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Fountain City Blues
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1. Dallas Cowboys
Projected starters: LT Tyron Smith, LG La’el Collins, C Travis Frederick, RG Zack Martin, RT Doug Free
Roster depth: Ronald Leary, Joe Looney, Chaz Green
Key stat: Travis Frederick recorded a pass-blocking efficiency of 98.7 last season, tied for the best mark among centers.
The Cowboys are returning the same starting-five from the 2015 season, and will attempt to become a historically-great line. Smith, Frederick, and Martin were all top-three in overall grades at their respective positions last year, while Free was a top-10 right tackle. If La’el Collins can improve from his rookie year and live up to his draft hype, the Dallas offensive line can be special. If an interior lineman is forced to miss time due to injury, Ronald Leary is one of the better backup linemen in the league.
2. Oakland Raiders
Projected starters: LT Donald Penn, LG Kelechi Osemele, C Rodney Hudson, RG Gabe Jackson, RT Austin Howard
Roster depth: Menelik Watson, Jon Feliciano, Matt McCants
Key stat: In 2015, the Raiders’ offensive line recorded a pass-blocking efficiency of 83.7, the second-best mark in the league.
The Raiders quietly had one of the better offensive lines in the league last season, thanks to the addition of Rodney Hudson via free agency and the second-year improvement of Gabe Jackson. Their only weak point in 2015 was at guard with J’Marcus Webb, but they have replaced him with free-agent pickup Kelechi Osemele (Ravens). For each of the last two years, Osemele graded among the top five guards in run-blocking. Both Osemele and Austin Howard have position-versatility, so the Raiders can let their favorite backup join the lineup if an injury occurs.
[More: Be sure to check out PFF’s ranking of all 32 NFL QB situations and defensive front-sevens.]
3. Green Bay Packers
Projected starters: LT David Bakhtiari, LG Josh Sitton, C Corey Linsley, RG T.J. Lang, RT Bryan Bulaga
Roster depth: J.C. Tretter, Jason Spriggs, Lane Taylor
Key stat: The Packers’ starting five linemen have played 1,375 snaps together, the most for any combination of linemen over the last two years.
The Packers’ offensive line received a bad reputation last year, mostly due to poor play by Don Barclay when others were sidelined by injuries. Lang and Sitton were both among the six-highest-graded guards in 2015, while the rest of the line has typically been average, and at their best, very good. Among Green Bay’s backups, Tretter graded well on a small sample size, and the Packers drafted Spriggs (Indiana) in the second round.
4. Cincinnati Bengals
Projected starters: LT Andrew Whitworth, LG Clint Boling, C Russell Bodine, RG Kevin Zeitler, RT Cedric Ogbuehi
Roster depth: Jake Fisher, Eric Winston, T.J. Johnson
Key stat: Andrew Whitworth recorded a pass-blocking efficiency of 97.2 in 2015, tied for second-best among NFL offensive tackles.
The Bengals’ offensive line remains largely unchanged outside of losing Andre Smith. In each of the last nine years, Andrew Whitworth has graded above-average in both run-blocking and pass-blocking. Clint Boling and Kevin Zeitler have been mainstays at guard for Cincinnati, and have also provided consistent production. What holds the Bengals out of the top-three is the play of Russell Bodine, who allowed 30 pressures last season, fifth-most among centers. There will be competition at RT, with either an inexperienced player or Eric Winston likely taking the field come Week 1.
5. Atlanta Falcons
Projected starters: LT Jake Matthews, LG Andy Levitre, C Alex Mack, RG Chris Chester, RT Ryan Schraeder
Roster depth: Mike Person, Bryce Harris, James Stone
Key stat: In 2015, the offensive line had a pass blocking efficiency of 80.9; fourth best in the league.
The Falcons have improved greatly over a short period of time. The additions of Levitre and Chester at guard have helped the team in terms of run-blocking. Jake Matthews made huge strides in his second pro season; he allowed 16 combined sacks and hits as a rookie, but dropped that mark to just seven in 2015. Schraeder was the highest-graded right tackle in the league last season. The biggest weakness on the line was center Mike Person, who has been replaced by Alex Mack. If all of these linemen are at their best, the Falcons could move even higher up this list as the season progresses.
6. Carolina Panthers
Projected starters: LT Michael Oher, LG Andrew Norwell, C Ryan Kalil, RG Trai Turner, RT Mike Remmers
Roster depth: Gino Gradkowski, Daryl Williams, David Foucault
Key stat: All three Carolina interior linemen earned run-blocking grades of 84.0 or higher last season; the Panthers are the only NFL team with this claim.
The Panthers are one of just three teams that are returning the same offensive line that played together for the majority of last season. For the most part, the line is very solid outside of two clear weaknesses. Michael Oher had the best year since his rookie season in pass-protection, but in all seven years of his career, his run-blocking grade has decreased. At right tackle, Mike Remmers was average in run-blocking, but his poor pass-blocking was made apparent in Super Bowl 50. Carolina decided not to re-sign their top backups from last year, Amini Silatolu and Fernando Velasco, so an injury could greatly affect this line’s ability.
7. Philadelphia Eagles
Projected starters: LT Jason Peters, LG Allen Barbre, C Jason Kelce, RG Brandon Brooks, RT Lane Johnson
Roster depth: Stefen Wisniewski, Matt Tobin, Dennis Kelly
Key stat: Jason Peters earned the fifth-best run-blocking grade among NFL OTs last season.
The Eagles own a line that is likely to improve over last year due to upgrades among both their starters and backups. Philadelphia’s two lowest-graded linemen from last season, Matt Tobin and Dennis Kelly, played a combined 1,400 snaps, which should only happen again if there are multiple injuries along the line. They added Brandon Brooks (Texans), who has improved his pass-blocking each year, and at his best, is among the better run-blocking guards in the league. Wisniewski has graded well in the past, and will compete for a starting job—or at the very least, be the team’s top backup.
(PFF Fantasy Insight: Our Dan Schneier ran through the best and worst fantasy situations for running backs, examining which offensive lines will help that position specifically.)
8. New Orleans Saints
Projected starters: LT Terron Armstead, LG Tim Lelito, C Max Unger, RG Andrus Peat, RT Zach Strief
Roster depth: Senio Kelemete, Cyril Lemon, Tyrus Thompson
Key stat: In 2015, the Saints’ offensive line recorded a pass-blocking efficiency of 82.9, the third-best mark in the league.
The Saints have the potential to have one of the better O-lines in 2016—if everything goes right. Terron Armstead was tied for the second-best pass-blocking efficiency among OTs last year, center Max Unger had his best season since 2009 in terms of pass-blocking (though his run-blocking didn’t live up to its reputation), and Andrus Peat is expected to improve after an average rookie campaign. Strief, at his best, was among the best right tackles in the league, but over the last two seasons, has declined to just an above-average tackle. If everything goes right, this can be a top-three line.
9. Arizona Cardinals
Projected starters: LT Jared Veldheer, LG Mike Iupati, C A.Q. Shipley, RG Evan Mathis, RT D.J. Humphries
Roster depth: Earl Watford, Evan Boehm, Rob Crisp
Key stat: Evan Mathis earned a run-blocking grade of 96.1 last season, the best among NFL guards; new teammate Mike Iupati had the third-best, at 91.6.
Arizona is another team where, if things go right, the franchise could feature an excellent offensive line. On the flip-side, the Cardinals could also free-fall down this list if even just a few things don’t go their way. Evan Mathis was our third-highest-graded guard overall in 2015, but he is also the oldest guard in the league by over a year. A.Q. Shipley has graded out well at center throughout his career when he’s had a chance. Humphries was a first-round pick in the 2014 draft, but didn’t play a snap in 2016. If all three of those new starters works out, it would be a big help to the Arizona offense.
10. Buffalo Bills
Projected starters: LT Cordy Glenn, LG Richie Incognito, C Eric Wood, RG John Miller, RT Jordan Mills
Roster depth: Cyril Richardson, Cyrus Kouandjio, Fernando Velasco
Key stat: Richie Incognito finished the 2015 season as PFF’s second-highest-graded guard.
The Bills weren’t able to upgrade their line in the offseason, but they did bring back Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito, which will certainly help. Buffalo is this high on the list because of how well Glenn, Incogntio, and Eric Wood gelled last season, with all three earning top-10 overall grades at their respective positions. They are this low on the list because John Miller didn’t grade well—even for a rookie—and Jordan Mills has consistently graded poorly in pass protection. The only change was adding Fernando Velasco and letting go of Kraig Urbik as their backup interior linemen.
The rest you can find in this link
Ranking all 32 NFL Offensive Lines Entering 2016
