Things have been dull in the AFC West lately. The Denver Broncos have taken the division every year since 2011, and the Oakland Raiders haven’t had a winning record since 2002. But the balance of power may be shifting in the division, and it could happen as soon as this season.

Oakland Raiders

Key Additions: Head Coach Jack Del Rio, Offensive Coordinator Bill Musgrave, WR Amari Cooper (first round pick), WR Michael Crabtree, RB Trent Richardson, RB Roy Helu Jr., DT Dan Williams, LB Malcolm Smith, C Rodney Hudson

Key Losses: RB Darren McFadden, WR James Jones, LB LaMarr Woodley, S Tyvon Branch

The Oakland Raiders are an interesting team going into the 2015 season. They’ve been accumulating high draft picks for years now, such as 2014 picks Derek Carr and Kahlil Mack who look to both improve on their rookie campaigns. Their defense, which has finished in the bottom five in total defense the past four seasons according to pro-football-reference.com, can’t possibly look any worse than what it has been. The front office addressed these holes when they picked up former Super Bowl MVP Malcolm Smith to pair nicely with Kahlil Mack, as well as Dan Williams. The defense looks better than it has in a long time, but the side of the ball the Raiders really built up was their offense.

The Raiders should have a completely revitalized offense this season. It starts at the top: Jack Del Rio took over as head coach and hired Bill Musgrave as his offensive coordinator. Musgrave, who was last an offensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings in 2011-13, has a large crop of free agents to work with as he implements his offense in Oakland. Troubled running back Trent Richardson, a first round pick in 2012, looks for a fresh start away from the Colts and joins a young backfield that includes Roy Helu Jr. and more notably Latavius Murray, who in just 82 carries ran for 424 yards and 2 touchdowns, good for 5.2 yards per carry. The backfield is joined by former 49er Michael Crabtree and Alabama standout Amari Cooper, who was the 4th overall pick in the 2015 draft. These additions will only add to the confidence of 2nd-year quarterback Derek Carr, looking to improve on his rookie campaign after throwing for 3,270 yards, 21 touchdowns and 22 turnovers (12 INT, 10 FUM). The odd mixture of youth and veterans on both sides of the ball should make it a better season for Oakland.

Season Prediction: This Raiders team is definitely on the right track, with young talent in the right places and a quarterback that can only get better as he ages. However, the AFC West looks like it could be a strong division once again in 2015. The Raiders will be better, but their young talent needs more time to develop.

Record: 6-10

Denver Broncos

Key Additions: Head Coach Gary Kubiak, Offensive Coordinator Rick Dennison, Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, OLB Shane Ray (first round pick) C Gino Gradkowski, TE Owen Daniels

Key Losses: TE Julius Thomas, OL Orlando Franklin, OL Ryan Clady (injury), WR Wes Welker, DT Terrance Knighton

The Denver Broncos, like the Raiders, brought in a new coaching staff, choosing Gary Kubiak to replace John Fox after he took the same position in Chicago. Kubiak brought in Wade Phillips as his defensive coordinator, who also was the defensive coordinator for the Broncos from 1989-92, and former Bronco Rick Dennison to run the offense. Dennison is also getting his second shot at coaching in Denver, as he was the offensive coordinator from 2006-08. He also worked as Kubiak’s offensive coordinator in Houston from 2010-13 until the Texans cleaned house and both were let go. But even a complete coaching overhaul can’t hide the fact that the Broncos have not done much to get better this offseason.

After losing Julius Thomas to free agency, the Broncos couldn’t afford to also lose Demariyus Thomas, who had 111 receptions, 1,619 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2014. They used their franchise tag on him, leading to some friction between Thomas and the organization. They finally signed him to a new 5-year, $70 million contract with $43.5 million of it guaranteed. The Broncos also brought in Owen Daniels to replace Thomas as the starting tight end. Other than keeping their most productive receiver, and obtaining Gino Gradkowski from Baltimore to pad a depleted offensive line, the Broncos decided to rely on the draft and one more year from Peyton Manning.

Linebacker Shane Ray, a Missouri standout who free-fell to the 23rd pick in the 2015 draft, could provide interesting reps for the Broncos on the defensive side of the ball. But the last thing that 39-year-old Manning needed was less protection from his line. Just a few years removed from spinal fusion surgery, he can’t be feeling confident about his line. The offensive line play will be the key to the success, or failure, of this Broncos team.

Season Prediction: I don’t see anything that shows the Broncos will be better than last years flame-out in the Wild Card game against Indianapolis, and Manning may be playing his final season. I’d love for the Broncos to send him out on top, but this team didn’t impress me with their draft or offseason, so I think they’ll take a step back this year.

Record: 8-8

San Diego Chargers

Key Additions: WR/KR Jacoby Jones, OL Orlando Franklin, WR Stevie Johnson, RB Melvin Gordon (first round pick), OL King Dunlap

Key Losses: C Nick Hardwick, WR Eddie Royal, RB Ryan Mathews, S Marcus Gilchrist

The San Diego Chargers weren’t looking to make too many changes this offseason, even after falling one game short of a playoff berth in 2014. Instead, the Chargers looked toward their offensive line. After Nick Hardwick retired, the Chargers brought in Orlando Franklin and King Dunlap, two veterans that add experience and talent to one of their weaker positions. While the other three offensive line positions are being determined in training camp, the Chargers have three solid starters to hopefully give quarterback Philip Rivers better pass protection. It should also open up things for rookie running back Melvin Gordon, a first round pick in 2015, who’s looking to win the starting spot in an empty backfield. The leading returning back for the Chargers is Branden Oliver, who averaged a pedestrian 3.6 yards per game last year.

The Chargers also addressed the loss of Eddie Royal by adding two more veterans, Stevie Johnson and Jacoby Jones. Jones is mostly used as a return specialist, totaling only nine receptions in 2014, but is also looking to make more of an impact in the passing game. Joining Keenan Allen and Malcolm Floyd in an unproven receiving core, both Jones and Johnson bring veteran leadership that can be valuable for young players such as Allen.

They’ll have to rely on Rivers to have another monster season. Coming off his 6th 4,000 yard season in the past seven years, Rivers is one of the more unheralded quarterbacks in the NFL. With a better O-line and a rookie pass-catching running back, Rivers should be able to rely on more weapons and keep the offense humming. The only question is how badly the loss of tight end Antonio Gates will hurt this team, after he was suspended for the first four games of the season for testing positive for PEDs. Gates has missed one game since 2011 and has become one of the top offensive tight ends in the league. How the Chargers perform without him for those four game could be pivotal for how their season unfolds.

Season Prediction: While Rivers is inconsistent and often times fails to put together a string of quality games, I believe that the Chargers have talent in their skill positions and made their offensive line a lot better with their offseason acquisitions. As long as Rivers can carry the team through the first four games without Gates, I think this team pushes for a Wild Card spot.

Record: 10-6

Kansas City Chiefs

Key Additions: WR Jeremy Maclin, CB Marcus Peters (first round pick), OL Ben Grubbs, WR Chris Conley (third round pick)

Key Losses: WR Dwayne Bowe, C Rodney Hudson, TE Anthony Fasano

Oh my, the Kansas City Chiefs. A team that went the entire 2014 season without a single receiver grabbing a touchdown and they still managed to win nine games, falling just short of a playoff berth. Well, what do you do when your receivers can’t get the job done? Go get one that can, and boy is that what they did. They signed arguably the best free agent in 2015, receiver Jeremy Maclin, after he left the Philadelphia Eagles. Maclin had a career year in 2014 with 85 receptions, 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the Eagles receiving core in yards, targets, receptions and scores. With stars in Jamaal Charles and Maclin, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking for their offense to take a leap and match the stellar defense already in place. Maclin can be the answer that Andy Reid is looking for on offense, one that could provide a safety net for quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith only completed eight passes of 20 yards or more last season, which put him dead last among quarterbacks that started 12 or more games last year. Some say that Smith just doesn’t have the ability to throw the long ball and instead has to rely on screens and short passes to mask his arm. But Smith has also never had a receiver like Maclin to throw to in his 11-year career. While this by no means makes Smith a top quarterback, having Charles in the backfield and Maclin running routes on the outside gives him two great options to rely on to make necessary plays. Smith may also have rookie receiver Chris Conley in the fold, only adding more talent to a thirsty receiving core.

Perhaps the hardest piece the Chiefs will have to replace is center Rodney Hudson, who was lured to the Oakland Raiders with a monster contract he couldn’t refuse. The current depth chart shows rookie centers Eric Kush and Mitch Morse as the candidates to replace Hudson. Ben Grubbs brings a starter at left guard, as well as durability, as he’s only missed six games in his very successful eight-year career. It remains to be seen if he can help cover up the inevitable rookie mistakes by one of the new centers. All in all, linebacker Justin Houston and the defense will still be looked upon to carry the Chiefs.

Season Prediction: I really like what the Chiefs did this offseason, already having the talent at running back to allow them to focus on their receivers. Maclin is going to have another monster year, even with Smith, and I like the Chiefs to take the AFC West division.

Record: 11-5