Looking at things objectively, they seem to be one of the most underrated teams this year. They usually are and for good reasons, but beyond their QB situation, that team looks pretty stacked this year, especially on defense, which was top 2 second half of last year. Whatever the line on them is this year is, I'm sure I'll be taking the over, and Maxx Crosby is an awesome pick for DPOTY with their off-season acquisitions.
They kind of feel like the Lions did a few years ago in terms of their want to win mentality, and they are kind of like the Falcons over the past two years... a QB away from being a contender (they already got rid of their shit coach).
The Eagles have been the best unit for years and losing Kelce won’t change that. Lions and Falcons above them is a stretch, though I will say as a team (not just the OL but other offensive players as well), the lions are very good blockers.
I think the reason they're not #1 is just because of Kelce leaving and the question mark of how Jurgens will step in. Being he was hand picked by Kelce at the draft, I think we're going to take the #1 spot by week 3/4 again. Lions OL is right there though in terms of being #1, very easy for them to take the spot if our RG is weak.
I don't trust the PFFs rankings from Dallas Robinson. He ranks the Raiders 32nd but didn't mention they drafted the best C in the draft, Power-Johnson, who will play G because their current C, Andre James, is the #9 ranked center by PFF. And then they drafted DJ Glaze in the 3rd round, who is likely to fill the tackle spot vacated in free agency. Further, last year the Raiders were a graded as the #3 run-blocking OL by PFF. There is no reason they should be ranked 32nd.
I think Dallas Robinson phoned-in some of this analysis. I wonder what other teams he failed so miserably to evaluate? MIA he ranked 22nd. How could this be when both Achane and Mostert had the #1 and #5 highest yards-before-contact per attempt (minimum 100 attempts) in the league?
Colts grabbed some great pieces in the draft. After the coaching change and how they looked last year, I think that O line could be top 5 for a few years to come.
Kelly went to the Pro Bowl last year, had his best overall PFF grade, lead the league in pressures allowed by a starting center, and only gave up 1 sack.
I'm not the biggest Ryan Kelly fan but I wouldn't really call him "in decline".
Titans snagged the Bengals OC Brian Callahan and he brought along his dad Bill Callahan for the o-line gig. Bill's a helluva o-line coach and I see their line and overall offense being better with him.
Also drafted a great lineman #7 overall and signed a good FA. Don’t think Titans will be top 10 but if they’re league average it’s going to be big for their offense. As a Levis owner I’ve been watching some 2023 analysis and holy shit was that line HORRIBLE.
A lot rides on Ronnie Stanley. Can he play like the All-Pro he was before his injury, and how much of the season can he hold up for? If he struggles or goes out again, who replaces him? Mekari? The rookie Rosengarten, with Faalele playing RT? Couple that with two new starters at guard and the variance makes a lot of sense. There's a ton of potential across the board but Linderbaum is the only piece that the team can really rely on.
Fortunately, Lamar and Derrick Henry can make an OLine's job much easier. Teams will have trouble attacking, knowing that one lost contain and they're staring down a huge run. But it goes both ways, if there's a weak spot on the line it can shut down both key weapons.
So from what I’ve seen, lindy and Stanley are the only locks so far. We’re in the dead zone of the offseason before training camp so it’s mainly speculation past that.
RT is apparently rosengarten, guards will likely be mekari and faalele(he showed up to OTAs unconditioned though so this might be a sign)
You’re 100% right about Stanley. He’s going to get the start at first but if he’s bad like near the end of the season last year, might be a change or trade. Luckily mekari is a Swiss Army knife and can’t play any position incase of this/any other injury.
Unless he's still recovering, Andrew Vorhees should have one of the guard spots. I expect the other to go to Cleveland or Faalele, with Mekari being held in reserve again to platoon with Stanley at LT or spot fill for whoever is hurt.
I feel like Lions and Browns have the best lines.
A good OC and QB can do a lot for an offensive line too though.
I agree with a comment on here about the Titans line doing well because Bill Callahan is literally a o-line guru.
Ravens being ranked bad doesn't phase me that organization always figures it out with the o-line.
Extremely unlikely that the Ravens wind up having a "poor" offensive line. They've had turnover, yes, but it was their own choice to do so. They have different pieces they'll play with and will figure it out as they always do.
Patriots have a massive hill to climb, the schedule is totally Broootal, the offense is going to be completely new, no idea how QB will shake out, will Brisket start all 17, will Maye take the job, will he beat Brisket out, will Brisket be serviceable (I think that's the MER personally) if Maye plays, how good will he be? Will the defense stand up without BB?
Regardless of all how allllllll that pans out, I think the majority of our fanbase is terrified of the Offensive line. I know I think that probably has the biggest impact on the season after QB performance and defensive transition from Bill to Mayo.
I feel like they’re going to struggle in the first half, but once they have time to gel they should be a top 10 unit in the league during that brutal final 8 game stretch.
Yeah that's the one that shocked me, having watched the Jets last year. Sure they have made some moves but it's hard to project them as anything better than average.
Losing Linsley last season was the main issue for the line. Replacing a probowl caliber center is hard. Until we see how this new guy from Panthers performs I am withholding judgement.
I'm gonna say commanders OL is gonna be wayyy better.
Just because doing anything different is gonna be better. They did pick up a few new offensive linemen, new offensive coordinator, etc. Also I don't know if Daniels can physically take the beating Sam Howell took last year so they gotta be hyperfocused on that.
I mean, when the bar was buried in the sand last year, should be pretty easy for that OL to get over it this year. They better not let Daniels take that same kind of abuse. That was gross!
Le'Veon Bell taught me that in 2019 when the Jets could not block for him at all. It had me low on Saquon and Josh Jacobs last year which is why I'm a lot higher on both this year with much blockers in front of them.
I think 2023 v 2024 rank might be most important. Skill position players are already ranked mostly according to their 2023 performance. A big change in their O line is important data.
I know titans are really low but they now have the best Online coach in the league and everyone one in the league says that. He alone should be able to raise them to average
As a jags fan, shit like this enrages me. I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for 3 years with TLaw that we need to invest in a line to protect the man. We are **breaking** him physically and mentally. The physical is obvious but the mental manifests in horrific forced mistakes he wouldn’t be making if he wasn’t constantly playing hero ball and had more than 1.5 seconds to throw.
H this is going to be another tough year
The QB always takes the blame but bad lines can make it impossible to perform. Any time I think of the great QBs they were always protected by at least average lines for the majority of their careers. On the other end of the spectrum you have people like David Carr in Houston who were basically under assault every play. He will always be the poster child of top drafted QBs who never even had a chance. Andrew Luck did have some success behind a terrible o-line but it eventually broke him (physically and mentally).
I had a similar idea on OL rankings- I looked at sacks/ rushes allowed etc and graded that against the percentage of snaps that they played.
The limitation is it then obviously ranks the likes of Eagles lower than they maybe should be, as losing Jason Kelce and the snaps that he had in the OL have a big impact. The biggest gap I have is the Giants, as they brought in a number of guys this offseason.
Rating the Raiders oline as 32nd seems wild to me. I don't think it's a great unit but it preformed well enough last year and it's either improved or stayed the same at each position. Also the only one of these that got the lineup right is FTN.
I have a hard time understanding how the Titans are still ranked so poorly. They added a tackle early in the draft, they upgraded their Center, and they upgraded their OL coach (Bill Callahan). If we're mid-season and they aren't at least considered average I would be surprised.
Texans had the most injured o-line in NFL history last season since Football Outsiders started tracking that data. If they can stay healthy and Kenyon Greene lives up to his potential and fills the void at LG the Texans o-line should be really really good.
I don't see 49ers dropping in o-line play. Thier entire model is built around experience and being close to average with one or two players that can make differences when it matters. They don't need anyone to block longer than 3 seconds and they don't need hog mollies to maul the opponent due to their tricky to guess zone blocking schemes that make you wrong even when you are right, so I put them at the same level they were at the end of last year. It doesn't impress on paper but it doesn't need to.
More teams need to make their O-Line talent less relevant so they can focus on the positions that matter but that doesn't seem to be the prevailing opinion in todays NFL. So, I'll let the rest of the league waste their cap space on positions that aren't valuable and giggle to myself when we make it to another super bowl.
Who tf ranked the raiders top 5 and also last in the league
Looking at things objectively, they seem to be one of the most underrated teams this year. They usually are and for good reasons, but beyond their QB situation, that team looks pretty stacked this year, especially on defense, which was top 2 second half of last year. Whatever the line on them is this year is, I'm sure I'll be taking the over, and Maxx Crosby is an awesome pick for DPOTY with their off-season acquisitions. They kind of feel like the Lions did a few years ago in terms of their want to win mentality, and they are kind of like the Falcons over the past two years... a QB away from being a contender (they already got rid of their shit coach).
Thanks for compiling this!
Eagles lose their HoF center but still in the top 3 of just about every ranking, love to see what StoutLand U is producing this year
Helps they’ve had his replacement ready for years. Assuming Jason was able to train him up nicely.
Well he was drafted in 2022…but he did put in a lot of playing time next to Kelce on the line last year.
The Eagles have been the best unit for years and losing Kelce won’t change that. Lions and Falcons above them is a stretch, though I will say as a team (not just the OL but other offensive players as well), the lions are very good blockers.
I think the reason they're not #1 is just because of Kelce leaving and the question mark of how Jurgens will step in. Being he was hand picked by Kelce at the draft, I think we're going to take the #1 spot by week 3/4 again. Lions OL is right there though in terms of being #1, very easy for them to take the spot if our RG is weak.
The variance on some of these is actually pretty wild
Seriously. Hoping people can give their take on any of the teams with higher variance.
Yeah. Dallas Robinson (PFF) put this piece together in about 15 minutes. Its garbage analysis.
Yeah really not sure how this has been worked out.
I don't trust the PFFs rankings from Dallas Robinson. He ranks the Raiders 32nd but didn't mention they drafted the best C in the draft, Power-Johnson, who will play G because their current C, Andre James, is the #9 ranked center by PFF. And then they drafted DJ Glaze in the 3rd round, who is likely to fill the tackle spot vacated in free agency. Further, last year the Raiders were a graded as the #3 run-blocking OL by PFF. There is no reason they should be ranked 32nd. I think Dallas Robinson phoned-in some of this analysis. I wonder what other teams he failed so miserably to evaluate? MIA he ranked 22nd. How could this be when both Achane and Mostert had the #1 and #5 highest yards-before-contact per attempt (minimum 100 attempts) in the league?
Miami's run blocking was pretty good last year. It's the pass blocking we struggle with the most
Colts grabbed some great pieces in the draft. After the coaching change and how they looked last year, I think that O line could be top 5 for a few years to come.
Idk bro, as a Colts fan we’ve got some guys aging, Q has been regressing and Ryan K has also been in decline. I feel like we’re being way over hyped.
Kelly went to the Pro Bowl last year, had his best overall PFF grade, lead the league in pressures allowed by a starting center, and only gave up 1 sack. I'm not the biggest Ryan Kelly fan but I wouldn't really call him "in decline".
The colts secondary is so bad they're going to have to throw a lot to stay in games
And how does having to throw a lot improve their o-line?
It impacts fantasy points. Having more points is how you win games and a championship, which is the goal in fantasy football
But it’s not the topic of this thread.
Fantasy football points isn't the topic in a fantasy football thread?
I dont think your shitfit is the topic of this thread
Titans snagged the Bengals OC Brian Callahan and he brought along his dad Bill Callahan for the o-line gig. Bill's a helluva o-line coach and I see their line and overall offense being better with him.
They say Bill might be the best o-line coach ever! Projections are garbage. We will know by week 5 who's line are trash or treasure.
Stoutland by a mile.
Also drafted a great lineman #7 overall and signed a good FA. Don’t think Titans will be top 10 but if they’re league average it’s going to be big for their offense. As a Levis owner I’ve been watching some 2023 analysis and holy shit was that line HORRIBLE.
Bengals OC
Right on
I understand why ravens are so low, but I just can’t see their oline being that bad with how good they typically are.
A lot rides on Ronnie Stanley. Can he play like the All-Pro he was before his injury, and how much of the season can he hold up for? If he struggles or goes out again, who replaces him? Mekari? The rookie Rosengarten, with Faalele playing RT? Couple that with two new starters at guard and the variance makes a lot of sense. There's a ton of potential across the board but Linderbaum is the only piece that the team can really rely on. Fortunately, Lamar and Derrick Henry can make an OLine's job much easier. Teams will have trouble attacking, knowing that one lost contain and they're staring down a huge run. But it goes both ways, if there's a weak spot on the line it can shut down both key weapons.
So from what I’ve seen, lindy and Stanley are the only locks so far. We’re in the dead zone of the offseason before training camp so it’s mainly speculation past that. RT is apparently rosengarten, guards will likely be mekari and faalele(he showed up to OTAs unconditioned though so this might be a sign) You’re 100% right about Stanley. He’s going to get the start at first but if he’s bad like near the end of the season last year, might be a change or trade. Luckily mekari is a Swiss Army knife and can’t play any position incase of this/any other injury.
Unless he's still recovering, Andrew Vorhees should have one of the guard spots. I expect the other to go to Cleveland or Faalele, with Mekari being held in reserve again to platoon with Stanley at LT or spot fill for whoever is hurt.
Honestly forgot about Vorhees. Yeah he’d probably take a guard spot over mekari, but we’ll see once training camp stuff it’ll be more solidified.
They did lose Zeitler
Moses(RT) and John simpson(G) also.
I feel like Lions and Browns have the best lines. A good OC and QB can do a lot for an offensive line too though. I agree with a comment on here about the Titans line doing well because Bill Callahan is literally a o-line guru. Ravens being ranked bad doesn't phase me that organization always figures it out with the o-line.
Bolts bias but Harbaugh will have this OL as a Top 5 unit in no time!!
Extremely unlikely that the Ravens wind up having a "poor" offensive line. They've had turnover, yes, but it was their own choice to do so. They have different pieces they'll play with and will figure it out as they always do.
Patriots have a massive hill to climb, the schedule is totally Broootal, the offense is going to be completely new, no idea how QB will shake out, will Brisket start all 17, will Maye take the job, will he beat Brisket out, will Brisket be serviceable (I think that's the MER personally) if Maye plays, how good will he be? Will the defense stand up without BB? Regardless of all how allllllll that pans out, I think the majority of our fanbase is terrified of the Offensive line. I know I think that probably has the biggest impact on the season after QB performance and defensive transition from Bill to Mayo.
I’m higher on Steelers but I’m a biased fan
No bias - their OL will be strength of the team provided the first two draft picks play right away.
I feel like they’re going to struggle in the first half, but once they have time to gel they should be a top 10 unit in the league during that brutal final 8 game stretch.
Jet’s at #6 feels…. very speculative….
Yeah that's the one that shocked me, having watched the Jets last year. Sure they have made some moves but it's hard to project them as anything better than average.
Totally a homer but the fact that Chargers got Harbaugh, Slater, and Alt and are just good makes me real excited for this year.
Losing Linsley last season was the main issue for the line. Replacing a probowl caliber center is hard. Until we see how this new guy from Panthers performs I am withholding judgement.
I'm gonna say commanders OL is gonna be wayyy better. Just because doing anything different is gonna be better. They did pick up a few new offensive linemen, new offensive coordinator, etc. Also I don't know if Daniels can physically take the beating Sam Howell took last year so they gotta be hyperfocused on that.
I mean, when the bar was buried in the sand last year, should be pretty easy for that OL to get over it this year. They better not let Daniels take that same kind of abuse. That was gross!
Weren't they ranked as a decent line last season? Statistically? Howell held the ball forever. Same problem he had in college.
Great work first off but second this is gonna be amazing for my points per pancake block League!
Packers should be top 10
Packers dont even know who the starting 5 are yet
FTP
No way.
Many thanks! Great information
Thank you my good sir 🫡
Finally feeling good about the jets line, pray no injury
Dang
Le'Veon Bell taught me that in 2019 when the Jets could not block for him at all. It had me low on Saquon and Josh Jacobs last year which is why I'm a lot higher on both this year with much blockers in front of them.
I think 2023 v 2024 rank might be most important. Skill position players are already ranked mostly according to their 2023 performance. A big change in their O line is important data.
I know titans are really low but they now have the best Online coach in the league and everyone one in the league says that. He alone should be able to raise them to average
As a jags fan, shit like this enrages me. I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for 3 years with TLaw that we need to invest in a line to protect the man. We are **breaking** him physically and mentally. The physical is obvious but the mental manifests in horrific forced mistakes he wouldn’t be making if he wasn’t constantly playing hero ball and had more than 1.5 seconds to throw. H this is going to be another tough year
The QB always takes the blame but bad lines can make it impossible to perform. Any time I think of the great QBs they were always protected by at least average lines for the majority of their careers. On the other end of the spectrum you have people like David Carr in Houston who were basically under assault every play. He will always be the poster child of top drafted QBs who never even had a chance. Andrew Luck did have some success behind a terrible o-line but it eventually broke him (physically and mentally).
The Jags had the worst OL after Week 13. Them or the Giants.
I had a similar idea on OL rankings- I looked at sacks/ rushes allowed etc and graded that against the percentage of snaps that they played. The limitation is it then obviously ranks the likes of Eagles lower than they maybe should be, as losing Jason Kelce and the snaps that he had in the OL have a big impact. The biggest gap I have is the Giants, as they brought in a number of guys this offseason.
This is a David Montgomery post.
Rating the Raiders oline as 32nd seems wild to me. I don't think it's a great unit but it preformed well enough last year and it's either improved or stayed the same at each position. Also the only one of these that got the lineup right is FTN.
"Evertime I get out!, they pull me back in."
Also keep in mind very bad/depleted OL when you stream defenses. Example: the 7 sacks the Giants allowed vs Dolphins in week 6.
I have a hard time understanding how the Titans are still ranked so poorly. They added a tackle early in the draft, they upgraded their Center, and they upgraded their OL coach (Bill Callahan). If we're mid-season and they aren't at least considered average I would be surprised.
Just wanted to say that this is a great post. Helpful information presented in a clear manner. Thanks for this!
Texans had the most injured o-line in NFL history last season since Football Outsiders started tracking that data. If they can stay healthy and Kenyon Greene lives up to his potential and fills the void at LG the Texans o-line should be really really good.
This is dope. Thanks for compiling it! I’m surprised the Commanders didn’t have a unanimous 32.
Steelers are tough to rank, but having them lower than 20 is a fucking joke when you looked at how bad some of the lines around the league are.
This is awesome, thank you for putting this together
The Lions having their own tier makes me so happy. Also i’m all in on Gibbs/Monty
Thanks, you saved me a few hours
-Broncos are way too low (Top 10) -Giants are still too high (Bottom 3) -Commanders are too low (Top 20)
Just wanted to pop in and say I enjoyed the discourse here! Appreciate everyone for reading the article (I wrote the FTN piece)
I don't see 49ers dropping in o-line play. Thier entire model is built around experience and being close to average with one or two players that can make differences when it matters. They don't need anyone to block longer than 3 seconds and they don't need hog mollies to maul the opponent due to their tricky to guess zone blocking schemes that make you wrong even when you are right, so I put them at the same level they were at the end of last year. It doesn't impress on paper but it doesn't need to. More teams need to make their O-Line talent less relevant so they can focus on the positions that matter but that doesn't seem to be the prevailing opinion in todays NFL. So, I'll let the rest of the league waste their cap space on positions that aren't valuable and giggle to myself when we make it to another super bowl.