AFC West power rankings: Who has the best offense?

Denver decided that as good as Courtland Sutton and Noah Fant are, Vic Fangio needed more toys on offense, and they addressed that in the draft by stealing Alabama star receiver Jerry Jeudy with the No. 15 overall pick before adding electric Penn State playmaker KJ Hamler in the second round.

The ground game should also flourish under new OC Pat Shurmur, as Denver lured Melvin Gordon away from the Los Angeles Chargers, giving them one of the league’s best combinations of backs between Gordon, Philip Lindsay, and Royce Freeman.

Drew Lock showed a lot of promise during his rookie season, and the addition of Shurmur, who helped Sam Bradford set a completion percentage record and led Case Keenum to the NFC Championship game with the Vikings, should help his numbers flourish.

The Broncos are placing a ton of responsibility on Lock, who won four of his five starts as a rookie, only losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on the road while it was snowing. Lock’s arm talent is legit, but he still has some issues with downfield accuracy from time to time.

Despite the selection of Lloyd Cushenberry and the continued development of Dalton Risner, Denver’s offensive line could come back to bite them, as it is a substandard line protecting a QB in Lock that isn’t overly mobile. Left tackle Garrett Bolles, a former first-round pick, is the worst offender.

The Broncos’ postseason odds hinge solely on Lock, as the Broncos have enough offensive firepower to compete and a ferocious defense that will make opponents sweat. If Lock has truly been coached out of his Missouri bad habits, Denver might win a playoff game this year.