The two best teams in the AFC West have the biggest roster holes remaining. The Kansas City Chiefs versus the Denver Broncos for biggest question mark on offense in 2016.
Dan Salem and Todd Salem debate in today’s NFL Sports Debate. Two brothers from New York yell, scream, and debate sports.
TODD:
Our final destination for assigning who has the biggest holes in each division in the NFL is the AFC West. Here, the Denver Broncos are coming off of a Super Bowl championship. They enter the 2016 season with what appears to be a very sketchy roster, especially on offense. Is it enough to garner the defending champs as having the biggest issue in the division? No, but it’s closer than one would expect.
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Denver had major issues at quarterback, which it somewhat addressed with the addition of Mark Sanchez and drafting of Paxton Lynch. The offensive line needed help as well, which the Broncos brought through the draft and free agency again. The defense lost some pieces but should be elite once again this year. Denver really stemmed the tide of what could have been a major upheaval heading into this year.
The Kansas City Chiefs were nearly as good as Denver during last regular season and have a similar roster build but don’t seem to hold the same cache. The defense isn’t quite as good, especially in the middle where the impact linebackers are all getting older. And though the offense has Jamaal Charles returning, the unit lacks play-makers on the outside.
As odd as it sounds, the bottom two teams in this division from last year, the Oakland Raiders and San Diego Chargers, appear more well-rounded heading into this season. They don’t necessarily have the same high-end talent levels as Denver and KC, but there is no dire weakness.
San Diego helped build needed depth along the offensive line, though that is still an area of concern. It needed more pass catchers on offense as well, which it added along different levels with Travis Benjamin, Hunter Henry, etc.
I also really like a number of pieces the Raiders added to compete for a division title moving forward. This brings me back to Kansas City. The Chiefs won 10 games in a row to finish out last regular season. They scored the most points in the AFC West. And yet, I can’t help but feel as though the wide receivers on this team remain a cause for major concern.
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KC hasn’t relied on wide receiver production for some time because of its high-level contributions out of the tight end and running back positions. Last year, quarterback Alex Smith was very productive and took care of the ball. But he averaged just 7.4 yards per pass attempt and ranked 28th in the NFL in yards per game. Kansas City didn’t try to find a receiver in the draft until the fourth round, and the two players it added are probably more suited for special teams for the immediate future. The returning players consist of the oft-injured yet wildly talented Jeremy Maclin and really nobody else. They got 15 games out of Maclin in 2015. That may never happen again, and it still wasn’t enough to propel this unit into the upper half of the league.
Every receiver on the team, including Maclin, averaged fewer than 13 yards per reception, with the unit’s best, Albert Wilson, ranking outside the top 50 in the league. This was a dink-and-dunk offense with little pop. That wasn’t enough to hold it down last year, and it may not matter again this year, but it makes for the Chiefs having the biggest hole in the division.
DAN:
Kansas City did not have a first round pick this year and using their second and third round selections on defense was a shrewd move. This team was built on strong defense, a strong running game and reliable yet simple quarterback play. The Chiefs went for a receiver in the fourth round, right after they addressed defense for the future. I realize that simply because the team thrived without a full compliment of wide outs last year doesn’t make it any less of a roster hole in 2016, yet I do believe its a smaller hole than what the Broncos are facing.
The Chiefs thrived last year with a lackluster passing game. Denver thrived last year with lackluster quarterback play. Yet unlike Kansas City, the Broncos lost both of their signal callers in the offseason. Paxton Lynch is a promising rookie, but a year away from having any real impact in the NFL. Denver will fight tooth and nail to keep him off the field this season.
The Broncos have the biggest roster hole in the AFC West for this reason. Their quarterback situation is full of question marks and potentially empty promises. As a New York Jets fan I’ve lived the highs and lows of Mark Sanchez. He can be very good, but never seemed to shake making a few key mistakes along the way.
Sanchez thrived with strong defense and a dominating run game. I realize Denver is built this way, but the absolute best case scenario for Sanchez in a Broncos’ uniform is a season like Alex Smith has consistently had in Kansas City. He’s not a longterm solution and may not be a short term one either.
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I want Sanchez to do well. I think he’s a great locker room guy who can play at a high level once in awhile. But his unknowns are too prevalent for my liking and Denver has a big hole to fill at quarterback.