The AFC's Real Training Camp Problem Nobody Is Talking About: Depth That Will Define October

When people talk about training camp this August, they will fixate on the obvious storylines. Patrick Mahomes working his way back from injury. Cam Ward trying to prove his rookie season wasn't a fluke. Anthony Richardson learning his third offensive system in two years. These are the narratives that get the clicks, the hot takes, the argument segments on television. But the real story unfolding in training camps across the AFC is far more fundamental and far more damaging to most of these rosters. It is the crisis of depth that nobody wants to acknowledge because it reveals a more uncomfortable truth about how these franchises are built.

Let me be direct about this. The AFC has a depth problem that is going to cost teams wins in October and November when the schedule gets heavy and injuries mount. This is not speculation. This is not a hot take designed to provoke argument, though it will. This is observable fact if you actually study rosters instead of just looking at star names.

Start with Kansas City because everyone will be watching Mahomes and waiting for his return. Yes, he is the engine that makes the Chiefs run. Yes, his ankle is the most important storyline in football right now. But here is what nobody is saying out loud: Kansas City's backup quarterback situation is embarrassing. The defending Super Bowl champions cannot tell you with certainty who their number two quarterback will be when Mahomes inevitably sits out a game or gets dinged up. In a perfect world, you have a backup you trust. Kansas City does not have that. They have options that range from adequate to unproven to frankly concerning. When Mahomes goes down, and he will go down at some point because all quarterback go down, this team will suddenly look very different. The depth at receiver behind Travis Kelce is also thinner than people realize. You cannot win in January without depth. Kansas City is banking too heavily on health. Grade on depth construction: C.

Baltimore has similar issues that manifest differently. The Ravens spent so much capital on Derrick Henry and Mark Andrews that they are paper thin at corner and safety. Trent McDuffie cannot play every snap. Marlon Humphrey gets hurt. Then what? Then Baltimore is starting corners who should be in the league's lower salary tiers. Training camp will expose this. The Ravens also have a running back question after Henry that nobody is discussing seriously. If Henry pulls a hamstring, who is Baltimore leaning on? The answer is not particularly inspiring. This team is built to win the division with perfect health and perfection at the skill positions. That is not how the NFL works. The NFL is injuries and attrition and depth. Grade on depth construction: C+.

Jacksonville is the cautionary tale here. They invested enormous picks and money into Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne and the wide receiver corps. But the offensive line is held together with tape and prayer and hope. The secondary is young and unproven. When injuries hit, and they will, Jacksonville will not have the depth to absorb them. One injury to the O-line and Lawrence is under pressure constantly. That turns mistakes into sacks into turnovers into losses. This team can beat anyone in September when everyone is healthy. By November, they will be looking at their depth chart and wondering why management did not prioritize the foundational depth that wins football games. Grade on depth construction: D+.

Houston has done better work here, which is why I expect them to win their division again. They invested in depth at cornerback and linebacker. They brought in secondary help. The offensive line is deeper than Jacksonville's. But even Houston is vulnerable at running back. If Joe Mixon goes down, Houston's rushing attack becomes about Derek King and practice squad additions. That changes everything about their offense. Nick Caserio has built a good team but not a deep team. Grade on depth construction: B minus.

Now let's talk about Cam Ward and the Chargers because everyone will be obsessed with whether Year 2 is a leap. Here is my take: Ward's year-to-year improvement matters far less than whether the Chargers have depth at receiver. Quentin Johnston has been injured. Ladd McConkey is a solid pickup but is he enough? Does the Chargers' receiving group have the depth to sustain 16 games against playoff-caliber defenses? No. It does not. So Ward's leaps and bounds improvement might look like regression because he is working with less at times. The system matters. The personnel around him matters more than his individual growth. This is where people get training camp evaluation wrong. They watch Ward and grade him. They should be watching the receivers he is throwing to and understanding that depth will dictate his season. Grade on depth construction: C.

Denver has invested in Saquon Barkley and Bo Nix but their depth at corner is concerning. When Patrick Surtain gets dinged up, who is covering the slot? Who is playing the third corner spot? Denver's answer is not convincing. The Broncos also lack true depth at receiver behind Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy. This is a team built around star power that will crumble if those stars get nicked up. Grade on depth construction: C.

Let me hit on the teams everyone ignores in depth conversations. Buffalo's depth at receiver is actually strong. They have Stefon Diggs and could have strong options beyond him depending on what Josh Allen has to work with in the passing game. But Buffalo's defensive line depth is questionable. When Von Miller gets older or gets hurt, who rushes the passer? Buffalo needs to find that answer in training camp. Grade on depth construction: B.

Pittsburgh is building correctly with depth in secondary and linebacker. They are investing in foundation first. But their wide receiver room behind George Pickens is weak. Very weak. That limits what their offense can do in 2024. The Steelers will win games with their defense and ground game, but they need depth at receiver to truly compete. Grade on depth construction: B minus.

Miami is all in on Tyreek Hill and have made their wide receiver bets. But their depth at tackle is problematic. If Terron Armstead goes down, things get dicey fast. The secondary also needs proving. Training camp will show whether Miami has invested properly in depth or whether they are one injury away from falling out of contention. Grade on depth construction: C+.

Indianapolis has depth questions all over the field. The cornerback situation is unresolved. The pass rush is thin. The wide receiver group has talent but lacks established depth. Indianapolis feels like a team with stars and question marks rather than a team with real depth construction. Grade on depth construction: C.

New England and New York Jets are both trying to rebuild depth simultaneously with competing, which is nearly impossible. Both teams lack the foundational depth needed to survive injury waves. Training camp will be about finding hidden depth rather than deploying existing depth. Grade on depth construction: C minus.

Here is the real verdict that nobody wants to accept. The AFC's best teams are not the ones with the best stars. They are the ones with the best depth. Kansas City will win the division again not because Mahomes is returning but because they have enough around him. Houston will compete because Caserio understood that depth wins games. The teams that will disappoint are the ones that mortgaged depth for stars and then act surprised when their stars get injured.

Training camp is where depth gets exposed. It is where the backup your team thought was adequate gets beaten by a practice squad call-in. It is where the third corner spot becomes a nightmare. It is where a team realizes they need help they did not plan on needing.

This is the real story of AFC training camp 2024.