Ranking the AFC West: Defensive Line
The AFC West has always been one of the most competitive divisions on a year-to-year basis since the AFL-NFL merger, and 2020 figures to continue the tradition.
Home of the reigning Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs, a pair of teams dripping with potential in the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders, and a team with one of the most well-rounded defensive units in the Los Angeles Chargers, the AFC West might push a pair of teams into the playoffs this year.
The Chiefs are the easy front runner for the AFC West crown seeing as they've won the division for five consecutive years and are returning 19-of-22 starters from a championship roster.
But the Broncos and Raiders have tried to mimic the blueprint the Chiefs laid out in 2019, bringing in a ton of explosive play-makers to try to keep up with one of the most dynamic offenses the league has ever seen. The Chargers still have a ways to go in order to light up the scoreboard, but the upgrades they've made to an already stellar defense could keep them competitive in these heated rivalries.
Every year, we at Mile High Huddle dive deep to break down the Broncos' division rivals. This time around, we're going to rank each team by position group in order to determine who has the best roster in the division.
This year we're going to rank each team by position group in order to determine who has the best roster in the division. These rankings will include not only the projected starters for each AFC West team, but also the depth of the unit as a whole.
Interior defensive line play is one of the biggest keys to success on defense. Being able to anchor down in the running game and provide interior pass pressure between the tackles is the easiest way to disrupt opposing offenses.
Being able to detonate a game-plan from the interior makes it easy for the rest of the defense as a whole, from plugging running lanes to altering throwing lanes and forcing mistakes from the quarterback in the passing game.
Which AFC West team has the best down defensive lineman?
4: Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers defensive line has a solid trio of starters along the interior, but there is a significant depth issue.
Second-year pro Jerry Tillery has incredible gifts as a penetrating pass rusher but really struggled in the running game as he was still rebounding from an offseason shoulder surgery, one that caused him to miss all of the programs in his rookie season.
A former first-round selection with all of the necessary tools to become a force, Tillery could be one of the next guys in the discussion as an elite interior defensive lineman. Though the plan in Los Angeles is to use him primarily as a 3-technique gap shooter, Tillery has the necessary skills as a pass rusher to slide to the 5-tech in the Chargers 3-4 base defense and should see some time there in sub-packages.
Earlier this year, the Chargers brought in the highly productive Linval Joseph to bring a veteran presence to their interior defensive line. An 11-year veteran that has a very well rounded skill-set and does tremendous work as a run stopper, Joseph should see a lot of time once again this year.
Though Joseph has started to see his play decline over the past couple of years, he is still a formidable threat that can wreak havoc in the backfield. Joseph posted 26 defensive stops and an 8.1 run-stop percentage for the Vikings in 2019 as well as three sacks and 18 total pressures in his worst season since his second year.
Justin Jones, a 12-game starter for the Chargers in 2019 that played admirably as a run defender, comes in fighting with Joseph in order to keep his starting spot. He desperately needs to refine his pass-rushing technique to keep Joseph off of the field.
Jones led the Chargers' interior defenders with an 8.6 run-stop percentage, but failed to collect a sack and only posted 17 total pressures last season. There is potential for Jones to improve, and all reports indicate he has worked incredibly hard to improve his hand speed and placement to try to shed blockers in the passing game.
Damion Square saw the majority of his time on the field as a nose tackle and played well in the running game posting 20 tackles and 12 defensive stops. Though not an effective pass rusher, Square has a role on early downs.
Outside of these four guys, there's very little to work with. Second-year player Cortez Broughton seems to be the team's best depth piece and has been turning heads while working with the first team in training camp in place of Square.
3: Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have arguably the best interior defensive lineman in the league and a pair of quality run defenders, but there is a need to create more pass pressure between the tackles.
Chris Jones was handsomely rewarded earlier this year after proving to be one of the most dominant forces on the defensive side of the football. A high-end penetrator with a quick first step and elite hand speed and placement, Jones can blow up running plays in the backfield and create immediate pressure as a pass rusher.
Jones posted the third-most sacks (nine) and fourth-highest pass-rush productivity percentage (8.5) of any interior defensive lineman last season, as well as the fifth most total pressures (58). A game-plan nightmare, Jones dictates protection schemes, draws and blows up double teams in the running game, and is consistently one of the most disruptive players in the league.
For all that Jones does well, one would think that his running mates would be a lot more effective than they were in 2019. However, Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders were not very good at generating pass pressure despite seeing one-on-one matchups on a fairly frequent basis.
Nnadi was the primary starter alongside Jones last year, and offered very little as a pass rusher. His 53.0 pass-rushing grade from Pro Football Focus was the second-lowest of all starters in the AFC West, as was his 3.2 pass-rush productivity percentage. Saunders was even worse in his rotational role.
Where these guys make their hay is in the running game, with both guys having relative success creating negative plays for opposing offenses. Nnadi and Saunders posted 9.2 and 7.2 run-stop percentages last season.
As far as the depth is concerned, this might be the weakest position on the Chiefs roster. Returning rotational run-defender Mike Pennel was just handed a two-game suspension to start the season and Braxton Hoyett and Devaroe Lawrence figure to be in the running for a roster slot in Pennel's absence.
The Chiefs may also look to find a veteran free agent to fill the void as well.
2: Las Vegas Raiders
Arguably the biggest strength on the Raiders defense, their defensive line has a pair of high-quality pass rushers in Maurice Hurst and Maliek Collins. Pairing these two with their youth on the edge could turn into a quality pass rush for the immediate future.
Hurst, a former top-10 talent that fell to the fifth round of the 2018 draft due to a concern about a heart condition, has developed into a high-quality inside pass rusher. His 38 pressures and 6.6 pass-rush productivity percentage were both second-highest on the Raiders last season.
Collins, a highly coveted free agent this past April, adds a high-quality veteran presence as a pass rusher as well. Collins posted 48 total pressures as a Cowboy in 2019, a figure that would have led all Raiders' pass rushers. His 5.7 pass-rush productivity percentage is nothing to shake a stick at either.
Where these two struggle is in the running game. Both players posted run stop grades below 60 and run stop percentages below 4.0.
That's where having Johnathan Hankins comes in handy.
A mountain of a man, Hankins does well to fend off double teams and anchor down, plugging rushing lanes easily. Hankins does a decent job in the passing game as well, but with Collins and Hurst in the fold, look for Hankins to see the majority of his time on early downs.
The depth on the roster is highly questionable, though, and the next couple of guys were going to talk about haven't seen regular playing time since 2018.
Daniel Ross is probably the most likely to take the fourth interior D-line spot on the Raiders' roster due to his familiarity with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. Ross spent all of the 2018 season with Marinelli as a Cowboy, playing in 13 games alongside the aforementioned Collins. He played in 252 snaps in 2018, posting one sack, 10 total pressures, and 10 tackles as a rotational player.
Ross missed all of 2019 with an injury and some legal troubles.
The other depth piece is former first-round pick Datone Jones.
Another player familiar with Marinelli's scheme as a Cowboy, Jones has failed to live up to his high draft pedigree. With inconsistent play, injury issues, and a bad work ethic, Jones could be on the outside looking in.
I have the Raiders here due to their potential as an incredibly disruptive unit in the passing game. Hurst and Collins are going to be matchup nightmares despite struggles winning against double teams.
1: Denver Broncos
The Broncos head our rankings due to an immense amount of depth, high-end pass-rush potential, and the ability to get after it in the running game.
Denver's defensive line had some struggles early last season due to some misalignment and misusage issues but came to form once Shelby Harris was reverted back to his true defensive end and Mike Purcell was inserted as the nose tackle on running downs.
Harris, who led the NFL in passes batted down at the line of scrimmage, is a quality pass rusher as a four and five tech defensive end. Though he struggled in a starting capacity and especially as a run defender taking on double teams at the point of attack, Harris brought six sacks to the team and a 7.1 run-stop percentage.
Harris should see a lot of run as a rotational defender, switching out with second-year pro Dre'Mont Jones.
Jones is coming into the season tabbed as a breakout defender for the Broncos' defense. With incredibly high potential as a pass rusher, Jones could steal the starting spot from Harris as soon as Week 1. Jones led all Broncos' interior defenders with a 6.8 pass-rush productivity percentage last season.
These two are poised to be the primary rotational players opposite of Jurrell Casey, one of the best interior defenders in the league. With five consecutive Pro Bowl nods, Casey is widely mentioned amongst the league's elites.
A versatile pass rusher that is also a knifing run defender, Casey is a game wrecker in every facet. With eight sacks on top of 42 total pressures and a respectable 8.1 run-stop percentage in 2019, Casey is still at the top of his game. According to several reports coming out of training camp, the 31-year-old veteran has been nearly unblockable in practice sessions.
Easily forgettable as a pass rusher but incredibly underrated as a run defender, Mike Purcell brings a solid rotational piece in base defenses as a true nose tackle. Purcell's 14.1 run-stop percentage was the highest of any interior defender with at least 200 run defense snaps, and he also graded with the highest run defense grade of any interior defender in the league.
Another player with high-end potential as a pass rusher, rookie McTelvin Agim rounds out the primary depth pieces. A versatile and explosive player that uses great hand technique, Agim could be a future piece at nose tackle in passing situations should his frame fill out at the next level. For 2020, Agim could have a role in passing situations as a sub-package player.
Don't miss the previous installments of Mile High Huddle's AFC West positional rankings: Quarterbacks | Running Backs | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | Offensive Line | Edge Rushers
Follow Lance on Twitter @SandersonMHH and @MileHighHuddle.
