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3 AFC West Free-Agent Signings that Make Broncos' Life Much Harder
While the Denver Broncos had to keep the purse strings tight this year, their division rivals have spent to get better.
The initial waves of NFL free agency have subsided, and many teams have added game-changing talent to boost their rosters. Things were quiet on the Denver Broncos front, due in large part to absorbing a $53 million dead-cap hit in 2024 from cutting Russell Wilson.
The rest of the AFC West was busy spending cap space on free agents, a few of whom Broncos fans should be concerned about. Let’s look at each division rival's best signings and examine whether they could make life much more difficult for the Broncos.
Kansas City Chiefs | Marquise Brown | WR
Marquise Brown
Ryan Kang/GettyImages
The speedster drafted out of Oklahoma in 2019 by the Baltimore Ravens hasn’t lived up to his first-round billing, but that’s likely to change in Kansas City. The Chiefs severely lacked playmakers at wide receiver outside of Rashee Rice, but adding Brown gives Patrick Mahomes the deep threat he’s missed since Tyreek Hill was in town.
Brown spent the past two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals and has totaled 313 receptions for 3,644 yards and 28 touchdowns over his five-year career. He's also a veteran in the room who can help his younger teammates grow. Without Justin Simmons patrolling the Broncos' secondary, the Mahomes-to-Brown connection will be problematic.
Las Vegas Raiders | Christian Wilkins | DL
Christian Wilkins
Megan Briggs/GettyImages
Just when you thought Maxx Crosby singlehandedly wrecking the Broncos' offensive line was harsh enough, the Las Vegas Raiders paid big money to Wilkins to continue giving Denver nightmares. The 301-pound mountain, who played five years in Miami, posted 355 tackles, 43 of which were for a loss, and 20.5 sacks.
Wilkins is a significant disruptor in the run game, and Denver has already struggled to get its ground game moving. Just like his new teammate, Crosby, Wilkins is a colossal trash talker, aggravating and intimidating his opponents, making him the perfect Raider. If the Broncos can’t shore up their interior offensive line, Wilkins will quickly take advantage of them.
Los Angeles Chargers | Gus Edwards | RB
Gus Edwards
Perry Knotts/GettyImages
Edwards had a solid career on a run-heavy Ravens team and now joins the Jim Harbaugh-Los Angeles Chargers, a coach known for pounding the rock. Edwards has rushed for 3,395 yards on 699 attempts and has found the end zone 26 times in his five-year career in Baltimore.
While he isn’t an elite running back, Edwards' physical running style wears down defenses, especially in the second half of a game. He had a nose for the end zone in 2023, scoring 13 times on the ground.
Harbaugh will put an emphasis on the ground game to make things easier for star quarterback Justin Herbert, so expect the Chargers to lean on Gus.
The Takeaway
The Broncos have begun a roster rebuild that will hopefully culminate over the next two seasons. With little money to spend this year, it’ll be hard to be competitive.
Meanwhile, the rest of the AFC West threw some cash around and added players likely to make the Broncos' rebuild an uglier endeavor to behold.
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