Three big storylines emerge out of AFC West that will affect the Broncos

While the Denver Broncos spent the opening hours of free agency making a flurry of moves, their AFC West foes also hit the market.

The Broncos finished last place in their division last season with the Raiders also missing the playoffs. Las Vegas will look different in 2023 and so too may the Chargers who made the playoffs. But one team that will look very similar may have gotten significantly better,

The Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs upgraded MVP Patrick Mahomes’ offensive line, adding Jawaan Taylor, according to multiple reports. The former Jags linemen had the third-lowest pressure rate allowed (2.5%) among tackles last season.

Former #Jaguars OT Jawaan Taylor is signing with the #Chiefs on a 4-year, $80M deal with $60M guaranteed, source said. After all the talk about Orlando Brown, KC signs another tackle.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 13, 2023

The Chargers may be getting worse, as star Colorado-raised running back Austin Ekeler may not be back in 2023. The 27-year-old hasn’t been able to come to terms on a long-term deal with LA and may be headed to another team, requesting permission to speak elsewhere, per ESPN.

Chargers’ RB Austin Ekeler is requesting permission to speak with other teams about a potential trade after preliminary talks with the team aimed at a contract extension did not progress, his agent Cameron Weiss told ESPN.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2023

The Raiders finally made the big change, dropping Derek Carr who is now on the Saints. The near-decade starter was replaced by backup Jarrett Stidham who is now a Bronco. So Las Vegas went out and got Jimmy Garoppolo. This will likely be the headline move of the west this offseason, as the Raiders got a quarterback who has led his team to a couple of NFC Title games.

New #Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo's three-year deal has a base value of $72.75 million, including $24.25M in Year 1.

An $11.25M roster bonus on the third day of the 2024 league year is guaranteed. So Jimmy G is effectively locked in as Las Vegas' starter for two years and $48.5M.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 13, 2023

***