The Denver Broncos are a team on the rise in the eyes of many. The team seems to finally have a long-term answer at quarterback in Drew Lock, a budding superstar at wide receiver in Courtland Sutton and a defense that can be very good when all the key pieces are healthy. The Broncos are a team ready to surprise in 2020.
But, as is the key to any NFL season, getting through your division is always the first goal.
The Broncos already have the defending champions, the Kansas City Chiefs, to contend with in the AFC West, but both the Oakland Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers will be looking to reverse their recent fortunes as well.
Here, we will take an in-depth look at each of these teams and where things stand for them as we enter the key offseason events such as free agency and the draft.
Las Vegas Raiders
2019 record: 7-9
2020 salary cap space: $50.3 million
Key free agents: Daryl Worley, Karl Joseph, Vontaze Burfict, Benson Mayowa, Dwayne Harris, Josh Mauro, Jordan Devey, DeAndre Washington
First-round picks: Nos. 12, 19
The Raiders will be starting a brand new era in Las Vegas after decades in Oakland. This is a team that was fighting for a spot in the playoffs all the way up until the final week of the regular season last year.
The Raiders don’t have any players they can’t live without scheduled to be unrestricted free agents, which should give them the freedom to go out and spend on players they want.
Is Derek Carr still the right guy to lead this team? That’s a question the Raiders will need to answer this offseason above all else.
Los Angeles Chargers
2019 record: 5-11
2020 salary cap space: $49.0 million
Key free agents: Melvin Gordon, Hunter Henry, Michael Schofield, Adrian Phillips
First-round pick: No. 6
The Chargers will be one of the most interesting teams in the league this offseason, mainly because they have already decided to move on from longtime quarterback Philip Rivers.
The Chargers have been heavily linked to Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert but there have been many analysts that have predicted that they could be a landing spot for free agent quarterback Tom Brady.
The Chargers will likely use their franchise tag on Henry but there is a good chance that Gordon won’t be back. His holdout last year did him no favors and the offense didn’t miss a beat any time Austin Ekeler was on the field in his place.
Kansas City Chiefs
2019 record: 12-4
2020 salary cap space: $13.6 million
Key free agents: Chris Jones, Bashaud Breeland, Reggie Ragland, Darron Lee, LeSean McCoy, Demarcus Robinson
First-round pick: No. 32
The Broncos haven’t beaten the Chiefs since the 2015 season and now that the Chiefs just won the Super Bowl, that task may have become even tougher.
The Chiefs will likely do whatever is necessary to keep Jones on the roster and aside from him, they will have all of their key pieces for at least another season.
Somehow, someway, the Broncos need to find a way to overcome the Chiefs but that will be much easier said than done. Until they do, however, the Broncos will be watching the Chiefs contend for Super Bowls, rather than the other way around.
For those wondering, here are the same numbers for the Broncos:
2019 record: 7-9
2020 salary cap space: $70.0 million
Key free agents: Justin Simmons, Chris Harris, Derek Wolfe, Ronald Leary, Shelby Harris, Adam Gotsis, Devontae Booker, Connor McGovern, Will Parks
First-round pick: No. 15
