Every NFL Team's Offensive Line Situation Ranked
Written by: Aaron Ussery
Heading into training camp, now is a great time to check in on the state of each team's overall roster. Below I rank all 32 teams' current offensive line situations from worst to best. Read below to see who finds themselves with plenty of security and who might be in for some chaotic times up front in 2022.
32. Chicago Bears
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Braxton Jones
LG - Cody Whitehair
C - Lucas Patrick
RG - Sam Mustipher
RT - Larry Borom
Key Backups - OT Teven Jenkins, OT Julien Davenport, IOL Ja'Tyre Carter
Jones had a very strong minicamp where he ended the sessions lining up with the number one unit. While that may be an encouraging sign, it's still hard to get too excited about a rookie fifth rounder being your team's starting left tackle. Whitehair is likely to play guard, which is a bit of an odd decision (he's always looked more natural when playing center in my opinion). Patrick is the reason why, having been brought over from Green Bay as a free agent after a relatively successful season as the team's primary starting center in 2021. Mustipher is the other guard for now, replacing the departed (and much better) James Daniels. Borom appears to have kicked over from left tackle, where you figure he and 2021 2nd round pick Teven Jenkins will battle for the starting job.
It's been said a million times at this point, but the Bears really aren't putting QB Justin Fields in position to succeed this year. Yes, building a roster up takes time when you're essentially starting from scratch - but you'd still hope the front office could have assembled a more inspiring group than this.
31. Pittsburgh Steelers
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Dan Moore
LG - Kevin Dotson
C - Mason Cole
RG - James Daniels
RT - Chuks Okorafor
Key Backups - OT Joe Haeg, IOL Kendrick Green, IOL JC Hassenauer
Moore took over as the starter last season and had his fair share of struggles, but the team appears to have faith in him. He needs to show improvement in his second year, or the left tackle spot is going to be a significant liability. Dotson is probably the best player here, having flashed high level potential as a rookie before struggling with injury in 2021. Cole looks to be the guy at center for now, but will likely compete with Kendrick Green for the job. Both possess good mobility when climbing to the second level, but also lack functional strength and can often get overwhelmed at the point of attack. Daniels was brought over from the aforementioned Bears after several seasons as an above average starting guard, but has continuously struggled to stay healthy. Okorafor is entering his fifth season and has yet to solidify himself as an above average starter.
The Steelers are in a tough spot. The guard positions should be okay if Dotson and Daniels can both stay healthy, but there's some serious question marks at center and both tackle spots.
29. Houston Texans
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Laremy Tunsil
LG - Kenyon Green
C - Justin Britt
RG - AJ Cann
RT - Tytus Howard
Key Backups: OT Charlie Heck, IOL Max Scharping, IOL Jimmy Morrissey
Tunsil was the subject of trade rumors earlier in the offseason, but is back for at least another year. He hasn't been anything close to what the team thought they were getting when they traded for him back in 2019. Green was one of the team's two first round picks, and while he certainly looks the part of a starting guard in the NFL we'll obviously need to see it first before we can get too excited. Britt provides good veteran leadership, but should be thought of as a below average starter at this point in his career. Same goes for Cann, who will turn 31 during the season and is coming off a torn MCL that ended his 2021 campaign after six weeks. Howard's development has been hindered by how much the team has moved him around the line, but he's coming off his best season thus far as a pro and could take a big leap forward in his fourth season.
30. Las Vegas Raiders
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Kolton Miller
LG - John Simpson
C - Andre James
RG - Denzelle Good
RT - Alex Leatherwood
Key Backups: OT Brandon Parker, IOL Alex Bars, IOL Dylan Parham
Miller remains the highlight, having developed into one of the better left tackles in the NFL. Everything else, however, is looking a little rough. Simpson started all 17 games for the team last season, and the results were a bit shaky. Same thing goes for James, though he performed quite a bit better than what was expected of him. He's comfortably the second best player along the line, behind Miller. The right side is a mess, with Good and Leatherwood both coming off seasons where they struggled mightily in pass protection.
The Raiders look to have left tackle and center shored up, but the other three spots are still up in the air. Simpson, Good, and Leatherwood were liabilities last season - and all are back for another go around unless someone like Parker or Parham can beat them out for a starting job in training camp.
29. Houston Texans
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Laremy Tunsil
LG - Kenyon Green
C - Justin Britt
RG - AJ Cann
RT - Tytus Howard
Key Backups: OT Charlie Heck, IOL Max Scharping, IOL Justin McCray
28. Atlanta Falcons
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Jake Matthews
LG - Jalen Mayfield
C - Matt Hennessy
RG - Chris Lindstrom
RT - Kaleb McGary
Key Backups: OT Germain Ifedi, OT Elijah Wilkinson, IOL Drew Dalman
27. San Francisco 49ers
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Trent Williams
LG - Aaron Banks
C - Jake Brendel
RG - Daniel Brunskill
RT - Mike McGlinchey
Key Backups: OT Colton McKivitz, IOL Jaylon Moore, IOL Spencer Burford
26. Seattle Seahawks
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Charles Cross
LG - Damien Lewis
C - Austin Blythe
RG - Gabe Jackson
RT - Abraham Lucas
Key Backups: OT Jake Curhan, OT Stone Forsythe, IOL Phil Haynes
25. Arizona Cardinals
Projected Starting Five:
LT - DJ Humphries
LG - Justin Pugh
C - Rodney Hudson
RG - Will Hernandez
RT - Kelvin Beachum
Key Backups: OT Josh Jones, IOL Justin Murray, IOL Marquis Hayes
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Cam Robinson
LG - Ben Bartch
C - Luke Fortner
RG - Brandon Scherff
RT - Jawaan Taylor
Key Backups: OT Walker Little, IOL Tyler Shatley, IOL Wes Martin
Robinson was signed to a long term deal this offseason, despite having rarely showcased above average play. Bartch played well enough at guard last season that the team felt comfortable moving on from the bloated contracts of longtime starters Andrew Norwell and AJ Cann. Center will be a battle between Fortner and Shatley, but it's a stretch to assume either will be able to immediately match the quality of play they got from the now-retired Brandon Linder. Scherff was brought in on a massive deal despite his age and recent injury history -- but he remains a very good player when on the field. Taylor has largely been a disappointment since entering the league. There's a chance Walker Little could take the right tackle job from him this year.
Jacksonville's line looks solid on paper, but there's still a lot of questions. Will Robinson play up to his new contract? Can the team solidify the center and right tackle spots? Can Brandon Scherff stay healthy? There's just a ton of swirl, and it makes me reluctant to place the team too much higher than this.
23. Denver Broncos
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Garrett Bolles
LG - Dalton Risner
C - Lloyd Cushenberry
RG - Quinn Meinerz
RT - Billy Turner
Key Backups: OT Tom Compton, IOL Graham Glasgow, IOL Netane Muti
22. Tennessee Titans
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Taylor Lewan
LG - Aaron Brewer
C - Ben Jones
RG - Nate Davis
RT - Dillon Radunz
Key Backups: OT Nicholas Petit-Frere, IOL Jamarco Jones, IOL Daniel Munyer
21. New York Jets
Projected Starting Five:
LT - George Fant
LG - Laken Tomlinson
C - Connor McGovern
RG - Alijah Vera-Tucker
RT - Mekhi Becton
Key Backups: OT Max Mitchell, IOL Dru Samia, IOL Dan Feeney
20. Miami Dolphins
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Terron Armstead
LG - Liam Eichenberg
C - Connor Williams
RG - Robert Hunt
RT - Austin Jackson
Key Backups: OT Greg Little, IOL Michael Deiter, IOL Solomon Kindley
19. Carolina Panthers
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Ikem Ekwonu
LG -Brady Christensen
C - Bradley Bozeman
RG - Austin Corbett
RT - Taylor Moton
Key Backups: OT Cam Erving, IOL Pat Elflein, IOL Dennis Daley
18. New York Giants
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Andrew Thomas
LG - Shane Lemieux
C - Jon Feliciano
RG - Mark Glowinski
RT - Evan Neal
Key Backups: OT Matt Peart, IOL Josh Ezeudu, IOL Max Garcia
17. Los Angeles Rams
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Joe Noteboom
LG - David Edwards
C - Brian Allen
RG - Logan Bruss
RT - Rob Havenstein
Key Backups: OT Bobby Evans, IOL Tremayne Anchrum, IOL Coleman Shelton
16. Minnesota Vikings
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Christian Darrisaw
LG - Ezra Cleveland
C - Garrett Bradberry
RG - Jesse Davis
RT - Brian O'Neill
Key Backups: OT Oli Udoh, IOL Wyatt Davis, IOL Ed Ingram
15. Dallas Cowboys
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Tyron Smith
LG - Tyler Smith
C - Tyler Biadasz
RG - Zach Martin
RT - Terence Steele
Key Backups: OT Josh Ball, IOL Connor McGovern, IOL Matt Farniok
14. Green Bay Packers
Projected Starting Five:
LT - David Bahktiari
LG - Jon Runyan Jr.
C - Josh Myers
RG - Royce Newman
RT - Elgton Jenkins
Key Backups: OT Cole Van Lanen, IOL Sean Rhyan, IOL Zach Tom
13. Cincinnati Bengals
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Jonah Williams
LG - Jackson Carman
C - Ted Karras
RG - Alex Cappa
RT - La'el Collins
Key Backups: OT D'Ante Smith, IOL Hakeem Adeniji, IOL Trey Hill
12. New England Patriots
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Isaiah Wynn
LG - Cole Strange
C - David Andrews
RG - Michael Onwenu
RT - Trent Brown
Key Backups: OT Justin Herron, OT Yasir Durant, IOL James Ferentz
11. Indianapolis Colts
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Bernhard Raimann
LG - Quenton Nelson
C - Ryan Kelly
RG - Danny Pinter
RT - Braden Smith
Key Backups: OT Matt Pryor, OT Dennis Kelly, IOL Will Fries
10. Buffalo Bills
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Dion Dawkins
LG - Rodger Saffold
C - Mitch Morse
RG - Ryan Bates
RT - Spencer Brown
Key Backups: OT Tommy Doyle, IOL Cody Ford, IOL Greg Van Roten
9. New Orleans Saints
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Trevor Penning
LG - Andrus Peat
C - Erik McCoy
RG - Cesar Ruiz
RT - Ryan Ramcyzk
Key Backups: OT James Hurst, IOL Forrest Lamp, IOL Calvin Throckmorton
8. Baltimore Ravens
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Ronnie Stanley
LG - Tyre Phillips
C - Tyler Linderbaum
RG - Kevin Zeitler
RT - Morgan Moses
Key Backups: OT Daniel Faalele, IOL Ben Powers, IOL Ben Cleveland
7. Los Angeles Chargers
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Rashawn Slater
LG - Matt Feiler
C - Corey Linsley
RG - Zion Johnson
RT - Trey Pipkins
Key Backups: OT Storm Norton, IOL Jamaree Salyer, IOL Brenden Jaimes
6. Washington Commanders
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Charles Leno
LG - Andrew Norwell
C - Chase Roullier
RG - Wez Schweitzer
RT - Sam Cosmi
Key Backups: OT Cornelius Lucas, IOL Trai Turner, IOL Tyler Larsen
5. Detroit Lions
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Taylor Decker
LG - Jonah Jackson
C - Frank Ragnow
RG - Halapoulivaati Vaitai
RT - Penei Sewell
Key Backups: OT Dan Skipper, IOL Logan Stenberg, IOL Tommy Kraemer
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Donovan Smith
LG - Aaron Stinnie
C - Ryan Jensen
RG - Shaq Mason
RT - Tristan Wirfs
Key Backups: OT Josh Wells, IOL Luke Goedeke, IOL Robert Hainsey
3. Cleveland Browns
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Jedrick Wills
LG - Joel Bitonio
C - Nick Harris
RG - Wyatt Teller
RT - Jack Conklin
Key Backups: OT Chris Hubbard, IOL Ethan Pocic, IOL Blake Hance
2. Kansas City Chiefs
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Orlando Brown
LG - Joe Thuney
C - Creed Humphrey
RG - Trey Smith
RT - Andrew Wylie
Key Backups: OT Lucas Niang, IOL Nick Allegretti, IOL Austin Reiter
1. Philadelphia Eagles
Projected Starting Five:
LT - Jordan Mailata
LG - Landon Dickerson
C - Jason Kelce
RG - Isaac Seumalo
RT - Lane Johnson
Key Backups: OT Andre Dillard, OT Jack Driscoll, OL Cam Jurgens
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