Last season, the Denver Broncos finished third in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 1 and the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 2. The Las Vegas Raiders brought up the rear in fourth place.
The top-3 AFC West teams made the playoffs last year, and all indications point to it being the toughest division in the NFL in 2025. With free agency and the NFL draft in the books, we can begin to take further stock of the AFC West.
Which teams did the most to rise in 2025? According to Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman, the Chiefs still rank No. 1 in the AFC West, but the Broncos have leap-frogged the Chargers for the No. 2 spot in the division.
Of course, this is all on paper. At this stage of the offseason, we can only project how each team's additions will impact the big picture when the regular season rolls around this coming fall.
But there's no question the Broncos improved an already deep and talented roster, filling multiple roster holes since the new year began. The Broncos added two key defensive pieces in free agency, in safety Talanoa Hufanga and linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
Greenlaw recently suffered a quad injury, but it isn't expected to affect his regular-season availability. Time will tell on that front, as Greenlaw does have a considerable injury jacket, but the Broncos still have Alex Singleton, Drew Sanders, and Levelle Bailey, and re-signed Justin Strnad back in March.
The Broncos also signed 'joker' tight end Evan Engram to help complete Bo Nix's "interior triangle" in the passing game. If Engram can stay healthy, he'll make a lot of hay in Sean Payton's system with Nix, and he'll take attention away from Courtland Sutton.
To help bolster special teams, the Broncos also signed wide receiver Trent Sherfield, who may not be an impact receiver, but he'll make a big third-phase impact. And he can block.
In the draft, the Broncos selected cornerback Jahdae Barron in the first round, adding to a considerable roster strength. In a division and conference absolutely loaded with quarterback talent, the Broncos have the horses to win those battles on the back end.
When it came to building the nest around Nix, the Broncos added a few weapons in the 2025 NFL draft — although one or two of them might be of the developmental nature. However, second-round running back RJ Harvey immediately upgrades the Broncos' depth chart, giving Nix a reliable backfield weapon to exploit opponents, both on the ground and through the air.
Third-round wideout Pat Bryant might need a little time to climb the depth chart pecking order, but his elite blocking acumen should make him a Payton darling out of the gates, and help him see the field early. Seventh-round tight end Caleb Lohner was definitely a "flyer," but if the Broncos can get him developed, he has the athletic tools and traits to become the NFL's next former basketball player to impact the position.
Defensively, the Broncos also drafted third-round defensive lineman Sai'vion Jones, as well as versatile linebacker and four-core special-teamer Que Robinson in the fourth. Vance Joseph's side of the street was not neglected this offseason, despite the defense finishing as a top-10 unit in 2024.
On top of the personnel additions, the Broncos also made a huge coaching upgrade in the form of special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi. Denver also lost a few coaches to the NFL hiring cycle, but the core pillars of Payton's staff remain in place.
The Chiefs are the defending AFC champions and until some team vanquishes them, they'll remain the 800-pound gorilla at the top of the mountain. But after defeating the Chiefs in 2023 and splitting with them in 2024 with Nix at the helm, the Broncos have never been closer to closing the gap since Super Bowl 50.
Will this be the year the Broncos retake their spot atop the AFC West? Time will tell. But all the moves this offseason have been geared toward achieving just that.
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