Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers finished 11-6 last season and were three games back of the Broncos in the division. They pulled that off without their starting OTs and with Greg Roman running the offense, that’s impressive. There is a very likely chance that Chris O’Leary, the new defensive coordinator, isn’t the brilliant defensive mind Jesse Minter was so that’s a downgrade on defense. However, I’m quite certain that Mike McDaniel is a massive upgrade at offensive coordinator over Greg Roman. What McDaniel can do with a QB like Justin Herbert and the skill position talent on this team will be quite impressive.
Justin Herbert didn’t have his best season last year passing the ball, but he did more with his legs than he had in the past. Some of that was by necessity given their offensive line issues but McDaniel should fix those along with some better health. McDaniel built a short, quick passing attack in Miami because that’s what Tua Tagovailoa was good at throwing, Herbert can make any throw. McDaniel will fix the run game and that should lead to a better passing attack from Herbert.
While the Chargers don’t have a peak Tyreek Hill type of speedster, they do have guys who have receiving skills McDaniel can use. Ladd McConkey should be a demon in a McDaniel passing offense that will take advantage of his elite change of direction skills. Quentin Johnston has been miscast as a downfield receiver at times while with the Chargers. Johnston’s best skill is his after-the-catch ability. He could really blossom in a McDaniel offense. Tre Harris should give McDaniel the downfield threat he never really had in Miami and didn’t really need because Tua couldn’t use it anyway, Herbert certainly can. At TE, Miami’s offense did best with a serious pass catching guy like Jonnu Smith, the Chargers have Oronde Gadsden. The Chargers also have Charlie Kolar to be the big blocking TE and even signed David Njoku, who can still be a weapon.
The offensive line was awful last season, and you would think it was because they lost both starting OTs plus some backups and were really hurting from an availability standpoint outside. Unfortunately, the interior was an even bigger issue as the healthy guys they had were simply bad. LT Rashawn Slater and RT Joe Alt return to fix the edges, that’s a relief. Those two can be the best OT duo in the league, they are that good. Inside, they started the makeover with center Tyler Biadasz who was let go by Washington. Biadasz isn’t some All-Pro but he was supposed to be a massive upgrade in the pivot, then he got hurt. This is the Chargers so maybe we shouldn’t be surprised by that. Luckily, the team drafted Jake Slaughter and he should step in as the starting center instead of fighting for a guard spot. He’s a natural center so it should work out better for him. The team signed Cole Strange, who was playing well for McDaniel in Miami at the end of last season, he’ll be better than Mehki Becton was last year at RG. LG was supposed to be a competition but with Slaughter at center, Kayode Awosika is set to start. Yeah, I don’t know who he is either.
The running game was held together by duct tape and chewing gum last year after injuries took a toll. And by duct tape and chewing gum, I mean Kimani Vidal who did some good work under tough circumstances. This year Omarion Hampton should be back healthy and they signed Keaton Mitchell. Hampton is the bell cow back everyone wants while Mitchell is the speed back McDaniel will love. Vidal is also back but should only provide great depth if all goes well. If the line can block at all, this running game can be dangerous.
The defense returns nearly every player of note, and the biggest loss is at defensive coordinator. Jesse Minter got the Baltimore job based on the excellent job he’s done for two years with less-than-ideal players with the Chargers. The team isn’t teeming with Pro Bowlers on the defense, but Minter made them a top ten unit. Chris O’Leary, a former Minter protégé, returns after being a college defensive coordinator for one year last season at Western Michigan. He’s never called plays in the NFL but it’s his job now.
The defensive line returns Jamaree Caldwell and Teair Tart, two guys who played quite well last year. Dalvin Tomlinson is the veteran they signed to start after losing Deshawn Hand in free agency. Tomlinson is a big body who can plug up the middle quite well. There’s not much depth to speak of and Tomlinson is 32 with plenty of wear and tear on his tires. It’s a tenuous group they hope can hold up.
At LB, Khalil Mack is still and awesome run stuffing OLB with enough juice off the edge to still be useful. He’s a legend and he just keeps showing up. Tuli Tuipulotu had his best season last year and is their most important pass rusher. He’s going into a contract year, and he wants a new deal. The Chargers don’t have much leverage, and they need him if they are going to be competitive. Last year, the pass rush wasn’t very effective until they traded for Odafe Oweh from Baltimore and unleashed him. He signed with Washington and now they need rookie first rounder Akeem Mesidor to be a worthwhile replacement. Daiyan Henley had a weird year last season with some injury issues and some personal off-the-field stuff. They need him back to being his best self. 33-year-old Denzel Perryman would be the other starter if he wasn’t on IR and the Junior Colson experiment seems over as he’s been relegated to the practice squad. Troy Dye holds down the other ILB spot for now, that’s not ideal.
If you want to talk about the brilliance of Jesse Minter, look no further than the Chargers secondary. Yes, Derwin James is an elite play maker and does everything, but the rest of this group doesn’t scare anyone individually. CBs Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, and Dante Jackson are not guys that get talked about as elite individual performers, but they have been excellent in Minter’s defense. S Elijah Molden found his best spot under Minter too. Tony Jefferson was retired before he returned to play for Minter and they got by just fine. It’s up to O’Leary to get the best out of this group, and if he doesn’t, this defense could fall apart fast.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos won the AFC West last season by three games and went all the way to the AFC Championship game where they lost to New England. If Bo Nix plays in that game, they probably win and go to the Super Bowl. The Broncos’ defense is elite and one of the best units in football. The offense was good enough last season and this season they added WR Jaylen Waddle who gives them a dimension in the passing game they just haven’t had. I do see some areas where they could regress, which is why I think they finish just behind the Chargers or maybe these teams have the same record at the end of the season.
Bo Nix was pretty good last season, but he still has his frustrating moments. He’s a good athlete who can keep the offense moving but he’s just not an elite passer. He needs his teammates to pick him up and last year they did most of the time but not always. Sean Payton has turned over play calling to his newly appointed offensive coordinator Davis Webb. Webb was the QB coach, and they fired the OC and gave the job to Webb. We will see if Payton can resist the temptation to take back the play calling duties if things get off to a slow start.
Courtland Sutton has been a dependable if unspectacular WR1 for a few years now for the Broncos. He’s a good WR but he’s not the type of guy who makes defensive coordinators scheme up coverages against him or worry too much. He’s got size and plays to it, but he’s not overwhelming. Also, this team has been looking for someone to complement Sutton’s skills, and they hadn’t found it until now. They traded for Jaylen Waddle from Miami, and he’s an excellent addition and truth be told, he’s the WR1 now, Sutton is the complementary piece. Waddle is a yards-after-the-catch monster, and this team has been dying for a guy to be that, sorry but Marvin Mims just isn’t that guy. Mims, Troy Franklin, and Pat Bryant give the Broncos nice depth, Waddle gives them real juice. The TE group isn’t great but Adam Trautman does what Sean Payton asks and that all you need. Evan Engram is still here but he’s not the weapon he once was.
The offensive line was mostly healthy all of last season and this is where some regression could happen as guys are aging. LT Garrett Bolles was an All-Pro last season but he’s 34 and has played a ton of football, he may not be at that All-Pro level this year. They did have some injuries on the interior with C Luke Wattenberg having a shoulder issue late in the year and LG Ben Powers missing about half the season. They need those guys to be healthy as they don’t have a ton of depth. RG Quinn Meinerz was a rock, and he is one of the better guards in football. RT Mike McGlinchy played well all year too but he’s 31 and the clock could be ticking on him too. If the offensive line doesn’t have the great health it had last season and it’s compromised at all, that makes things tough on Nix.
The RB group is interesting. They re-signed JK Dobbins and apparently teams are just going to keep signing him hoping someday he’ll have a healthy season. If he ever does, he could be great, I don’t see it happening. They also return RJ Harvey who had a nice rookie year but clearly showed he’s probably not a bell cow back. They need someone to carry the early down load when Dobbins goes down and they found that guy in the draft, Jonah Coleman. Coleman is 5’8 and 220 lbs. and he’s a bowling ball on the field. I think it’s his job once Dobbins goes out, he’s a very talented back.
Vance Joseph returns at defensive coordinator, and he should keep this unit rolling as one of the best in the game. There isn’t much name recognition for the guys up front but Zach Allen is one of the best 3-4 ends in football. It’s a very unique skill set and he does it better than most. They still have DJ Jones at NT and he’s good. They re-signed Malcolm Roach and let John Franklin-Myers leave in free agency to get a little younger and a little cheaper up front.
They did that so they could afford their edge rushers who are quite good. OLB Nik Bonitto is one of the best pass rushers in football even if he doesn’t always get mentioned with the top group. He’s an undersized player but he had 14 sacks last year and that’s not uncommon for him. Jonathan Cooper played well opposite Bonitto with eight sacks, he’s just hitting his prime years. Cooper had an off the field issue in the off season and starts the year on the Commissioner’s Exempt list so he’s not available. They will count on Jonah Ellis and Que Robinson to take up the slack. ILBs Justin Strnad and Alex Singleton are not the greatest duo, but they get the job done and they do what Joseph asks of them.
The secondary is home to arguably the best CB in football, Patrick Surtain II. The argument against it isn’t because he’s gotten worse, it’s just a few guys are starting to play as well as he is, he still sets the bar. Surtain won a Defensive Player of the Year award a few years ago and he’s still that good. Riley Moss has been one of the most picked on CBs in football since he entered the league because he starts opposite Surtain. He’s done a very good job and he’s heading towards free agency; they are hoping to get one more good year from him before someone else probably pays him more than they can afford. JaQuan McMillan is a good slot corner and Jahdae Barron gives them good depth at CB. Talanoa Hufanga played in 17 games last year, that was what they needed from him. He’s an enforcer over the middle and the team benefits from his toughness. Brandon Jones is a solid FS who is the last line of defense and does pretty well at that.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs luck ran out last season as they had the season from hell. They were off to a rough start early and then Mahomes got hurt and it only got worse from there. The running game was non-existent, the pass catchers were not good, and the defense was okay but just not enough to make up for an offense that was in shambles. Andy Reid sent Matt Nagy packing and brought back Eric Bieniemy after he spent last season with Ben Johnson in Chicago. Reid needs some new ideas and hopefully for the Chiefs sake, Bieniemy learned something in Chicago.
Patrick Mahomes has always been the engine of this offense since the day he stepped on the field but over the years the other pieces of the car have fallen apart. He’s still an incredible talent but he shouldn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. The passing game is far too reliant on unreliable WRs and Travis Kelce who just isn’t what he once was. Mahomes is already back from his ACL tear and fully practicing but he can’t fix this passing game himself. They didn’t even sign a solid veteran like Stefon Diggs or even Jauan Jennings who could have helped Mahomes.
They are still going to count on Rashee Rice to be WR1 and that’s a dangerous place to be considering his off-the-field issues and he was pretty mediocre last year. Xavier Worthy is a fun idea because he has electric speed, but he just isn’t built to be a high-volume pass catcher. He’s a gadget guy at best and shouldn’t be used more than that. Tyquan Thornton has found his niche as a deep threat and playing with Mahomes gives him opportunities. Travis Kelce is back again but he’s a shell of his once former amazing self and they have to use him sparingly and find the best possible situations to get him the ball. He shouldn’t be an every down TE. They need Noah Gray to become a bigger weapon.
The offensive line should be fine if their OTs can hold up. LT Josh Simmons had an uneven rookie year while dealing with some injury stuff and some personal issues. If he’s good to go he has all the talent in the world to be a top LT. Jaylon Moore was signed last year to address the LT issue before they drafted Simmons and now, he steps in at RT to replace Jawaan Taylor, he can be better than Taylor. They have tinkered with Moore at guard with Trey Smith banged up. That has put rookie Khalil Benson at RT, that’s not ideal. The interior is anchored by the best center in football, Creed Humphrey, and RG Trey Smith is one of the best in the league. Kingsley Suamataia should be the full-time LG and he’ll be fine, he started to figure it out last year and should just get better.
The Chiefs’ running game was awful last season and they revamped most of the RB group. Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt are gone, and they signed Kenneth Walker III to a big free agent contract after he won Super Bowl MVP. Walker hasn’t always been the most consistent player, but he’s always been a big play RB. The Chiefs offense lacked big plays in any phase, and they chose to sign Walker to get them some big chunk yardage plays this season. They also signed Emari Demarcado to give them some depth but waived him during camp. They drafted Emmett Johnson; a guy I like a lot. Johnson can be a real weapon for them and it’s him and Brashard Smith behind Walker.
The defense returns DT Chris Jones and DE George Karlaftis as the mainstays. Jones may not be at his peak anymore but he’s still one of the best pass rushing DTs in the game. Karlaftis is a powerful end and while his sacks numbers have trended down two years in a row, he’s still an effective pass rusher. What this team needs is more help to draw attention away from these two. Austin Gillotte is the other starting DE right now, but they also added R Mason Thomas in the draft, he’s the type of speedy edge rusher they have been missing. DT Khyris Tonga isn’t a pass rusher, but he’ll fix their run defense problems alone. He’s an immovable object in the middle of the line.
At LB, Nick Bolton is the heart and soul of the defense. He’s the leader, the green dot guy calling out the defense, and they go as he goes. Bolton is going to be the biggest beneficiary of Tonga manning the middle up front. He shouldn’t face as many blockers getting to him from the offensive line. Drue Tranquill is the other starter at LB and he’s solid and has gotten better every year.
DC Steve Spagnuolo likes to play his nickel defense a lot and there are going to be plenty of changes after they traded Trent McDuffie and lost Jaylen Watson in free agency. They traded up to draft Mansoor Delane and he’ll be good. It took a little time in camp for him to win over Spags but he should start. Nohl Williams, from the third round of the 2025 class has the edge at one CB spot while L’Jarius Sneed is the third guy. Chamarri Conner should start at SS, he seemed to settle in at safety last season. Jaden Hicks is trying to be the nickel corner but they will likely use Williams, Delane, and Sneed together. They signed Alohi Gilman to be the veteran replacing Bryan Cook. Keep an eye on Xavier Nwankpa, he showed out in camp and stole a roster spot at safety. He’ll be a special team’s guy early but he may be coming for someone’s job.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were a disaster on the field last season. The hiring of Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly could not have gone worse. Carroll may have been undone by the hiring of his sons as much as anything but that was his choice. Kelly really wasn’t his choice but agreed to it until he had to fire him. Carroll is gone and Klink Kubiak is here to restore order on the offensive side of the ball. Patrick Graham survived multiple coaching changes to remain DC in Vegas but finally he’s off to Pittsburgh and they have a new coordinator, Rob Leonard. He’s an unknown as a play caller but at least, he’ll have a little more talent to work with.
They drafted Fernando Mendoza to be the future face of the franchise, now the question becomes how soon does he take the reins. The team signed Kirk Cousins to start the year at least, Tom Brady isn’t a fan of rookie starting QBs so Cousins gets the nod for now. Mendoza did struggle in the preseason so it’s possible he’s not even the backup on game days, they have Aidan O’Connell who has NFL playing experience. Kubiak will make the system QB friendly, and it will aid Mendoza’s transition eventually. We will see Mendoza eventually but this team isn’t really playing for anything except maybe a chance to draft WR Jeremiah Smith next year.
The WR group is not set up to help a rookie QB because there’s a lack of overall talent. Although, some of the young guys should be considerably better playing in Kubiak’s passing game than whatever that was Chip Kelly was doing last season. Jack Bech was miscast by last year’s coaching staff; Kubiak should have a better role for him. Tre Tucker is small but speedy and Kubiak was a fan of Rashid Shaheed; he should understand how to use Tucker. The team signed Jalen Nailor in free agency, he should be a perfectly fine third WR, if he’s more than that, it could be a problem. The real star of the passing game will be TE Brock Bowers. Assuming he’s over his injuries from last year, he’s a playmaker Kubiak will spend his nights staying awake trying to find ways to get him the ball. He’s electric with the ball, they need that. TE Michael Mayer should also benefit from Kubiak’s offense; there’s always ways to use TEs in that offense.
The offensive line has no choice but to be better than they were last year. The signing of C Tyler Linderbaum, the return of a healthy LT Kolton Miller, and the fact that Brennan Carroll is no longer the line coach guarantees they will be leaps and bounds better than they were last year. Linderbaum is one of the best centers in football and he’s going to an offensive system that fits his skills perfectly. Kolton Miller doesn’t get mentioned with the elite LTs in the game but he’s really good when he’s healthy. He is rock solid at LT and that goes a long way. They team also signed Spencer Burford, a former 49er who at least knows the system. He’s not great but playing between Miller and Linderbaum should help him a ton. The right side still has questions. Jackson Powers-Johnson is set to be the RG, if he buys into the system and playing guard, he’s a talent. RT DJ Glaze was okay as a rookie two years ago and awful last year. If you believe last year’s issues were scheme and coaching related, and I do, I think he can be fine. If not, they have Charles Grant or Trey Zuhn III who they could turn to.
The running game should have been better last year with a talent like Ashton Jeanty but again, the offensive scheme and the o-line coaching were a hinderance. Jeanty didn’t forget how to play football but when a RB gets hit behind the line of scrimmage as much as Jeanty did, there’s not much he can do with the ball. Jeanty sustained an injury in camp so he may not be ready early in the season. The team did invest in some depth by drafting Mike Washington, a guy who has no business being as fast as he is with how big he is. He should be fine while Jeanty is out and then be an excellent complement to him.
The defense was always better than it had any business being under Patrick Graham, he may be a wizard, I’m not sure. Now he’s gone but they did at least upgrade the talent. They tried to trade Maxx Crosby, but it fell through because he failed his physical. Now he’s back and he’s still the best defender they have. Crosby wasn’t at his best last season, and he still had 10 sacks. The rest of the front didn’t get a ton of help, but Adam Butler and Thomas Booker IV should be fine at DT. Malcolm Koonce should be better at DE another year removed from his injury two years ago. They also got some depth, signing Kwity Paye and drafting Keyron Crawford. Watch out for Crawford, he’s a talented young player.
The biggest change was the team going from some small LBs to some new bigger, better players. They spent a ton of free agent money to sign Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean. These two played LB together at Georgia and they are massive upgrades from last year’s LB crew. Dean brings a major injury risk, but the Raiders had to invest in LB and Dean is worth the gamble. They will mostly play just these two at LB, but Tommy Eichenberg isn’t a bad third LB to have.
The secondary returns most of the starters from last year’s team. CB Eric Stokes revived his career after it was flailing when he left Green Bay, he played pretty well. Darien Porter started a little last year and for now, he’s penciled in opposite Stokes. It could be a tenuous hold on that job if Jermod McCoy’s knee holds out. McCoy dropped in the draft due to knee concerns, but if that doesn’t hold him back, he’s arguably the most talented CB on the roster, sorry Eric Stokes. Jeremy Chinn and Isaiah Pola-Mao return as the starting safeties. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. They seem like very specific types of players but if new defensive coordinator Rob Leonard uses them right, they can be good at their jobs. Taron Johnson was signed as a veteran addition to take over the nickel, they were bad there last year. However, they drafted Treydan Stukes in round two and he very well could steal the job although he may be pushing for Pola-Mao’s starting safety job instead. They should have more depth in the secondary and they certainly added more talent.
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