LA Chargers: Predicting the AFC West standings after free agency
By Jason Reed
It is that time between NFL free agency and the NFL Draft, which means it is time to give our way-too-early AFC West standings predictions!
Things will change in the 2021 NFL Draft but for the most part, we have a good idea on what direction the LA Chargers and the rest of the AFC West will go in the draft. Plus, it is rare for any pick after the third round to make a huge difference right away in year one.
If one of the teams has a killer draft then perhaps we will have to tweak these standings. However, after the big wave of NFL free agency, here is how the AFC West is looking to shape up.
4. Denver Broncos, 5-12 record
The Denver Broncos are going to be held back by Drew Lock. Hand up, I was a big Drew Lock guy coming out of college and even wanted the Chargers to draft him in the first round in 2019 and sit him for a year behind Philip Rivers.
Thank goodness I am not the Chargers general manager.
The ship has not completely sailed on Lock but he was wildly inaccurate last season and had terrible decision-making. Denver has been awful in evaluating and growing quarterbacks post-Peyton Manning and this likely won’t be any different.
Denver made some really good additions to the secondary in Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller but is also losing some gusto from the front seven. The defense will be solid, as it always is, with Lock’s poor play and the terrible decision to value Melvin Gordon over Phillip Lindsay holding the team back.