The 2022 NFL offseason may be the craziest in NFL history, and a big reason why is because of the AFC West. The Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos made huge additions via trade and free agency, and the Kansas City Chiefs have already established themselves as a perennial contender. With four legitimate teams in this division, it’s anyone’s guess who will end up on top next season.
Former Seahawks linebacker K.J. Wright, who spent nine seasons with Russell Wilson in Seattle, isn’t sold on his former teammate’s new team in the Broncos. In fact, he told USA TODAY that he believes they will finish last in the division, with the Raiders, Chargers and Chiefs finishing first, second and third.
Wright spent the 2021 season with the Raiders, so maybe there’s a bit of bias there, but predicting Wilson and the Broncos finish last is fairly surprising.
“You got to look at it from a holistic standpoint — you got to look outside of the quarterbacks, what’s on the other side of the ball, what’s on defense,” said Wright. “I believe the Broncos have some pieces, but I don’t know if it’s going to be enough to slow down these weapons in this division. It’s going to be tight, but only three are going to make it.”
The Broncos have always had several elite pieces in place on defense, but struggled at the quarterback position. Now that Denver traded for Wilson, the Broncos are expected to snap their six-year playoff drought.
Vegas doesn’t believe the Broncos will finish last in the AFC West this upcoming season. In fact, Caesars Sportsbook believes the Raiders are the most likely team to finish in fourth place. They have the lowest Over/Under win total at 8.5, and are +675 to win the division behind the Chargers and Broncos (+250), and the favorite Chiefs (+160).
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