AFC West
DENVER BRONCOS
OFF: 7 RUSH: 19 PASS: 6
DEF: 26 RUND: 26 PASD: 26
Cap Room: $25,280,000
1st Need: Resrv DT
2nd Need: Start CB
3rd Need: Start S
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Patrick Hape FB 8 Start FB 38 yd, 6 rec, 36 rec yd, 8 krb
Ephraim Salaam* T 7 B-Up T 0 krb, 0 krb%, 2 ska, 1.5 sk%
Micah Knorr* P 5 Punter 86 pnt, 39.1 avg, 28 In20
Darrius Holland* DT 11 Start DT 6 tkl, 5.5 sk, 3 hurr
Al Wilson #6 ILB 6 Start LB 118 tkl, 2 sk, 3 int, 8 defn
Ian Gold #13 OLB 5 Start LB 70 tkl, 2 sk
Lenny Walls* CB 3 Start CB 33 tkl, 4 int, 5 defn
Jimmy Spencer CB 13 B-Up CB 34 tkl, 1 int
Nick Ferguson SS 5 B-Up S 24 tkl, 2 sk
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: Denver's offense was one of the better ones in the NFL, and they lose very little on that side of the ball. Still, the reason Denver didn't make the playoffs is because of a bad defense, and losing two of the top linebackers in the game isn't going to make anything better. The Broncos not only will need to replace Wilson and Gold, among others, but they will also need to seek overall improvement above and beyond replacing their best defensive players. Considering they are also at the lower end of the cap room list, this is not a particularly good situation for the Broncos.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
OFF: 8 RUSH: 9 PASS: 11
DEF: 30 RUND: 25 PASD: 32
Cap Room: $36,150,000
1st Need: Start ILB
2nd Need: Start WR
3rd Need: Start CB
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Jason Dunn #9 TE 8 B-Up TE 15 rec, 119 yd, 1 td
Dante' Hall* WR 5 Start WR 43 rec, 708 yd, 2 td
Eddie Kennison* WR 12 Start WR 43 rec, 650 yd, 4 td
Dameane Douglas WR 6 B-Up WR 28 rec, 362 yd, 1 td
Johnnie Morton* WR 11 B-Up WR 39 rec, 613 yd, 1 td
John Tait T 6 Start T 7 krb, 23.3 krb%, 11 ska, 3.3 sk%
Eric Hicks DE 7 B-Up DE 19 tkl, 7 sk, 4 hurr
Mike Maslowski* ILB 6 Start LB 90 tkl, 2 sk, 3 int, 6 defn
William Bartee CB 5 Start CB 64 tkl, 2 int, 4 defn
Dexter McCleon* CB 8 Start CB 54 tkl, 3 int, 7 defn
Eric Warfield* CB 7 B-Up CB 42 tkl, 2 int, 5 defn
Jerome Woods* FS 9 Start S 95 tkl, 3 int, 9 defn
Greg Wesley SS 5 Start S 39 tkl, 3 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: Two patterns are immediately obvious when you look at the Chiefs' situation. One, they continue the all-offense, no-defense pattern of several AFC teams, including their fellow AFC West Broncos. The second pattern is that whiel they have a good amount of cap room, they match it with some fairly significant losses, on both sides of the ball. The key components of the offense--Green, Holmes, Gonzalez, most of the line--remain untouched. But virtually the entire wide receiver corps (including both starters and their backups) was let go. Also lost on offense was Dunn, the 9th best TE playing backup to the #1 TE (Gonzalez), and Tait, one of the best linemen on the team. The losses on defense are nearly as significant. All four secondary starters and the nickel back got the heave-ho, along with starting middlebacker Maslowski and pass rush specialist Hicks.
OAKLAND RAIDERS
OFF: 11 RUSH: 23 PASS: 7
DEF: 21 RUND: 2 PASD: 28
Cap Room: $30,580,000
1st Need: Start DE
2nd Need: Start QB
3rd Need: Start OLB
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Jerry Rice* WR 19 B-Up WR 22 rec, 269 yd, 2 td
Alvis Whitted WR 7 B-Up WR 35 rec, 492 yd, 4 td
Matt Stinchcomb #19 G 5 Start G 10 krb, 21.7 krb%, 7 ska, 1.2 sk%
Barry Sims* T 6 Start T 27 krb, 33.3 krb%, 4 ska, 0.7 sk%
John Parrella* DT 12 Start DT 64 tkl, 8 sk, 9 hurr
D. Stubblefield #12 DT 12 Start DT 39 tkl, 11 sk, 12 hurr
DeLawrence Grant* DE 4 B-Up DE 13 tkl, 4.5 sk, 7 hurr
Eric Barton OLB 6 Start LB 44 tkl, 1 sk, 2 hurr, 1 int
Charles Woodson #8 CB 7 Start CB 77 tkl, 2 int, 14 defn
Derrick Gibson* FS 4 B-Up S 24 tkl, 1 int, 2 defn
Anthony Dorsett SS 9 Start S 72 tkl, 2 int, 14 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: If you hate the Raiders (and it seems many FOFCers do), you're going to love what's happening here. The Raiders are going to find it awfully hard to repeat as champions of this division if they have to overcome the losses they have here. The problem is two-fold. On top of having one of the most significant groups of free agents hitting the road, the Raiders were also struck hard by retirement, losing five players, all of whom were key to their success. On offense, the Raiders lose Gannon (the #1 QB) and starting wideout Brown to reirement, and legend in the making Rice to free agency. Then they lose Sims and Stinchomb, two of the league's best linemen, to free agency. On defense, the second-best run defense loses its rocks in the middle as vet tackles Parrella and Stubblefield leave for free agency. They are joined among line departures by the retirement of Armstrong on one end. At linebacker, the Raiders lose both starting outside linebackers, Barton to free agency on one side, and the much beloved Romanowski to retirement on the other. And then they really get hit in the defensive backfield, where they lose one of the best corners in the game in Woodson to free agency, and the #3 S in Rod Woodson to retirement. Toss on losing two other starting safeties, including starter Dorsett, and you have a total of 12 starters--8 on defense--who will either be leaving the team for good or will require some free agent funds to return. And the Raiders aren't blessed with much cap room. I would be stunned if they didn't go from first to last in one year.
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
OFF: 19 RUSH: 20 PASS: 17
DEF: 19 RUND: 9 PASD: 24
Cap Room: $35,560,000
1st Need: Start TE
2nd Need: Start ILB
3rd Need: Resrv DE
Code:
Key Free Agents From Team
Name Pos Exp LY Role Key Stats
Doug Flutie* QB 11 B-Up QB 27 yd, 50%, 71.8 QBR
S. Alexander* #18 TE 7 Start TE 61 rec, 648 yd, 4 td
Tim Dwight* WR 7 B-Up WR 23 rec, 317 yd
Cory Raymer* C 9 Start C 29 krb, 35.8 krb%, 5 ska, 0.8 sk%
Bobby Hallen G 7 Start G 14 krb, 28.5 krb%, 9 ska, 1.9 sk%
Damien McIntosh T 5 Start T 13 krb, 26.0 krb%, 6 ska, 1.0 sk%
Vaughn Parker* T 11 Start T 18 krb, 27 krb%, 14 ska, 3.0 sk%
Jason Fisk* DT 10 Start DT 56 tkl, 5 sk, 4 hurr
Ray Lee Johnson* DE 11 Start DE 40 tkl, 9 sk, 21 defn
Shannon Taylor OLB 5 PT St LB 33 tkl, 1 sk, 2 defn
*- team released player just prior to free agency
Comments: Although they do still have some holes to fill, the Chargers have a strong opportunity to significantly improve themselves. They have a good amount of cap room and relatively few holes to fill, as they return almost all of their key skill players and the best players on their defense. The problem is that they weren't very good to begin with, so they will need to add significantly to improve. The one area they do get hit is also an immediate area of concern, as they lose four of their five line starters. While the game doesn't deem a line spot to be worthy enough to mention as a need, they will need to put some serious money into the area to rebuild the unit, especially in replacing Raymer, who was one of the league's best centers last year. They also lose a top twenty tight end in Alexander.
CR