Analysis
6/7/22
5 min read
Tiering the Best Offensive Lines in the NFL 2022
As we head towards a lull in the NFL calendar, here we tier out each NFL team’s offensive line into 7 different tiers from Tier 1 to Tier 7. After we followed up our initial tiering of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL with how we would tier their supporting weapons, this rounds out our offensive tier rankings.
Tier 1
Tier 1 are the best groups in the NFL with strong play across the OL, and premier talent at the OT positions. They all have the ability to be effective in pass protection and in the run game. There are limited holes, if any, in the starting lineup along the OL. Likewise, all have a strong mix of young talent and veteran leadership.
Philadelphia Eagles:
Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Isaac Seumalo, Lane Johnson
Kansas City Chiefs:
Orlando Brown, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Andrew Wylie
Cleveland Browns:
Jedrick Wills Jr, Joel Bitonio, Nick Harris, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin
Detroit Lions:
Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Penei Sewell
Tier 2
Tier 2 consists of the offensive lines that feature premier talent at key position groups (OT), but have at least one slight question-mark within their starting group. Ideally these teams have only one unknown or question mark slotted at one of the starting position groups.
Baltimore Ravens:
Ronnie Stanley, Tyre Phillips, Tyler Linderbaum, Kevin Zeitler, Morgan Moses
New Orleans Saints:
Trevor Penning, Andrus Peat, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Ryan Ramczyk
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
Donovan Smith, Aaron Stinnie, Ryan Jensen, Shaq Mason, Tristan Wirfs
Tier 3
Tier 3 consists of teams that have at least one major question-mark on their OL, or teams with truly solid talent across the board but no superstars at this time. The Cowboys and Packers were once atop this list but have fallen with talent leaving and aging. The Chargers and Commanders, meanwhile, are on the rise with younger talent. The Rams and Patriots almost always have solid OL production with their ability to churn out offensive lineman in a rotation and have budding star talent on the rise.
Los Angeles Chargers:
Rashawn Slater, Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley, Zion Johnson, Storm Norton
Dallas Cowboys:
Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin, Terence Steele
New England Patriots:
Isaiah Wynn, Mike Onwenu, David Andrews, Cole Strange, Trent Brown
Washington Commanders:
Charles Leno Jr, Andrew Norwell, Chase Roullier, Trai Turner, Sam Cosmi
Los Angeles Rams:
Joseph Noteboom, David Edwards, Brian Allen, Logan Bruss, Rob Havenstein
Green Bay Packers:
David Bakhtiari, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, Elgton Jenkins
Tier 4
Tier 4 is the “solid” tier. As a fan of this team, you would never be upset with the OL and its potential, but they will have their up and down games. Could they improve at key positions? Yes. The Front Office likely knows this in the case of these teams, but it is not necessarily a top priority. There are not many big-name players in this group (although it does feature, possibly, the best OL in the NFL in Trent Williams). Tier 4 is composed of serviceable units.
Cincinnati Bengals:
Jonah Williams, Jackson Carman, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, La'el Collins
Denver Broncos:
Garett Bolles, Dalton Risner, Lloyd Cushenberry III, Quinn Meinerz, Billy Turner
Carolina Panthers:
Ikem Ekwonu, Brady Christensen, Bradley Bozeman, Austin Corbett, Taylor Moton
Indianapolis Colts:
Matt Pryor, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Danny Pinter, Braden Smith
San Francisco 49ers:
Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Daniel Brunskill, Mike McGlinchey
Buffalo Bills:
Dion Dawkins, Rodger Saffold, Mitch Morse, Ryan Bates, Spencer Brown
Tier 5
Tier 5 measures the start of the below average units due to their inconsistency across the entire offensive line. Each of these teams have spent high-end resources to improve their OL, with many of those assets not paying off as anticipated. They either have pieces across the OL that could struggle and be replaced midway through the season, or potentially aren’t fully set going into the start of the season.
Minnesota Vikings:
Christian Darrisaw, Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O'Neill
New York Jets:
George Fant, Laken Thomlinson, Connor McGovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mekhi Becton
Miami Dolphins:
Terron Armstead, Connor Williams, Michael Deiter, Robert Hunt, Liam Eichenberg
Arizona Cardinals:
DJ Humphries, Justin Pugh, Rodney Hudson, Will Hernandez, Kelvin Beachum
Jacksonville Jaguars:
Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Jawaan Taylor
Tier 6
Tier 6 features the teams with major issues on their interior OL. All of these groups have talent at the OT position and should feel quite comfortable with at least two of their starters being reliable, though each have true worries elsewhere. They could all use an upgrade on the interior and may see their QB face serious pressure from the inside in 2022.
New York Giants:
Andrew Thomas, Shane Lemieux, Jon Feliciano, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal
Houston Texans:
Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Justin Britt, AJ Cann, Tytus Howard
Tennessee Titans:
Taylor Lewan, Aaron Brewer, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, Dillon Radunz
Tier 7
Tier 7 could be characterized as hazardous for the QBs and the RBs within these teams. These teams have the potential to see their QBs among the league leaders in the NFL in sacks taken and could put strain on their RBs to produce outside of structure.
Pittsburgh Steelers:
Dan Moore Jr, Kevin Doston, Cole Mason, James Daniels, Chukwuma Okorafor
Atlanta Falcons:
Jake Matthews, Jalen Mayfield, Matt Hennessy, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary
Chicago Bears:
Larry Borom, Cody Whitehair, Lucas Patrick, Sam Mustipher, Teven Jenkins
Las Vegas Raiders:
Kolton Miller, Jermaine Eluemunor, Andre James, Denzelle Good, Brandon Parker
Seattle Seahawks:
Charles Cross, Damien Lewis, Austin Blythe, Gabe Jackson, Jake Curhan
Mike Solari
When long-time NFL OL Coach Mike Solari was asked about the top OL units in the NFL, he said (in no order), “Tampa Bay, Cleveland, Kansas City, New England, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.” These are often the best coached OL units in the NFL and have maintained a solid presence at the top of OL rankings for years.
