AFC West training camp 2026 preview: Top storylines for Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, Raiders

With 2026 training camps just around the corner, it's time to get up to speed on all 32 NFL teams. Bobby Kownack has the lowdown on the key position battles and top storylines to monitor for the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers.

Catch up on each AFC West team's offseason developments and 2026 outlook below:

• Denver Broncos
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Los Angeles Chargers

Three key storylines

1) Nix's health, receiving corps

Bo Nix should be full go for training camp after suffering a broken ankle in last season’s Divisional Round win, but every step in the process bears watching when someone this important to a franchise is returning from injury. Once Nix is out there, eyes will also be glued to his pass-catching group. Denver gifted its QB with a second No. 1 wideout by trading for Jaylen Waddle to pair with Courtland Sutton, and camp should provide the first hints as to whether the Broncos will employ them as a 1A-1B combo or settle into a more defined pecking order. Plus, can anyone from a proven supporting cast of Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims Jr. and Pat Bryant emerge as the clear third option?

2) Denver has a new play-caller

Reaching the doorstep of the Super Bowl didn’t prevent Sean Payton from enacting sizable changes to the offensive staff. He fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi two days after Denver’s AFC title game loss and bumped Davis Webb up to replace him, A month later, Payton publicly transferred play-calling duties to the 31-year-old former quarterback. It’s been a meteoric rise for Webb, who entered the coaching ranks as Payton’s QBs coach in 2023. Webb has been learning under Payton since then, so nothing will be unrecognizable, but Nix still will need to get used to a new voice in his helmet. Any improvement for a 14th-ranked scoring offense on a team that already won 14 games last season would be massive in the AFC race.

3) Broncos are largely running it back

Roster-wise, the 2026 Broncos are the personification of If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. They took the big swing for Waddle but barely signed any outside free agents. Denver instead focused on retaining talent, losing defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers and releasing linebacker Dre Greenlaw but basically keeping the band together. Even in the draft, the club didn’t make a pick until the third round. Apart from working Waddle into the mix with Webb now calling the shots, the Broncos can hit the ground running while many other contenders must start off with finding chemistry. That’s huge, considering how unfriendly the first month and a half of Denver’s schedule appears: at Chiefs, vs. Jaguars, vs. Rams, at 49ers, at Chargers and vs. Seahawks.

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Three key storylines

1) When will Mahomes be fully healthy?

Patrick Mahomes said during the offseason program that he’s in a good spot in his ACL/LCL recovery and hopes to play in Week 1, while Andy Reid told reporters the quarterback should “be able to do some things” at the start of training camp. So, how much will Mahomes take on when the Chiefs report? And how quickly will he ramp up activity? Those questions don't have answers at the moment. The Chiefs’ hopes of returning to contention -- in 2026 and beyond -- rely heavily on the two-time Most Valuable Player, so they’ll be smart with him. Justin Fields, now on his fourth team in as many years, could be one of the league’s most intensely scrutinized backups as Mahomes’ return timeline takes shape.

2) Kansas City's CB room begins anew (again)

The Chiefs have a habit of maximizing young cornerbacks' talent and moving on before the bill comes due. Most recently, they traded two-time All-Pro Trent McDuffie and let Jaylen Watson walk in free agency, with both cover men going to the Rams. Kansas City will call on 2025 third-rounder Nohl Williams and Mansoor Delane, this year’s No. 6 overall pick, to fill the void. Fourth-round rookie Jadon Canady should also be in competition for playing time with free-agent signees Kader Kohou and L'Jarius Sneed, the latter of whom returns to Kansas City a couple of years after the team traded him to Tennessee. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s track record -- which includes three straight top-six defenses in points allowed -- suggests things will work out just fine.

3) Bieniemy’s back

Kansas City’s offensive coordinator position has been devalued for years, overshadowed by the prowess of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. Perhaps it shouldn’t have been. During Eric Bieniemy’s five years as the team’s OC from 2018 through 2022, the Chiefs never finished worse than sixth in the league in points or yards, twice tallied the most points and three times amassed the most yards. In the last three years without Bieniemy, the Chiefs have ranked, at average, 17th in scoring and 15th in yardage. There were obviously other factors in the decline, such as Tyreek Hill exiting in a trade and Travis Kelce aging out of his prime, but Bieniemy returning still bodes well

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Three key storylines

1) Mendoza's first camp

The future of the Raiders now rests on No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza’s shoulders, even if he isn’t destined to start right away. New head coach Klint Kubiak has communicated that his ideal scenario is to avoid putting a rookie under center in Week 1, and by signing veteran Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas essentially ensured Mendoza's starting debut will come via choice rather than need. Still, Mendoza is coming off a perfect 16-0 season in which he took home the Heisman Trophy and led Indiana to a national championship. He’s going to show up for the competition, and all the buzz at Raiders camp will revolve around him when he does.

2) Who steps up at WR?

Las Vegas has some starry names on offense: quarterback Fernando Mendoza, running back Ashton Jeanty and tight end Brock Bowers. At wide receiver, though? There's work to do. Tre Tucker was easily the team’s most trustworthy wideout last year, but he doesn’t really profile as a WR1. Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton Jr. -- 2025 second- and fourth-round picks, respectively -- are looking to rebound from underwhelming rookie seasons. Free-agent addition Jalen Nailor has a chance to show staying power in a larger role after flashing promise with 858 yards and 10 TDs on 57 catches over the past two years with the Vikings. Those are likely Las Vegas’ top four in some order, but there’s still a lot to shake out during the preseason.

3) Crosby's defense 2.0

In the four days between the Raiders agreeing to send Maxx Crosby to the Ravens and Baltimore backing out of the trade, Las Vegas spent a whole lot of dough rebuilding its defense for what was supposed to be the post-Crosby era. Now, thanks to the blockbuster deal falling apart, Crosby is very much a part of the present. The five-time Pro Bowler returned to possibly the most talented unit the Raiders have had during his career. The linebacking corps has been rebuilt with Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker; Taron Johnson brings more legitimacy to the cornerback room; and Kwity Paye is set to line up on the edge opposite Crosby. Reason for excitement in Sin City extends far beyond the team’s top-picked QB.

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Three key storylines

1) McDaniel effect

It was time for a change after the Chargers scored 15 combined points in their last two wild-card exits. Jim Harbaugh fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman, a longtime collaborator, and replaced him with Mike McDaniel to hopefully supercharge the offense as the former Dolphins coach did in his first couple years with Miami. McDaniel’s arrival as a quarterback whisperer is good news for Justin Herbert, who already plays at a Pro Bowl level, but the impact of his high-octane system should be felt everywhere, from the promising tight end trio of Oronde Gadsden II, David Njoku and Charlie Kolar to Omarion Hampton in the backfield.

2) Fingers crossed for L.A.'s O-line

Los Angeles’ offensive line should be a strength of the team in 2026 after disaster struck last season. Left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear in August, while right tackle Joe Alt played just six games before requiring season-ending ankle surgery. Herbert took a career-high 54 sacks behind a patchwork offensive line, leading the league with 268 pressures taken and a 43.3 pressure rate. Slater and Alt are back, but they’ll also be joined on the line by free-agent signings Tyler Biadasz and Cole Strange, as well as second-round rookie Jake Slaughter. Assuming the group stays healthy, Herbert should be well protected. First, though, the Bolts blockers have to jell together as a unit in August.

3) Chargers hope they have an edge-rushing duo to build around

The offseason didn’t bring any sweeping changes for the Chargers defense. Dalvin Tomlinson, 32, was their most notable signing to bulk up the interior, and they lost a few pass rushers, Odafe Oweh and Da'Shawn Hand, but largely maintained the status quo. Los Angeles did, however, spend a first-round pick on Akheem Mesidor, the ACC sack leader in 2025 with 12.5. There’s enough pass-rushing depth that Mesidor won’t have to take on too much too soon. More importantly, he has some stellar mentors in Tuli Tuipulotu, who was sixth in the NFL last season with 13 sacks, and nine-time Pro Bowler Khalil Mack. The hope is for a seamless transition from Mack to Mesidor alongside Tuipulotu as the leaders of the L.A. edge rush.

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