AFC West
Las Vegas Raiders: Tre Tucker, WR (need a WR2 to step up & drafted 3 rookie wideouts)
The Las Vegas Raiders have a new head coach, a new quarterback, and a lot of new potential options at wide receiver for Geno Smith to throw the ball to.
Nobody in the AFC West needs receivers to step up more than the Las Vegas Raiders, who have Jakobi Meyers and not much else at the moment. Of course, everyone’s going to be excited what Jack Bech can do and Dont’e Thompson Jr. has drawn some early rave reviews. Former third-round pick Tre Tucker is going to be under a lot of pressure to carve out a clear role for himself this offseason with a changing of the guard on that side of the ball.
Los Angeles Chargers: Tre Harris, WR; Najee Harris, RB
If your last name is “Harris” on the Los Angeles Chargers offense, odds are that you’re under a lot of pressure this offseason. Tre Harris is a second-round rookie who will be under a lot of unfair pressure from fans this season because of the Chargers’ dire need for other weapons to step up at wide receiver along with Ladd McConkey.
Najee Harris is under a different brand of pressure with Omarion Hampton breathing down his neck at the conclusion of the offseason program. Harris no longer has the benefit of his 1st-round draft status mattering in the slightest. Hampton does.
Denver Broncos: Audric Estimé, running back
The Denver Broncos made one of the biggest free agent moves of the last handful of weeks when they signed veteran running back JK Dobbins, formerly of the division rival LA Chargers. Dobbins was 2nd in the NFL Comeback Player of the Year voting last year and was obviously outstanding for them, racking up over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in 13 games.
The signing of Dobbins clearly puts a lot of pressure on someone like Audric Estimé, a 5th-round pick in 2024 who was expected to take on a bigger role this season. With the arrival of Dobbins, Estimé is going to have to maximize every opportunity the remainder of the offseason.
Kansas City Chiefs: Jared Wiley, TE
Travis Kelce is back for yet another season and Noah Gray has carved out a really important role in the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense. The Chiefs don’t necessarily need a third guy to step up at the tight end position right this moment, but a lot of folks really loved Jared Wiley coming out of TCU and felt like he could potentially even challenge someone like Gray for snaps and targets.
To this point, that hasn’t been the case. The Chiefs have the veteran Robert Tonyan now in the mix along with a couple of intriguing UDFAs and Wiley’s job could be in danger.