The new league year is just a few weeks old and so many teams have already undergone extensive transformations.
Some, like the Las VegasRaiders, have even been through dramatic overhauls.
And there is still plenty of work to get done.
Many free agents remain on the market and the draft is still a month away. There could even be more trades in an offseason that has seen a rise in such transactions.
But it’s not too early to take a look at which teams have fared the best thus far.
Here are grades for the work each team in the AFC West has done in the offseason, ranked from best to worst:
Raiders: A
The more impressive moves general manager John Spytek makes, the more it looks like he wasn’t in sole control of some of the very questionable moves the team made last offseason.
Spytek has been methodical, yet aggressive, in his approach to building the foundation of what he hopes can be a sustainable winner with the Raiders.
Of course, much of that will depend on whether Fernando Mendoza lives up to the hype should the Raiders indeed pick him at the top of the draft.
What Spytek has done is put the beginnings of a roster together that will make it so Mendoza’s success or failure will be largely determined by himself as opposed to simply falling into the wrong situation.
Center Tyler Linderbaum may have been slightly overpaid, but the team had the cap space and used it on what figures to be a very important position. Linderbaum fits the new scheme perfectly and gives Mendoza a leader who can call protections while easing the transition to taking snaps under center.
They also added a speed receiver in Jalen Nailor and a potential starter in offensive lineman Spencer Buford, in addition to a fullback in Connor Heyward after not carrying one on the roster last year.
It was on defense where the biggest strides were made, however. The Raiders added potentially four starters from outside the building while also retaining cornerback EricStokes.
The only thing standing in the way of an A+ wasn’t even their own fault. Baltimore rescinding the trade for Maxx Crosby was a big blow in terms of roster construction and the alteration of the offseason blueprint. It’s not a total disaster, however, because the consolation prize is having back an elite defensive player at a premium position. At least for now.
New coach Klint Kubiak may have been the biggest addition of all.
Denver Broncos: B
Just a few days ago, Denver would have been an easy pick for the bottom of this list.
The Broncos really hadn’t done much at all this offseason.
Then came the somewhat surprising trade that landed them receiver Jaylen Waddle, one of the best and most impactful players to change teams this offseason.
This was a team desperately in need of a splashy playmaker, and there aren’t many who fit the bill better than Waddle.
The rest of this offseason has mostly been dedicated to keeping their own players off the market, re-signing several key pieces of the AFC championship game roster.
Linebackers Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad were two of the biggest retentions.
Kansas City Chiefs: B-
The flashiest move the Chiefs made was adding running back Kenneth Walker III, who won the Super Bowl MVP with the Seahawks.
He will be a welcome addition for an offense that has struggled to find consistency because of an inability to run the ball so he’s more valuable to the Chiefs than he is on paper, but he’s still a running back.
The same can be said of backup quarterback Justin Fields, who can add an element of speed to the offense in the red zone and particularly on sneaks and keepers. His value to the team should be greater than his overall value would have been elsewhere.
While the Chiefs were decimated on defense, particularly in the secondary, they hope to make up for it with the additions of defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga, safety Alohi Gilman and cornerback Kader Kohou. None of those signings really made headlines, but all three are solid with upside.
It was more steady than spectacular for the Chiefs, whose biggest addition in reality will be the returns of quarterback Patrick Mahomes from injury and tight end Travis Kelce from a flirtation with retirement.
Los Angeles Chargers: C+
The biggest additions for the Chargers are the return of injured tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, along with the hiring of offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
Those moves alone should significantly improve things, which is a good thing for Chargers fans because the organization didn’t invest much of its capital in improving the roster even though they had the space to do so.
The Chargers are making over what was a woeful interior of the offensive line, much more in McDaniel’s image. They also brought back Khalil Mack. They should still be good and compete for a division title, but fans are probably somewhat disappointed with the offseason thus far.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.