The Fantasy Points staff recently welcomed NFL Films legend Greg Cosell and NFL Insider Adam Caplan to talk about the AFC West as part of our Virtual Town Hall Series. I highly encourage you to check out the entire conversation by accessing our Livestream archives.
Greg and Adam joined John Hansen and company to break down the AFC West from front to back to help us get a deeper understanding of every roster heading into the summer. John has been holding these closed-door meetings with Greg and Adam for the last 15+ years. The Fantasy Points staff is proud to let the public peek behind the curtain during these exclusive Livestreams! Here are the notes we compiled from the AFC West meeting.
Denver Broncos
Greg Cosell (GC): Russell Wilson wanted out of Seattle because he wanted to be the guy. The big question is what is this offense going to look like. The Broncos have two really good backs in Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon. Wilson left Seattle because they took a balanced approach to offense, but he wants to be in Tom Brady’s position and have control of the offense. There are certain things Wilson can’t do because of his size. The question is why did the Seahawks play the way they did since he arrived there.
Adam Caplan: The Broncos are going to be more of a passing offense because Russell wants the offense to go through his arm. They’re pretty loaded at receiver and their offensive line is intact and healthy from last year. This offense has the potential to be a top-five group if it all comes together. Brian Schottenheimer wanted to be more aggressive and he convinced Pete Caroll to do it in the summer of 2020. The Seahawks got off to an incredible start that season, but Russell started turning the ball over, he started taking sacks, and the defense deteriorated.
Kansas City Chiefs
AC: Andy Reid has had great success without great receivers in Philly. They overdraft Mecole Hardman because of Tyreek’s off-the-field concerns in 2019, but they’ve been pretty successful otherwise. Andy wanted Skyy Moore and I have a lot of trust in how they evaluate WRs. He had an elite 1.46-second 10-yard split at the Combine. Marquez Valdes-Scantling has to start because of his three-year contract, but JuJu Smith-Schuster is on a one-year deal and Hardman’s contract expires at the end of the year. Skyy will have a big role if he’s ready for it.
GC: Kansas City’s offense should fit Moore well. They run a ton of RPOs with slant and glance routes, and he was excellent on those routes at Western Michigan. They’ll get him in motion quite a bit and he can play inside and outside so he fits exactly what they want to do offensively.
GC: They brought in Ronald Jones who hasn’t been much of a contributor as a receiver so will the run game volume increase this year. Clyde Edwards-Helaire was a great receiver in college and he didn’t lose his receiving talent. It’s just a matter of using him in the passing game.
AC: CEH is on the smaller side, which could be the reason why he’s struggled to stay healthy and why he’s had some issues in pass protection. This is a big year for him because he needs to play well to get his fifth-year extension at the end of the season.
Las Vegas Raiders
AC: The Raiders are a mess along the O-line, especially at right tackle. They learned pretty quickly that Alex Leatherwood isn’t a tackle. Third-round pick Dylan Parham will have a chance to play right away. They could use heavy 12 personnel since Demarcus Robinson is their third WR and they have O-line issues.
GC: The Raiders are going to use a lot of different formations and personnel because Josh McDaniels is very good at being multiple. They’re going to be game- and opponent-specific with McDaniels running the show. The Raiders brought in McDaniel’s fullback Jakob Johnson from New England. Darren Waller could be used even more as a wide receiver this season.
GC: The run game could be the strength of the team with Josh Jacobs, Kenyan Drake, and Zamir White in the mix. White was a five-star recruit coming out of high school but he had a number of knee injuries. He still ran an impressive 4.47-second 40-time at the Combine despite his knee issues. He’s an aggressive, physical downhill runner who doesn’t go down easy. He’s probably more of a complementary back for the long term, but he could certainly take on a lot of carries if he’s asked. Adam adds that White takes on too much contact at times, which raises some concerns about his long-term durability.
Los Angeles Chargers
GC: Isaiah Spiller is going to get carries in this offense if he can beat out Joshua Kelley and Larry Rountree. Austin Ekeler isn’t built to take on a ton of carries. There’s no mystery to what Spiller does. He’s not a receiving back. He’s a big power back with good foundation-back traits.
AC: Joe Lombardi struggled as a play-caller during his time in Detroit, but he did a great job last year. He unlocked Mike Williams — it helped that he stayed healthy — and Justin Herbert kept progressing in his second season. The Chargers are super talented. They drafted Zion Johnson to improve their interior O-line, but they still have some questions at right tackles and some potential depth issues.
