders perform this year. They may not be playoff ready, but they can make a statement each week based on their performance on the field.