It has been a few weeks since the last Ranking the AFC West edition in which we covered the offensive tackle position. Now with the season quickly upon us, we move on to the guards to find out how the AFC West teams stack up.
Here is how they rank:
1. Denver Broncos -- LG Zane Beadles, RG Louis Vasquez
Zane Beadles has been pretty steady for the Broncos at guard. The former second round pick has started nearly every game at left guard since he was drafted three seasons ago. The team also added Louis Vasquez who was one of the better free agents on the market to upgrade the position. Suddenly it's looking like Peyton Manning has a pretty good offensive line in front of him. As if he needed any more of an advantage.
2. Kansas City Chiefs -- LG Jeff Allen, RG Jon Asamoah
Jon Asamoah is probably the best guard in the division. The holes he has opened up for Jamaal Charles over the past few years have played a big part in Charles' All Pro play. The other guard position is less certain. Allen was the team's second round pick from last season and started 13 games. He suffered a shoulder injury in camp and if he misses a lot of time, he could be replaced by free agent acquisition, Geoff Schwartz.
3. San Diego Chargers -- LG Chad Rinehart, RG Jeromey Clary
Clary was terrible as a tackle so the Chargers drafted DJ Fluker to replace him and kicked him inside to guard. We'll see how that turns out. Rinehart is on his third team in the NFL. The former third round pick was cut after one season with the Redskins and then spent three season in Buffalo as the Bills moved him back and forth from left and right guard. Not much to like about these two.
4. Oakland Raiders -- LG Lucas Nix, RG Mike Brisiel
Lucas Nix beat out last year's third round pick, Tony Begstrom, for the job at left guard. However, neither has looked too good in limited work so Nix could be the lesser of evils here. He was an undrafted rookie last season and it is uncertain what to expect from him as a starter. Brisiel was very bad last year. He struggled with an injured ankle all last season and has yet to be fully healthy, but with a lack of better options, he is still the best choice as the starter. The switch from zone blocking to power blocking is supposed to help but thus far, it hasn't looked to improve things.
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