The Denver Broncos are reigning AFC West champions and had the one seed in the conference. The season-ending injury to Bo Nix during their win over the Buffalo Bills in the division round derailed their Super Bowl aspirations.
That said, they are bringing the group back and improved on offense with the addition of wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. They should be a favorite in the AFC West, but which division rival has the best chance to unseat them in 2026?
I’ll share my thoughts on that at the end of the roundup
today.
Broncos daily recap
The ever-present slow news cycle is going to be the death of me this offseason. I may have to switch these round-ups to a weekly affair after the schedule release in mid-May.
AFC West offseason expectations
The AFC West got a facelift this offseason, but the national narrative hasn’t budged. The Chargers hired Mike McDaniel and are suddenly back to their usual offseason darling status, the Raiders signed Kirk Cousins to become a legit threat, and the Chiefs talked Travis Kelce into another run with Patrick Mahomes under center. Meanwhile, the Broncos largely held their 2025 core together and swung the big Jaylen Waddle trade to address the one glaring need — and still find themselves cast as underdogs by a media that refuses to give them credit for last year’s crown. Sean Payton and Vance Joseph appear perfectly happy to defend it quietly
Under the radar
Dane Brugler released his annual NFL Draft guide. I always fine this guide to be super useful and if you are not super into college ball. I’m pure NFL, so I find it very useful indeed!
The FEED happenings
Dan the Optimist makes another appearance in the roundup this week with some Chiefs fan mockery. They are truly going through it, but as we all know from the John Elway days — sometimes all you need is a dude who can put a team on his back and Patrick Mahomes has proven he can do that.
Post your own thoughts on MHR’s Feed.
AFC West Discussion
Whom should the Broncos fear most…
Fear as in a team that could seriously challenge for the AFC West title in 2026. The Broncos should be the favorites to win, but I’ll look at each team and try to see which I think could be the most serious threat for that division crown next season.
Las Vegas Raiders
I didn’t include the Raiders in the post title because they are the Raiders. However, they have some weapons finally and a quarterback in Kirk Cousins who could utilize them much better than last season. I think they might be on the verge of a .500 football team this year.
Not quite yet in the discussion of teams that I would consider a threat to take the AFC West title, though.
Kansas City Chiefs
While I think the Chiefs are due for a few transition years, they will always be a threat with Mahomes. Until the wheels come completely off, I will keep them as Denver’s primary threat at the onset of every single season.
The only problem with that is that I could see the Chiefs winning seven games or twelve. So don’t hold me to this if they tank for the second consecutive season!
Los Angeles Chargers
In another post, I shot down an idea that the Chargers were major threats to the Broncos this season. I made my case by pointing out that Justin Herbert seems to come up short in big games. Seems to be a Charger-type thing going back from Philip Rivers to Dan Fouts.
But when I look closely at their moves, their draft picks, their roster in general. They’ve got the talent and the coaching to be a major factor in the AFC next season. I hate to admit it, but this might actually be a dangerous team.
Then again, that’s what people say about the Chargers every single offseason — so we’ll just have to wait and see on that one!
In the AFC West, which team should the Broncos be most worried about? Let’s debate!
