Kansas City Chiefs: Best Roster In The AFC West?
By Ben Almquist
Inside Linebacker
Denver Broncos – Brandon Marshall/Todd Davis: Here is a wake up call for Broncos fans…you should be concerned about the middle of your defense. Brandon Marshall is a stud, no doubt, and enough to keep this group towards the top in this conversation. However Todd Davis is a career backup and nowhere near the player that Danny Trevathan is. Be forewarned. Rank: 2nd
Kansas City Chiefs – Derrick Johnson/Josh Mauga: This one isn’t particularly close as Derrick Johnson can legitimately make a claim to be the best inside linebacker in the NFL since the retirement of Ray Lewis. He is an outstanding playmaker who is solid in every facet of the game. Josh Mauga isn’t a star, but he is a suitable starter and handles the “Mike” role well to open lanes for Johnson. Rank: 1st
Oakland Raiders – *Ben Heeney: Ben Heeney is an easy guy for Raiders fans to get excited about. He has a lot of tools to work with, but he is nowhere near the level of Brandon Marshall or Derrick Johnson. Without a compliment to work with, he’s stuck at the bottom. Rank: 4th
San Diego Chargers – Manti Te’O/Denzel Perryman: Neither Manti Te’O or Denzel Perryman have been overly impressive thus far in their careers, but both have been decent players Rank: 3rd
*Raiders run a 4-3 defense with one inside linebacker
Total Points – DEN: 21 KC: 30 OAK: 27 SD: 20
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