The AFC West still belongs to the quarterbacks everyone knows, but this season’s race may be shaped just as much by the rookies trying to force their way into the picture.
Denver may have the clearest path to making that happen. Bo Nix already proved he can handle a massive load, leading the league in passing attempts last season before circumstances pushed the offense almost entirely onto his shoulders.
J.K. Dobbins’ season-ending foot injury in Week 10 wiped out the run game, and Nix responded by leading the NFL in passing yards and putting himself in the MVP conversation.
That workload should ease up this time around. Dobbins is healthy, second-year back RJ Harvey is in the mix, and the Broncos added fourth-round rookie Jonah Coleman to the room.
At 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds, Coleman is built to play bigger than he looks, and he has a real feel for finishing in short yardage. He gives Denver exactly the kind of complementary piece that can make life easier on Nix, especially with Jaylen Waddle now in the receiving corps.
The question hanging over the Broncos is simple: does the AFC West have its best team ready to go?
Los Angeles is trying to answer a different one. The Chargers brought in Mike McDaniel to get more out of an offense that has shown flashes without ever truly taking over games, but they also lost defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to the Ravens’ head coaching job. Those moves may end up balancing each other out, which would leave the Chargers where they’ve been the past two seasons: 11-6, then out in the first round.
Their draft was about the trenches. Edge rusher Akheem Mesidor and interior lineman Jake Slaughter were the additions, and Slaughter might be the more important one. With the top tackles still working back from injury, his ability to play guard or center gives Los Angeles a real shot at settling a line that has had too much trouble protecting Justin Herbert.
Kansas City, meanwhile, is entering 2026 with a thinner roster than it has had in years. The Chiefs lost a big chunk of their starting secondary and spent heavily to bring in running back Kenneth Walker III. With Denver and Los Angeles both on the rise, Kansas City could miss the playoffs for a second straight year, which would be a jarring turn in the Patrick Mahomes-Andy Reid era.
The newcomer who matters most for the Chiefs isn’t an offensive player. Cornerback Mansoor Delane, taken sixth overall after Kansas City traded up and moved on from Trent McDuffie, has to become a No. 1 corner right away. At 6-foot and 190 pounds, Delane brings the kind of physical, instinctive style Steve Spagnuolo can build around if Kansas City is going to patch things together on defense.
Las Vegas took a different approach, spending the offseason around Kirk Cousins but leaving the door open for rookie Fernando Mendoza to take over sooner than later. The No. 1 overall pick comes with the coaching fit in Klint Kubiak and the traits teams want in a franchise quarterback: accuracy, velocity and football intelligence. Minority owner Tom Brady’s presence only reinforces the sense that the Raiders are building with Mendoza’s timeline in mind, not Cousins’.
There’s no urgency to throw Mendoza out there immediately. But if the Raiders get the season they’re hoping for behind the scenes, he could wind up starting more games than the veteran they signed to hold the job.
The AFC West will still be framed by its quarterbacks, but the rookies may end up deciding who’s still standing in January. Coleman, Delane, Slaughter and Mendoza are the names that could tilt the division.
In Other News...
Ravens Just Dragged Raiders Back Into The Tyler Linderbaum Drama
Baltimore is moving quickly to shore up the middle of its offensive line after Tyler Linderbaum left for Las Vegas in free agency, turning to veteran center Ethan Pocic on a one-year deal. The move gives the Ravens an experienced option at a spot that suddenly needed one, and it comes with a little extra intrigue because Pocic is still working back from an Achilles tendon tear suffered in December.
Even with that recovery timeline, Pocic is expected to be part of training camp, pending the final physical, which makes this a calculated bet rather than a simple stopgap. It also fits into a broader offseason pattern for Baltimore, which has already shown it is willing to pivot after missing on Maxx Crosby and landing Trey Hendrickson instead, leaving the Linderbaum ripple effect very much alive for the Raiders to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Another Raiders Line Gamble Just Turned Into A Much Bigger Problem
The Raiders brought in Alex Cappa last year hoping a veteran blocker could stabilize a line that needed help, but the fit never really took hold. He bounced between spots, never locked down a consistent starting job and struggled to find much traction as injuries and lineup changes forced him into different roles.
Now, with training camps approaching, Cappa is already off the roster and still looking for his next opportunity. His recent tape has drawn poor marks, and the conversation around him has shifted from what position he might hold for Las Vegas to whether there is still a place for him anywhere in the league. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Made A Massive Bet To Fix Their Biggest Problem
The Raiders spent the offseason trying to clean up the mess that has lingered around their offensive line, and the move to bring in Tyler Linderbaum was the clearest sign they were done treating it like a secondary issue. After years of shuffling pieces and searching for stability up front, Las Vegas made the center position a priority and expects Linderbaum to be the kind of anchor that changes how the entire offense functions.
Klint Kubiak has already pointed to the value Linderbaum brings beyond the snap itself, noting the way he handles line calls, protection checks and the leadership work that happens when coaches are not in the room. The Raiders are betting on more than just talent here, because if Linderbaum settles in the way they think he can, he could quickly become one of the most important players on the roster. [Read more 🡒]