The Kansas City Chiefs rule the AFC West, having won the last eight division titles. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will almost surely win their ninth straight division crown in 2024.

The rest of the AFC West is not exactly a gauntlet. None of the other three teams in the division resemble playoff contenders, although the Las Vegas Raiders did play the Chiefs tough last season.

That being said, there was plenty of offseason activity within the division, which should make for an interesting 2024 NFL campaign for all four squads.

Let’s identify the best offseason move for each AFC West ballclub.

Denver Broncos: Drafting QB Bo Nix.

The Broncos have been starving for a franchise quarterback ever since Peyton Manning retired following the 2015-16 campaign. Denver won the Super Bowl that season, and it hasn’t been back to the playoffs since. Its inability to find a proper signal-caller is the biggest reason why.

The Russell Wilson experiment was a major failure, so now the Broncos have decided to go with a youth movement under center. They took Oregon standout Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick of the NFL Draft in April, making him the sixth and final quarterback taken in the first round.

But did all of the other quarterback-needy teams that bypassed Nix make a mistake?

Perhaps.

Nix probably had the best numbers of any of the signal-callers in this year’s draft class, throwing for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns and three interceptions while completing 77.4 percent of his passes during his final collegiate season. Some have questioned Nix’s stats due to the fact that he played in a rather pedestrian Pac-12 conference, but they are still impressive numbers, nonetheless.

We’ll see if Nix can turn things around in the Mile High City. I’m getting the feeling that he will end up being exactly what Sean Payton and Co. are looking for.

Kansas City Chiefs: Signing WR Marquise Brown.

Wide receiver was a huge problem for the Chiefs in 2023, with Rashee Rice representing their only reliable player at the position. That isn’t the case anymore.

Kansas City landed Marquise Brown on a one-year, $7 million contract in free agency, an absolute bargain deal for a Chiefs squad that is coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl championships.

Brown struggled a bit in his two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, but he has a 1,000-yard campaign under his belt from his Baltimore Ravens days. He has blazing speed, which could allow him to form a thoroughly lethal combination with Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs also selected Xavier Worthy in the first round of the NFL Draft, so they certainly dedicated a whole lot of time to addressing their receiving corps this offseason.

The problem for Kansas City is that Rice is facing some very serious legal issues which could result in a lengthy suspension from the NFL. This makes the Brown addition all the more imperative.

Las Vegas Raiders: Signing DL Christian Wilkins.

The Raiders’ defense showed vast improvement after Antonio Pierce took over as head coach midway through last season. It was also thanks much in part to the efforts of Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce and Adam Butler, all of whom did a phenomenal job reaching opposing quarterbacks.

Now, Las Vegas has added another stud pass rusher into the mix in Christian Wilkins.

Wilkins spent the first five years of his NFL tenure with the Miami Dolphins and gradually developed into a star. Last season, he racked up 65 tackles and nine sacks, demonstrating both prowess as a run-stuffer and as a big-time sack-getter. Keep in mind: Wilkins is an interior defensive lineman; not an edge rusher. That makes his sack total from 2023 that much more impressive.

Suddenly, the Raiders have a very scary front seven and could end up having one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2024 if everything comes together.

Wilkins is also very durable, as he has not missed a game since 2020.

Las Vegas unfortunately did not do much to rectify its ailing offense this offseason, but perhaps doubling down on the defensive side of the ball as it did will make its subpar offense more tolerable.

Los Angeles Chargers: Hiring head coach Jim Harbaugh.

The Chargers’ best offseason move was not signing or drafting a player. It was bringing in Jim Harbaugh to be their next head coach.

Harbaugh last coached in the NFL in 2014, his final of four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. He went 44-19-1 during his time with the 49ers, leading them to a Super Bowl appearance and a pair of NFC West division crowns. He also never posted a losing campaign.

The former quarterback then took the job as Michigan’s head coach and led the Wolverines to a national championships this past season.

Harbaugh has not only proven that he can coach on the NFL level, but he also demonstrated that he can win in the pros, something other big-time college coaches have been unable to do.

We’ll see if Harbaugh is a bit rusty after being out of the league for a decade. Chances are, he will pick up right where he left off and get Los Angeles back on track.

It will be very intriguing to see how much better Justin Herbert plays under Harbaugh’s direction.

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