The Raiders tried to revamp the defense this offseason, but looking at the rest of the AFC West, they are far behind in terms of talent on three levels.
When it comes to NFL divisions, it does not get much tougher than the vaunted AFC West. The division contains some of the most dangerous offenses and competitive matchups that the NFL has to offer, making it a tough one for the Las Vegas Raiders to navigate.
Whether it be perhaps the league’s best team and best player in the form of the Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, or the tough Denver Broncos at Mile High, there is not an easy out in all of the AFC West. While the first thought that may come to mind when analyzing the division overall may be the high-powered offenses, such as the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers, there is, however, plenty of defensive talent in the division as well.
The AFC West teams feature both savvy, solid veterans such as Chris Harris Jr. and Jonathan Hankins, as well as young talents like newly drafted secondary stars Patrick Surtain II and Tre’Von Moehrig. The Denver Broncos have had one of the league’s best defenses for some time now, and the rest of the division is looking to catch up with a lot of young talent on each defense.
The Raiders and Chiefs, especially, have been loading up on defensive players in both the draft and free agency with the hopes of improving their struggling defenses. Entering 2021, the four teams battling for the AFC West division title will hope to limit opposing offenses as much as possible with the help of the extremely talented players that are to be mentioned shortly.
Let’s take a look at the probable selections for the 2021 AFC West All-Defensive team.