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It appears the Kansas City Chiefs are not going to make a push for fullback Vonta Leach unless the team can come up with some cap room.

The Chiefs only have about $3.5 million in salary-cap room and they must sign No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher. They are also going to visit with linebacker Desmond Bishop on Thursday.

Never say never on Leach ending up in Kansas City, but some things have to happen. Leach appears to be a luxury the Chiefs currently can’t afford.

In other AFC West news:

The USA Today reports there is more trouble for David Chao, who recently quit as the Chargers’ team physician.

New Denver receiver Wes Welker visited Boston after leaving the Patriots this offseason.

It appears the readers of this blog agree with the masses.

We asked readers if they think it will be a tight race in the AFC West this year or if they think the Denver Broncos will be the clear favorite. Nationally, experts think Denver is the heavy favorite.

As of 7:05 p.m. ET Wednesday, 60 percent of the votes believe Denver is the clear favorite, while 40 percent think it will be a race.

Last season, Denver went 13-3 and won the division by six games over second-place finisher San Diego, which was 7-9. The Chargers, Raiders and Chiefs combined for just 13 wins.

There has been significant turnover in all four organizations in the offseason. Denver has added several key free agents, but the other teams have been busy as well.

I bet the division will be closer this season, but I can’t disagree with the masses in this poll. As of now, Denver looks like the favorite.

Let’s face it: The AFC West has not been a great division the past five years.

It is the only division in the NFL during that time span not to send a team to the Super Bowl and no team has even qualified for the AFC championship game.

Are better times ahead? Well, I kind of think so, but not everyone does. In an Insider piece, a group of experts offer the NFL future Power Rankings for 2016. It is based on several facets.

According to the experts, not much is expected from the AFC West. The panel has Denver ranked as the No. 11 team, Kansas City No. 12 team, San Diego No. 25 team and Oakland No. 31.

In some ways I get the low rankings. The future is all about quarterbacking. None of the AFC West teams have a quarterback who can be completely counted on in three years. So I get it.

But there are some quality young players on all four rosters. Thus, I bet once we actually get to the 2016 season, things will look brighter in the division.

J.D. Walton’s return to the field will have to wait and the Denver Broncos will have to figure out who will get the ball to Peyton Manning.

The Denver Post reported Walton recently had another ankle surgery and he could miss the entire 2013 season. The paper reported that Walton will be out at least half the season. The team has been expecting the issue in recent weeks because Walton was not recovering as expected. He was lost for the season last September.

Manny Ramirez was working with the first unit at center during the offseason. Denver was happy for him, but I could see them looking at free agents. Dan Koppen is available. He took over for Walton last year. Koppen did well, but he tailed off toward the end of the season.

If the team doesn’t go with Ramirez or bring back Koppen, they could consider Eugene Amano. He was recently cut by the Titans. He has 68 career starts. He was injured all of last season. Denver also has Philip Blake. But he has dealt with injuries and I’m not sure the team feels like he is ready to start. It’s not completely out of the question that Denver considers using Chris Kuper at center. The oft-injured Kuper is the odd man out at guard.

Overall, this is an issue, but I get the sense Denver had known Walton’s recovery was not going well in the past month or so. So this doesn’t come as a surprise and that Ramirez and Manning have been working together knowing it would for the long haul.

In other AFC West notes:

An Insider piece shows the Broncos and Chiefs were strong run-blocking teams in 2012 while the Chargers must pick it up.

Midweek mail call:

Bryce from Fayetteville, Ark., wants to know if I think undrafted free agents Kwame Geathers and Byron Jerideau can make the Chargers’ 53-man roster.

Bill Williamson: I hate to put any expectations on an undrafted free agent more than a month from training camp. It is not fair or realistic. However, both Geathers and Jerideau have ability and both have looked good. Plus, the Chargers are thin at defensive tackle so the opportunity to make the roster will be there for both players.

Howard Wenger from Loveland, Colo., wants to know what position Denver will look for before the season starts.

BW: I think there may be a couple of areas Denver could look to add, mainly middle linebacker and running back. I don’t think Denver will be looking for an impact player at either spot, perhaps just some depth.

Chris from Pennsylvania wants to know if I think the Oakland Raiders can add a veteran receiver.

BW: The Raiders are certainly lacking a veteran presence at receiver, but Oakland has several intriguing young prospects. As the Raiders rebuild I think they might allow all of these youngsters a chance to show what they can do. Taking up a roster spot with a veteran may not be what the team is thinking.

At this point of the offseason, salary-cap totals don’t mean nearly as much as they did three months ago. But I know there is always interest in cap numbers -- so, thanks to the invaluable John Clayton, I have gotten ahold of the latest figure for each AFC West team:

DENVER BRONCOS

Cap room: $10.6 million

What does it mean? The Broncos can pretty much do what they want. They can easily sign their top draft pick, defensive lineman Sylvester Williams, and add a piece or two as the summer goes on. They could also perhaps give an extension to someone such as Ryan Clady, Demaryius Thomas, Von Miller or Eric Decker.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Cap room: $3.5 million

What does it mean? The Chiefs have had a great offseason, but there is little cap room left. The Chiefs have to sign No. 1 overall pick Eric Fisher. They are also reportedly hosting linebacker Desmond Bishop this week. The Chiefs may need to restructure a deal or two to get a little more room.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Cap room: $7.6 million

What does it mean? The Raiders have yet to sign their first-round draft pick, cornerback D.J. Hayden; their second-round pick, offensive lineman Menelik Watson; or their fourth-round pick, quarterback Tyler Wilson. They can execute those signings and still have some emergency money.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Cap room: $3.1 million

What does it mean? The Chargers have their entire draft class signed, so they have some decent just-in-case money available.

Two of the more exciting wide receivers in the NFL in 2013 will likely be Denver’s Demaryius Thomas and Seattle’s Percy Harvin.

ESPN’s Fantasy analysts debated the two players and examined who may be a more valuable fantasy play this season in this video above.

They are difficult to compare because they are different types of players and Harvin has return game value as well. But in the end, Thomas is projects to have a slightly better fantasy points average.

It’s an interesting debate and it gets all those fantasy juices flowing as fantasy draft preparation has definitely begun.

Monday on the blog, we asked whether Green Bay connections within the division could drum up interest in linebacker Desmond Bishop.

Tuesday, we received a quick answer. The NFL Network is reporting Bishop, who was cut by the Packers on Monday, will visit the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday and Thursday. He is visiting Minnesota on Tuesday.

Bishop was in Green Bay with new Kansas City general manager John Dorsey. Clearly, Dorsey thinks Bishop can help his team, which has been busy reloading all offseason. Many NFL observers think the Chiefs have had one of the very best offseasons in the NFL. Adding Bishop would only make it stronger.

He is the best linebacker available. He is coming off a major hamstring injury, but he is expected to be ready for the season.

Bishop, a 3-4 inside linebacker, is a strong fit for the Chiefs. One of the few question marks on Kansas City's defense is at inside linebacker.

The Chiefs think they have their answer in fourth-round pick Nico Johnson. He looked good this offseason. But you can’t blame the Chiefs if they would rather have an established player such as Bishop start instead of a fourth-round pick. If Bishop is signed, it doesn't affect Johnson’s long-term potential.

If Bishop goes elsewhere, Johnson will simply slide in and start.

Investigating a situation like this is what good front offices do. In a short time, Dorsey has shown he is running a strong front office.

We have entered the quietest time of the NFL calendar -- the break between the offseason programs and training camp.

As we wait for the teams in the AFC West to assemble late July to officially begin the march toward the 2013 season, we want to know if you think the AFC West will be a close race this season.

Last season, Denver went 13-3 and won the division by six games over second-place finisher San Diego, which was 7-9. The Chargers, Raiders and Chiefs combined for just 13 wins.

There has been significant turnover in all four organizations in the offseason. Denver has added several key free agents, but the other teams have been busy as well. Do you think Denver is the clear favorite to win the division or do you think this will be a tight race? Please take our poll and express your thoughts in the comment section below. We will review the poll results Wednesday.

Shortly after the Elvis Dumervil fax fiasco, the Denver Broncos reached out to veteran pass-rushers Dwight Freeney and John Abraham.

It seemed like Denver would replace Dumervil, the Broncos’ second pass-rushing option behind star Von Miller, with one of the two veterans.

However, because of financial reasons, Denver pulled away from both players. Instead it added former San Diego pass-rusher Shaun Phillips and drafted rookie Quanterus Smith in the fifth round to help Miller.

However, the USA Today thinks a Denver-Abraham pairing could still be achieved. It looks at its top 10 remaining free agents. Abraham is No. 1 on the list. It think his best fit is Denver.

Could it still happen? I think if the price is right, sure. Denver is in win-now mode and if it thinks the veteran Abraham is a missing piece, it will pursue him.

I wouldn’t count on Abraham signing in Denver, but I can certainly see it as well.

There are a few Green Bay connections in the AFC West with Reggie McKenzie becoming the general manager in Oakland last year and John Dorsey taking over in Kansas City earlier this year.

Both men came from Green Bay. Naturally, when a Green Bay player becomes available, both Oakland and Kansas City are initially connected. It is no different in the case of middle linebacker Desmond Bishop. He was cut by the Packers on Monday and will be a free agent. Even though he is coming off a major hamstring injury, Bishop, 29, goes to the head of the class of available free agents.

He was an inside linebacker in Green Bay’s 3-4 defense. However, scouts believe he can play middle linebacker in a traditional 4-3 defense. It has already been reported that Minnesota, which runs a 4-3, is interested in Bishop.

I’ve been asked often if McKenzie or Dorsey would be interested in Bishop.

The first place we should look is Kansas City because they run a 3-4. It all comes down to if the team is comfortable with fourth-round pick Nico Johnson starting. I think they are. But if Dorsey has a good feel for Bishop, perhaps there could be some interest. Dorsey has done a strong job of flipping over stones this offseason. So, I wouldn’t be shocked if he at least thought about adding Bishop.

Linebacker is one of the deepest areas on Oakland’s roster. The team has raved about free-agent addition Nick Roach who will play at middle linebacker. With limited resources and more pressing needs, I’m not sure Bishop would be an easy fit in Oakland. He is from the Bay Area and I’m sure he’d be interested in returning, though.

As for the other two teams in the AFC West, San Diego is set at starters and Denver, which runs a 4-3, is excited about Nate Irving in the middle and it has depth there.

There were major sewage problems Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum that forced the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners to use the same locker room after Sunday's game. The Oakland Raiders also use the stadium. It is the last stadium in the country that is used by both an NFL team and an MLB team.

The pipes backed up on the lower level and caused some leakage in both clubhouses. After the game, the two teams both had to use the Raiders’ locker room, which is located on a higher floor.

It was caused because of high usage during a six-game homestand. This incident will do nothing to end the talk that both teams need a new stadium. The Raiders have been trying to drum up some steam for a new stadium in the Bay Area, but they have no real traction. The team remains a potential candidate to relocate to Los Angeles.

 

Scott Pioli has found steady work for the upcoming NFL season.

As anticipated, it will be outside of an NFL building. NBC announced Monday that the former Kansas City Chiefs general manager will join its "Football Night in America" broadcast team on Sunday nights during the season. He will be part of the studio team.

It is not a surprise that the articulate Pioli received a high-profile broadcasting position. He will offer some solid insight. It is also not a surprise that Pioli is, at least for now, stepping away from working for an organization. It was expected when Pioli was fired after four seasons in Kansas City that he would take some time off.

When will Pioli return to a front office? That’s difficult to answer. First, he will need an offer, but he may decide the high profile, less-pressured world of broadcasting suits him at this point.

Our AFC West positional rankings series continues with a look at a young group of defensive linemen:

1. Corey Liuget, San Diego: This player has a chance to be a superstar.

2. Lamarr Houston, Oakland: A lot will be expected of this talented player on a line in transition.

3. Derek Wolfe, Denver: The Broncos are expecting huge things from this second-year player.

4. Kendall Reyes, San Diego: The same thing goes for Reyes in San Diego. He has great potential.

5. Terrance Knighton, Denver: Jack Del Rio is reunited with this run stuffer. Terrific free-agent addition.

6. Dontari Poe, Kansas City: I wouldn’t be shocked if this player makes a huge jump in Year 2.

7. Sylvester Williams, Denver: The first-round pick has huge potential. He is a good fit for this defense.

8. Tyson Jackson, Kansas City: Former No. 3 overall pick will never be great, but he has value.

9. Mike DeVito, Kansas City: The Chiefs are thrilled about his free-agent pickup. He can play.

10. Vance Walker, Oakland: Free-agent addition was a good rotational player in Atlanta. Gets chance for a bigger role.

11. Pat Sims, Oakland: This could be a very good addition if he can stay healthy.

12. Kevin Vickerson, Denver: Nothing fancy, but Vickerson is a solid part of a good defense.

13. Robert Ayers, Denver: The Broncos need this former first-round pick to contribute with Elvis Dumervil gone.

14. Cam Thomas, San Diego: The Chargers expect a lot from this promising player.

15. Christo Bilukidi, Oakland: I have a feeling he is going to develop quickly.

16. Andre Carter, Oakland: Greatest value may be as a leader, which this young team needs.

17. Jason Hunter, Oakland: Try-hard player could get a lot of playing time.

18. Jack Crawford, Oakland: Second-year player will have a chance to show his value.

ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth predicted the 2013 AFC playoff teams in this video.

He pegged just one team from the AFC West to make the playoffs. Not surprisingly, that team is the Denver Broncos. The defending division champion went 13-3 last season.

The three other teams in the division won a combined 13 games. While those teams worked to improve this offseason, so did Denver. So, it would have been surprising had Schlereth picked anyone else but Denver to win the division.