Ranking the AFC West: DEs
This is a thread for the Addicts among us. Who among the AFC West sports the best DEs, and who sports the worst?
Vote in comments, and be sure to keep track of your votes as this series rolls on. It could be interesting to see how good you think each team is once you add up all your rankings.
The following are your depth charts at DE:
Denver Broncos: Elvis Dumervil, Robert Ayers, Jason Hunter, Jeremy Beal
Kansas City Chiefs: Glenn Dorsey, Tyson Jackson, Wallace Gilberry, Allen Bailey
Oakland Raiders: Lamarr Houston, Matt Shaughnessy, Jarvis Moss, Trevor Scott, Quentin Groves
San Diego Chargers: Luis Castillo, Corey Liuget, Jacques Cesaire, Ogemdi Nwagbuo
My vote after the jump. Yours is invited in comments.
1. Chargers — This particular position is very difficult to rank. Not only am I ranking two 4-3 defenses against two 3-4 defenses (and the Raiders love both), but all four of these teams have some serious weapons at this position. As they have so often in this drill, the Chargers get the nod above the others. Castillo and Liuget are going to be an evil set of bookends to rush against. Cesaire is best as a rotational guy.
2. Chiefs — The Chiefs have the best 3-4 DE in the division in Glenn Dorsey, and great depth with Wallace Gilberry and Allen Bailey getting opportunities in rotation. Tyson Jackson is the question mark here, but his play in the last month of 2010 turned my head. Watch him closely in 2011, I think he’s getting it.
3. Broncos — The Broncos, again, didn’t really feel the urgency to stock up on the defensive line despite switching defensive schemes, but their starting lineup of Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers is a pretty strong 1-2 punch straight out of the gate. No depth, however.
4. Raiders — The Raiders defense doesn’t really turn your head with their ends when they run a 4-3, but they could at some point in the future. Houston and Shaughnessy are both young and promising, but haven’t done much. Moss, Scott, and Groves are all rejects from other franchises.
So, assuming a 1st is 4 points, and a 4th is 1 point, this is my individual position scoreboard so far:
Chargers: 32
Chiefs: 24
Raiders: 17
Broncos: 17