Surprise, surprise. Another year in the AFC West, another year where the Kansas City Chiefs ran away with the division. KC is showing no signs of slowing down, but maybe, just maybe the division is working towards catching up. After all, Jim Harbaugh stepped into the LA Chargers building, changed the culture, and secured 11 wins. The Denver Broncos were one of the best stories in the NFL, winning 10 games as Bo Nix emerged as a legit QB. And finally, the Raiders. Well…they were bad. So bad that they fired everyone and Tom Brady is now running the show for all practical purposes. Here’s our 2025 AFC West team needs analysis.
Las Vegas Raiders
Needs: QB, WR, RB, CB
The Raiders only won four games last year, but that was only bad enough to secure the sixth overall pick in the draft. There is a good chance that the best QBs will be off the board unless Vegas trades up in the draft. However, with Maxx Crosby secured now, there really isn’t a superstar player on the roster that another team would want. They have needs at basically every single skill position, and this is not the most attractive franchise in the world at the moment. They have a ton of work to do before they can even think about competing.
Denver Broncos
Needs: TE, WR, LB, S
The Broncos need some flash and some swagger on their offense as they look to build around Bo Nix and give him every advantage possible to try and catch Patrick Mahomes. When I think of a Sean Payton offense, I immediately think of a shifty running back, a powerful tight end, and a Mr. Do It All. I think the Broncos need to find their version of Jimmy Graham and then Taysom Hill. Hill could literally be a trade candidate since we’ve seen Payton bring in former personnel. Aside from that, they should keep building on an already established defense that was amongst the best in the NFL.
Los Angeles Chargers
Needs: Edge, DT, C, S, WR
Harbaugh and the Chargers had to make hard decisions last offseason by dumping both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams. While they were short at the WR position, neither of those guys had great years with their new teams. They need to get better there for Justin Herbert, but the main focus should be retooling a defense that has aged a bit. Khalil Mack could be gone, and they just released Joey Bosa and his bad contract. Now that’s done, they need to add some interior linemen and go after some wide receivers.
Kansas City Chiefs
Needs: DT, OG, OT, TE
The Chiefs want to make sure they are never blown out the way they were in a Super Bowl ever again. We’ve already seen them trade Joe Thuney away as they are going to make it a priority to make their offensive line younger and better. The Chiefs were pressured all night by the Eagles and that will haunt them for years. They must upgrade their offensive line while also looking at the potential replacement for Travis Kelce.