2020 NFL season: Which AFC West team is most improved?
124. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. Record: 12-4. 2019: 1st place. Kansas City Chiefs. . player
Key Additions
- RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (NFL Draft)
- LB Willie Gay Jr. (NFL Draft)
- OT Lucas Niang (NFL Draft)
- RB DeAndre Washington (Free Agent, Raiders)
- OL Mike Remmers (Free Agent, Giants)
- DL Taco Charlton (Free Agent, Dolphins)
Key Losses
- OL Cameron Erving (Free Agent, Cowboys)
- EDGE Emmanuel Ogbah (Free Agent, Dolphins)
- LB Reggie Ragland (Free Agent, Lions)
- CB Kendall Fuller (Free Agent, Redskins)
- TE Blake Bell (Free Agent, Cowboys)
- OL Stefen Wisniewski (Free Agent, Steelers)
The Kansas City Chiefs are returning just about every starter from last year’s Super Bowl-winning team.
That is incredibly rare.
In the salary cap era, it’s very difficult to bring an entire 22-man starting lineup back after winning a championship, but the Chiefs have defied the odds.
I thought almost certainly they would lose at least Sammy Watkins, but they managed to bring him back in addition to franchise player Chris Jones on the defensive side of the ball.
This may be the last year all of these guys are able to stay together, but the Chiefs are going to enjoy the heck out of this run. Did they actually get better in 2020?
Yes. As scary as that sounds, yes.
The addition of Clyde Edwards-Helaire is an upgrade over Damien Williams, as fantastic as he has played in Kansas City since the whole Kareem Hunt fiasco. Edwards-Helaire brings three-down ability and tackle-breaking ability to the Chiefs’ offense, and he’ll be an ideal fit from the very start.
The move in round two to go get Willie Gay is an upgrade for the Chiefs over what they previously had at linebacker, a cast of characters, and high draft choices who were castoffs of previous teams.
Gay brings big-time speed to the Chiefs’ defense at the middle linebacker position and can help clean up for their tremendous defensive front.
Arbitrary Improvement Grade: B+
So who is the most-improved team in the AFC West?
The Chiefs definitely got better, but the team that could look the most drastically different in 2020 has to be either the Las Vegas Raiders or Denver Broncos.
The Raiders added firepower both offensively and defensively, including the fastest player in the draft in Henry Ruggs III.
The Broncos used back-to-back selections on receivers for the first time in team history and not only added speed in Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler, but they transformed the entire dynamic of their offense with those two players.
At this point in time, it’s clear that the Kansas City Chiefs — with minimal changes and actual upgrades on their roster — are the best team in the AFC West. If Drew Lock is who the Broncos think he is, they should be the most improved team in the AFC West with the Raiders clipping at their heels.
Next. 2021 mock draft: Tanking for Trevor Lawrence. dark
The Los Angeles Chargers certainly were active and productive this offseason, but time will tell if Justin Herbert was an upgrade over Philip Rivers, at least for 2020.