Breaking down the AFC West race for 2017

Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos hired new head coach Vance Joseph this offseason and have some interesting changes to their team as well. I think the biggest loss for the Broncos this offseason was not that of a player, but their defensive coordinator Wade Phillips being let go.

While the Broncos still have many key players from last year, Phillips is, in my opinion, the best defensive coordinator in the game. With Demarcus Ware retiring and T.J. Ward being let go right before the season, I definitely expect this defense to take a bit of a step back this year.

The offense was the problem last year for the Broncos being led by QB Trevor Siemian and it will be another year of Siemian, since Paxton Lynch has not been able to show anything deserving of a starting spot. Siemian is nothing more than a back-up quarterback talent wise, if you ask me.

While Siemian looked better than expected Monday night against the Chargers, I think that had to do more with the Chargers defense not looking so good. The Broncos really struggled with the run game last year and ended up giving up on it down the stretch.

With C.J. Anderson back to being healthy and new addition Jamaal Charles in the backfield, the Broncos look like they want to get the running game back into the offense. Anderson looked good running on Monday night. Charles was looking good until his fumble in the fourth quarter.

The run game will play a huge part in what the Broncos are able to do this season. They cannot go into another season relying on the passing game primarily like they did late last year. We all saw how that turned out.

Like the Chargers, the Broncos spent the offseason trying to better their offensive line. This unit was a big problem last year, especially at the tackle position. The Broncos drafted Garett Bolles in the first round who will be starting at left tackle and picked up Menelik Watson from free agency to start at right tackle.

These two will be players to watch this season to help Siemian have more time in the pocket. In a division of the best pass rushers in the league, they are going to need all the help they can get.

One of the biggest concerns is the locker room. There was a lot of arguing in the locker room last year between the defense and the offense. The new coaching staff is going to have their hands full with guys like Aqib Talib running their mouth if the offense can’t get it done this year.

While I expect the Broncos offense to take a small step forward this year with having a couple running backs that can help the offense, I expect their defense to take a small step back this year. I expect the Broncos to finish at around 9-7.