Around the AFC West: How the draft affected the Broncos division
May 3, 2019, 9:57 AM
The Broncos crushed the 2019 NFL Draft, having one of the best drafts in the entire NFL. They also had the best draft of any team in their division.
The AFC West is arguably the toughest division in all of football. So, how are the Broncos stacking up to the rest of the teams they’ll compete with regularly?
Let’s spin around the AFC West and see what the rest of the teams in the division are up to one week after the draft.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have had an interesting week or so of news about the team. In the draft, the Chiefs failed to add a ton of quality talent. In fact, it’s pretty easy to say that the Chiefs had the lowest-graded draft of any team in the division.
Most of the news around the Chiefs, however, had to do with wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Last week, Angie Ricono of KCTV5 reported the criminal case against Hill and his fiancee Crystal Espinal for alleged child abuse had been reopened following the release of new audio. The Chiefs then promptly told Hill he was not allowed at the team facility while this investigation gets sorted out. There is a chance that Hill will be suspended by the league and released from the Chiefs roster.
The recent news about Hill likely forced the Chiefs to take Georgia wide receiver Mecole Hardman as an insurance policy in case Hill doesn’t play for the team again. Hardman is not Hill, but he is a speedy player who could be used in a similar fashion.
Los Angeles Chargers
Chargers had an okay draft. They certainly got things off on the right foot when they selected Notre Dame defensive tackle Jerry Tillery in the first round. The Chargers defense was run over in the 2018 playoffs, so a run-stuffer like Tillery should greatly help.
News came out this week that the team has no timetable for an extension for quarterback Philip Rivers.
“We wanted to get through free agency, get through the draft, see where we are right now and we’ll look at it from here and through the draft,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said on NFL Network. “But I really don’t have any firm timetable on it. I’m very comfortable where we are right now. We’ll talk with everybody and see where we are.”
Rivers is in the final year of his contract with a cap hit of $23 million in 2019.
The Chargers will have to open their checkbooks soon enough, not only for Rivers, but perhaps also for starting running back Melvin Gordon. Gordon did not show up to voluntary workouts at the beginning of the week, which may mean he’s angling for a new deal. The 2015 first-round pick is due $5.6 million in 2019, the final year of his rookie deal.
Oakland Raiders
Broncos fans are going to hate to read this, but the Raiders had the second-best draft in the division. They picked up quality players throughout the weekend and that should not only help their starting lineup but also their depth.
It’s a good thing they snared Alabama running back Josh Jacobs in the first round. Earlier this week, potential starting running back Isaiah Crowell (signed to a one-year deal earlier in the offeseason) suffered a season-ending Achilles’ injury working out. Now, Jacobs, my only first-round graded running back in this class, should take over as the clear-cut starter.
Even though he announced his retirement last month, the injury to Crowell has made Marshawn Lynch say that he would be open to returning to the Raiders if they wanted him. Lynch, an Oakland native, is a fan favorite, but he’s not quite the same player he used to be. With Jacobs leading the way and depth players like Doug Martin, Chris Warren III, DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard behind him, it seems unlikely that the Raiders would bring Lynch back.
