3 Ways the Russell Wilson trade affects the AFC West, Raiders

Who is now the Weakest Link?

The Denver Broncos were clearly the weakest link in the division. As stated above, it was shocking to even see this franchise achieve seven wins last season, especially with their situation at quarterback.

In the 14 games starter Teddy Bridgewater played in, he barely eclipsed 3,000 yards and only threw 18 touchdowns. His backup Drew Lock (involved in the Wilson trade), did even worse, in the three games he started he was 0-3, and his numbers were horrific.

Adding Wilson has been years in the making for this franchise, as the search for a starting quarterback has been a revolving door for years now. The Broncos have not had a reliable quarterback at the position since the departure of now hall-of-fame quarterback Peyton Manning.

Adding Wilson into the fold totally changes the narrative in this division, the Broncos go from the worst team, to one of the top contending teams. The Los Angeles Chargers who barely missed out on the playoffs will definitely improve in quarterback Justin Herbert’s third season, and head coach Brandon Staley’s second in charge.

The Kansas City Chiefs are still the same successful Chiefs, and have not relinquished their stronghold on the AFC West since 2015.

So where does this leave the Silver and Black? A new coach, hopefully, a new wideout target and beefed-up offensive line, also what will be the new look on defense in a hybrid system implemented by new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham?

The Raiders have more unanswered questions than any other franchise in this division. A weird thing to consider for a team coming off a 10 win season and a playoff berth, but this is actually the case for a team that is entering the season with so much change.

So who is technically the weakest link? After the Wilson trade, the betting odds have shifted away from the Broncos being the weakest team in the division, and they are now placed right below the Chiefs. This is a question that will surely be answered, especially with the new faces added from the draft and free agency.

Unfortunately, the betting odds are not far off, Wilson is that big of a player and completely reverses the odds of this Broncos franchise. As things stand it does seem likely the Raiders or Chargers are the weaker teams in this division now.

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However, free agency is right around the corner, so let’s give Ziegler and co. a chance to salvage what has already started as a disappointing offseason. Only time will tell, but as things stand, the Raiders playoff chances are definitely a lot more slim than they were just a few days ago.