Are the Raiders ready to compete for an AFC West title in 2022?
By Preston Seyl
Can the Las Vegas Raiders hold their own in a loaded AFC West which is widely considered to be the best division in football?
With the whole AFC West making splash moves this offseason, did the Las Vegas Raiders do enough to keep pace with the rest of the division, and possibly dethrone the Kansas City Chiefs? The Chiefs have claimed six division titles since 2016, but this year will be the toughest since 2016 due to the added additions for the other AFC West teams.
Los Angeles bolstered their defense, bringing in JC Jackson, Khalil Mack, and Sebastian Joseph-Day, while the Denver Broncos finally have a quarterback. Russell Wilson arrives from Seattle and gives Denver their best signal-caller since the Peyton Manning days.
Can the Raiders compete in the AFC West in 2022?
The Chiefs roster has a new look to it as well, with Justin Reid coming in, and a host of new wide receivers. Kansas City suddenly had a need at wideout when they traded away Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, and replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster, rookie Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. They also still have Travis Kelce and Mecole Hardman, so there is definitely talent there to win the division once again.
When it comes to the Raiders, they certainly got better, adding arguably the best wide receiver in football in Davante Adams. Adding him to an offense that already has Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller in the passing game, and now Derek Carr has no shortage of weapons in that regard. The running game from the Raiders will be dynamic as it will be a committee of backs with different strengths on the field based on the defensive alignment.
The Raiders also snagged Chandler Jones in free agency further bolstering an already impressive defense to pair with a good linebacker room and up-and-coming Secondary in Nate Hobbs and Rock Ya-Sin taking that next step under Patrick Graham.
This division is up for grabs for all the teams in the west as they all had solid offseason and are primed to steal the division crown from the Chiefs, every team is well equipped to take over the division. Should be very exciting to see who wins the AFC West this year.