The Kansas City Chiefs have consistently proved that they're the team to beat in today's NFL. Patrick Mahomes & Co. have racked up a ton of success over the last half-decade, which includes winning three of the last five Super Bowls and the opportunity to pull off the first-ever three-peat next season.
While being a Chiefs fan is a lot of fun, it's anything but that for their division rivals. The fact that Kansas City is always in the Super Bowl conversation has led to fans of the other AFC West teams overrating their players in hopes that they don't feel too inadequate standing next to the NFL's modern-day dynasty.
With that in mind, let's take a look at four of the most overrated players in the AFC West.
1. Javonte Williams, RB — Denver Broncos
When it comes to the AFC West's running backs, fewer are more overrated than the Denver Broncos' Javonte Williams.
Drafted 35th overall by the Broncos in 2021, Williams burst onto the scene with 1,219 scrimmage yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. The Denver fanbase expected big things from the former UNC Tar Heel, hoping that he could become the franchise's No. 1 RB for years to come.
Unfortunately, Williams' outlook hasn't seemed as bright since he tore his ACL against the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022. He still managed to suit up in 16 games for the Broncos last season but clearly didn't look right, racking up just 774 rushing yards and three TDs despite seeing a career-high 217 carries. His 3.6 yards per career was also the worst mark of his career.
With Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin back in the mix, Denver's backfield will likely see another committee approach this fall. In other words, it's clear that the Broncos don't view Williams as an RB1 in the same way that their fans do. He's still only 24 and could get better (in theory), but the chances of that have dropped after seeing how his ACL tear affected his 2023 production.
2. Aidan O'Connell, QB — Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders' quarterback room was somewhat of a mess during the 2023 campaign. Three different signal-callers recorded starts for the franchise, including Aidan O'Connell, who the Raiders drafted 135th overall last April.
Despite not looking like anything special, Raiders fans few O'Connell as the future of the franchise under center. I could understand that if he was lights out, but nothing about his performances suggests that he's a QB1.
While the former Purdue product completed 62.1% of his passing attempts, he only tallied 2,218 passing yards with 12 TDs to seven interceptions. He only led Las Vegas to a 5-5 record across his 10 starts which only included one game-winning drive. That's without mentioning how he finished four of his starts without a single touchdown pass.
If the Raiders were all-in on O'Connell, they likely wouldn't have signed Gardner Minshew this spring. Having a reliable backup QB is crucial, yes, but the fact that Las Vegas is giving Minshew $25 million across the next two seasons suggests that the Raiders might not be fully sold on his 25-year-old counterpart.
With that being said, Raiders fans are evidently overrated AOC until he proves otherwise.
3. Joshua Palmer, WR — Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers decided to blow up their wide receiver room in the wake of Jim Harbaugh's arrival. Gone are the days of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams leading the Chargers' aerial attack, leaving Joshua Palmer as the new WR1 in the fanbase's eyes.
Palmer is a solid playmaker, but he has a ways to go before being recognized as a top-tier threat. The 24-year-old Canadian wideout has played three NFL seasons but has never even hit the 800-yard mark. Yes, he had to compete with Allen and Williams for targets, but it still remains to be seen if he can handle being Justin Herbert's go-to option.
That's without mentioning how he has nine drops in the last two seasons.
Palmer must also prove that he's fully recovered from last year's knee sprain that forced him to miss seven games. While he was healthy enough to play in three of the Chargers' final four games, the fact that he finished with 47 or fewer receiving yards in two of those contests indicates that his play may have taken a step back.
Los Angeles' current WR room is fairly young, so it'll be up to Palmer to separate himself from the pack. Unfortunately for the Chargers faithful, that seems unlikely based on what we've seen from him thus far.
4. Justin Herbert, QB — Los Angeles Chargers
Stick with the Chargers, it's hard not to call Justin Herbert overrated at his point of his NFL journey.
Herbert made headlines last summer when the Chargers inked him to a monster five-year, $262.5 million contract. He's set to enter the 2024 NFL campaign with the league's fourth-highest salary ($52.5 million), putting him just a hair under the Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes ($52.65 million).
Although both quarterbacks' salaries are mind-blowing, Mahomes' makes sense given that he's led the Chiefs to a trio of Super Bowl titles. Meanwhile, Herbert has done very little to prove that he's deserving of such a massive financial figure.
Since being drafted sixth overall in 2020, Herbert has only led the Chargers to a 30-32 record (48.4%) across 62 career starts. While he's completed 66.6% of passing attempts for over 17,000 yards and 114 TDs to 42 INTs, he's coming off a 2023 performance that saw him average a career-worst 241.1 passing yards per game.
Herbert is also set to play on his huge contract despite having next-to-zero personal accolades to his name. After being named the 2020 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, the former Oregon Duck has made just one Pro Bowl appearance. Additionally, he's made just one playoff start.
Now that he won't have Allen and Williams to target, time will tell what Herbert can do with an unproven group of receivers. He deserves respect if he can will the Chargers into playoffs with the hand he's dealt, but he also deserves all of the criticism if he fails to take that next step toward superstardom.
Even with Harbaugh's mind running the show, there's a decent chance that Herbert will remain in the overrated conversation one year from now.
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