Another week of the 2020 NFL offseason has sped by. It’s time to take a look at the rest of the AFC West to see what has been happening with the Kansas City Chiefs’ division rivals. Below you’ll find some of the top stories of the past week for the Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders.
Jon Gruden has yet to beat a playoff team with Raiders
“After a somewhat successful 2019 season, the Raiders are ready to take the next step as a franchise. Entering the third season of Jon Gruden’s rebuild, it’s time for the Raiders to make and compete in the playoffs.”
The Raiders have been in a rebuild for the last couple of seasons with Gruden and this will need to be the season they start to see some improvement. Gruden still has seven years left on his 100-million-dollar contract, so it will be interesting to see how fans view his contract when it is all over.
Raiders wide receiver unit ranked 28
“The biggest question surrounding the Raiders is if they did enough at receiver to give Derek Carr and the rest offense a chance at being successful this season. In a recent article by Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus, he believes the Raiders still have one of the worst wide receiver units in the NFL, ranking them as the fifth-worst unit in the NFL.”
The Raiders tried to improve their receiving core by adding a couple players in the draft including Henry Ruggs III, but the group is still considered one of the worst in the NFL. The Chiefs may have a thin cornerback group, but they should have enough talent to keep the Las Vegas receiver group at bay.
Joey Bosa’s contract situation looms for Chargers
“At the moment, Bosa is slated to make $14.36 million on his fifth-year option in 2020. Based on the impact that he’s made since joining the team in 2016, he would be underpaid at that amount.”
Joey Bosa is entering his final year on his contract with the Chargers and will likely be franchise tagged following the season. The defensive end is one of the top pass rushers in the NFL and the Chargers will likely try to keep him around in hopes of giving Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs fits.
Chargers tight end group receives high praise
“The Chargers’ tight end position hasn’t been touted as one of the stronger units in years prior. Instead, it has been Hunter Henry that has done the bulk of the workload.
“Regardless, Pro Football Focus‘ Steve Palazzolo believes that Los Angeles has one of the better tight ends rooms in the league, being tabbed No. 9 overall out of 32 teams.”
The Chargers’ tight end group consists of Hunter Henry, Virgil Green, Donald Parham, and Stephen Anderson. The group should provide some consistency on the field for either Tyrod Taylor or Justin Herbert at quarterback especially if Henry can stay healthy. The Chiefs also were ranked number two in the same list to be clear Kansas City has the better tight end with arguably the best in the league in Travis Kelce.
Broncos Safety Justin Simmons will not get a long-term deal
“Denver placed a one-year, $11.441 million franchise tag on Simmons earlier this offseason. The two sides had until 2 p.m. MT on Wednesday to reach a long-term deal. With the deadline now passed, Simmons will play on his tag this year and the Broncos will not be allowed to give him an extension during the season. After his tag expires, Simmons will be scheduled to become a free agent in 2021.”
Patrick Mahomes will have to worry about Simmons in the Denver secondary for at least one more season. He’ll become an unrestricted free agent in 2021. Hopefully, he finds a new home outside of Denver, so that Kansas City will not play twice a year.
Broncos changed training camp report date for rookies
“Denver’s rookies are now expected to report for camp on Thursday, July 23, according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. Broncos veterans are scheduled to report to the team’s facility on Tuesday, July 28.”
The NFL season is just around the corner and teams will start reporting for camp. The Broncos will begin this week, while the Chiefs had already started. It will be interesting to see how well it works considering the uncertainty with COVID-19, but successful camps will be the first step to the season.
