Another NFL season has come and gone and now we are just left to count down the days until training camp starts in July. The Kansas City Chiefs will look to make NFL history next season as they will strive for their third straight Super Bowl championship. Each team will take a long, hard look at their roster over the next few months as they try to improve their standing and land a big-time free agent or strike it rich in the draft. Here are the 2024 AFC West team needs. All Cap Space amounts are per Over the Cap as of March 2024.
Denver Broncos
- Biggest Needs: QB, EDGE, DT, WR
- Cap Space: -$2.9 million
The Broncos were busy dumping their roster with cuts of Russell Wilson and All Pro safety Justin Simmons. The Wilson release was no surprise but the Simmons one was. They are going into rebuild mode as the Wilson experiment is dead. The Broncos have the 12th pick in the draft and unless they swing a deal to move up substantially, I don’t see them getting one of the top QBs. Maybe they opt for Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr., but it will be tough to get one of the top three guys. There is hardly any money to go around, and this will make things even tighter. The Broncos are likely in for another very tough year.
Los Angeles Chargers
- Biggest Needs: CB, OT, WR, RB
- Cap Space: -$20.1 million
I think I am more excited about the Chargers than anyone else this year. Jim Harbaugh is in town and this team has so much untapped potential that Brandon Staley clearly couldn’t get out of them. I am excited to see a capable head coach running the ship in Los Angeles. He was great in San Francisco and is clearly hungry to get after it and win a Super Bowl. The Chargers have the fifth overall pick and may need to move back slightly to stockpile given their financial deficits. Their first-round pick from a year ago, Quentin Johnston, didn’t impress in his rookie year and I am not sure how the fan base will react if they go wide receiver for a second straight year.
Kansas City Chiefs
- Biggest Needs: WR, OT, LB
- Cap Space: $1.2 million
Are there actually any needs? The dynasty Chiefs won it all again, but there are always ways to upgrade the roster and this Chiefs front office MUST look at the wide receiver room and figure it out. KC has just over $1 million to spend so they won’t be able to sign one of the top wide receivers on the market while also trying to bring back Chris Jones who was the big reason for winning the Super Bowl in the first place. The Chiefs should load up in the draft and let Mahomes shape these guys as he sees fit.
Las Vegas Raiders
- Biggest Needs: QB, OT, DT, RB
- Cap Space: $41.6 million
The Jimmy G deal seems worse by the day and now he won’t play in Vegas next year. They need to address that issue first if they are serious about contending next year. I don’t see Aiden O’Connell as the long-term solution in Sin City. The Raiders own the 13th pick in the draft and likely are out of reach for any of the top QBs. Maybe they get a guy like Michael Pennix Jr., or I’d be intrigued to see if they shopped around Russell Wilson or Kirk Cousins?