Determining which team fielded the best offensive line in the NFL is often a difficult question. High-end talent is important, but given the offensive line is a weak-link position where even one poor spot can result in disaster, depth is just as critical.
The offensive line is a position of attrition. These rankings are based on fully healthy units. For example, Austin Corbett tore his ACL in the season finale for Carolina but will be listed as the starter. In essence, we are slotting teams based on their potential greatness because the reality of OL play is so unknown.
Curious who has the best defense? Maybe you’ll agree with our NFL Defense Rankings.
Who Has the Best Offensive Line in the NFL?
Outstanding at both pass and run blocking, the Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line has held the top spot in our rankings since the 2022 preseason. Even after some minor turnover, the Eagles are still No. 1 heading into the 2023 campaign.
- LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Jason Kelce, RG Cam Jurgens, RT Lane Johnson
The combination of the Eagles’ OL, Jalen Hurts’ legs, and the stable of receivers on the outside makes them the most well-rounded offense in the NFL. It’s not easy to take over games on the ground, but the Eagles do that while also having the kind of depth behind the front five to survive.
Offensive Line Rankings 2-10
2) Cleveland Browns
- LT Jedrick Wills Jr., LG Joel Bitonio, C Ethan Pocic, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Jack Conklin
If Deshaun Watson struggles again in 2023, it won’t likely be because of the Browns’ offensive line. Bitonio and Teller are the best guard combination in the NFL, and they have two solid tackles and a center that really surprised many with his high level of play a season ago.
Bill Callahan continues to prove he’s one of the best offensive line coaches in the league.
3) Detroit Lions
- LT Taylor Decker, LG Jonah Jackson, C Frank Ragnow, RG Halapoulivaati Vaitai, RT Penei Sewell
It’s fair to question what we’ll see from Vaitai after he missed the entire 2022 NFL season. But even if Vaitai underwhelms or struggles to stay on the field, it shouldn’t negatively affect the Lions too much, considering they reunited with Graham Glasgow and have Logan Stenberg as depth pieces on the interior.
Decker and Sewell make for one of the best tackle tandems in the NFL. There’s a very good chance that only Mailata and Johnson are better.
4) Atlanta Falcons
- LT Jake Matthews, LG Matthew Bergeron, C Drew Dalman, RG Chris Lindstrom, RT Kaleb McGary
When looking at these lineups on paper, the Atlanta Falcons certainly don’t seem like one of the best offensive lines in the league. However, Arthur Smith’s run and play-action-heavy offense makes things a bit easier for offensive linemen.
Still, this unit does what they’re tasked with at an incredibly high level. Matthews and McGary are solid on the outside, and Bergeron projects neatly from college tackle to professional guard. Chris Lindstrom is a very good player independent of Smith’s scheme as well.
5) Dallas Cowboys
- LT Tyron Smith, LG Tyler Smith, C Tyler Biadasz, RG Zack Martin, RT Terence Steele
We’re ranking these offensive lines assuming the health of their starting lineup, which is why the next two teams on the list are as high as they are. The Cowboys’ best five are very talented.
The problem is that the elder Smith is consistently unavailable because of injuries, and Steele is working his way back from a late-season ACL tear. However, Zack Martin is still the best guard in the NFL, and Smith is an absolute mauler at left guard.
6) Baltimore Ravens
- LT Ronnie Stanley, LG Ben Cleveland, C Tyler Linderbaum, RG Kevin Zeitler, RT Morgan Moses
Stanley has the same issue the Cowboys left tackle has: an inability to remain on the field. Over the past three seasons, the Ravens left tackle has only played in 18 games. Zeitler and Moses are both on the wrong side of 30 but remain talented players. Linderbaum was outstanding as a rookie, and while Cleveland is a new starter, he has some starting experience in his past.
7) Kansas City Chiefs
- LT Donovan Smith, LG Joe Thuney, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor
The Chiefs are an incredibly difficult unit to place. Because of who Patrick Mahomes is as a player, there are times when his playstyle makes things difficult for his offensive tackles.
No NFL team, the Eagles included, has an interior as talented as the Chiefs. And while they got more athletic on the right side, they downgraded significantly on Mahomes’ blind side. Smith was a solid player for Tampa Bay for a long time, but his play fell off a cliff a season ago, and at his age, it’s not easy to believe that he’ll turn things around.
8) Minnesota Vikings
- LT Christian Darrisaw, LG Ezra Cleveland, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Ed Ingram, RT Brian O’Neill
Darrisaw broke out in his second NFL season, and he ended up being one of the best left tackles in the game down the stretch. O’Neill has been a solid starter on the right side for some time now, and the Vikings have one of the more athletic tackle duos in the league.
Cleveland began life as an offensive tackle in college before moving inside to guard as a professional. He’s rounded into quite a run blocker for the Vikings, but both he and Ingram struggled against interior rushers a season ago.
9) Green Bay Packers
- LT David Bakhtiari, LG Elgton Jenkins, C Josh Myers, RG Jon Runyan Jr., RT Zach Tom
A healthy left side of Bakhtiari, Jenkins, and Myers is about as good as it gets. Allowing Jenkins to be locked into just one position is good news for the Packers because it means that they don’tneed to rely on him outside of left guard yet. Injuries during the season could change that, but it’s nice to know exactly where he’ll be to start.
Runyan is a fine option at right guard. He’s far from a mauler in the run game but has been a solid pass protector over his two seasons as a starter on the interior for the Packers.
Tom will be the wild card on the OL, but the fourth-round rookie proved a viable option as he played a leading role in “Musical Chairs: A Green Bay Packers OL Story” in 2022. He played four of the five positions a season ago, and it will be nice to see him able to establish himself at right tackle.
10) Denver Broncos
- LT Garett Bolles, LG Ben Powers, C Lloyd Cushenberry, RG Quinn Meinerz, RT Mike McGlinchey
The Denver Broncos had more than their fair share of problems, and the offensive line was certainly one of their issues in 2022. Sean Payton wouldn’t let that be an issue for the team in 2023, so Denver spent a large amount of money during free agency to add Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey.
Was McGlinchey overpaid? Most likely, yes. But there’s no denying his fit for the Broncos. While running more often to help a QB is often counterintuitive, running efficiently is never a bad thing. McGlinchey has a few very specific power-related issues as a pass protector, but he is an outstanding run blocker. Powers isn’t a dominating presence on the ground, but he rarely ever misses his landmarks, and his positional leveraging is outstanding.
Top Offensive Lines Remaining
11) Carolina Panthers
- LT Ikem Ekwonu, LG Brady Christensen, C Bradley Bozeman, RG Austin Corbett, RT Taylor Moton
We should continue to see improvement in Ekwonu’s game heading into Year 2, and Moton continues to be a solid presence on the other bookend. Corbett and Christensen were both injured in the season finale, and Corbett likely won’t be ready by Week 1. But when healthy, Christensen, Bozeman, and Corbett make for a sufficient interior.
12) Los Angeles Chargers
- LT Rashawn Slater, LG Jamaree Salyer, C Corey Linsley, RG Zion Johnson, RT Trey Pipkins
Although it will take Salyer sliding into the guard role seamlessly and Johnson improving his form from his rookie season, the Chargers’ offensive line finally looks like a competent enough unit to survive. Slater looked like a future All-Pro as a rookie on the left side, and Salyer stepped in admirably for him a season ago.
Linsley is still an outstanding center, and Johnson’s play improved as the season wore on in 2022. Pipkins is the unit’s weak link, but what would the Chargers be if they didn’t have a giant question mark surrounding right tackle?
13) San Francisco 49ers
- LT Trent Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Jake Brendel, RG Spencer Burford, RT Colton McKivitz
Williams carries. He’s one of the best players in the league, and he is the most dominant left tackle in the game. His presence alone gives fans and analysts confidence in the 49ers’ OL. But this is a unit, and there are questions surrounding it. But that has rarely seemed to matter as much for the 49ers as it does other teams because whoever they seem to throw on the front five has played decently well.
Despite … some metrics … Burford isn’t one of the question marks, though. The second-year player was a pleasant surprise in 2022, and he is primed to be even more consistent in 2023 in a more full-time role. McKivitz will have a lot to prove, but the right tackle spot has been maligned by 49ers fans since they drafted McGlinchey, so the punching bag is already hanging from the ceiling.
14) Houston Texans
- LT Laremy Tunsil, LG Kenyon Green, C Juice Scruggs, RG Shaq Mason, RT Tytus Howard
Tunsil is a stud. Aside from Williams, he might be the best left tackle in the game. Mason is one of the more dominating right guards in professional football. Howard has been anonymous at right tackle, but in this case, not hearing much about him is a good thing. He’s been a quality starter for Houston.
But we’d be remiss if we didn’t cover our eyes when looking at left guard and center. Kenyon Green very well could round into the player everyone expected him to be coming from Texas A&M, but he was absolutely rubbish a season ago. Starting a rookie center in front of a rookie quarterback is a scary proposition, but there is a ton of upside with the Texans’ OL, and we’ve already seen what Shanahan’s West Coast system can do for underwhelming linemen.
15) Cincinnati Bengals
- LT Orlando Brown Jr., LG Cordell Volson, C Ted Karras, RG Alex Cappa, RT Jonah Williams
The Bengals’ OL is far from the travesty it was when Joe Burrow entered the league, but it’s still far from the Philadelphia Eagles. Cincinnati wants to get the ball out quickly, and Brown will provide a sturdy anchor on the left side. Karras and Cappa should be fine at center and guard, respectively.
The Bengals could be higher on this list, but nobody is mistaking Volson for Quenton Nelson any time soon, and Williams is coming off a down year and is switching from left to right, which is a major change.
16) Pittsburgh Steelers
- LT Broderick Jones, LG Isaac Seumalo, C Mason Cole, RG James Daniels, RT Chukwuma Okorafor
The Steelers’ offensive line has been in lockstep with the organization over the past few seasons. On paper, there is no way that OL and that team should escape with an even record or better, but they prevailed.
Now, there will be higher expectations for the team and the OL. Adding Jones and Seumalo to the left side is a perceived upgrade at both spots, although Jones could see a bit of a learning curve early on as a rookie. Daniels is a good right guard, which is a necessity considering he’s splitting an underwhelming center and replacement-level right tackle.
17) New England Patriots
- LT Trent Brown, LG Cole Strange, C David Andrews, RG Michael Onwenu, RT Riley Reiff
The Patriots’ offensive line is like a David Fincher movie. You nod along for a while, enjoying the ride before “BAM!” A plot twist has scrambled your brain. That’s what it’s like going into the 2023 NFL season with their lineup from left tackle to right guard and then starting Reiff on the right side.
18) Las Vegas Raiders
- LT Kolton Miller, LG Dylan Parham, C Andre James, RG Alex Bars, RT Jermaine Eluemunor
Talent is important for an offensive line, but continuity is an often undervalued part of the process. Having the same man to your left and right is important because a player knows how that blocker gets off the ball, how he moves, and exactly where he’ll be and when he’ll be there.
The Raiders don’t have the same talent as teams higher on the list, but they do boast continuity. They also happen to have two impressive offensive tackles. It is also reasonable to expect that Parham will be better in Year 2, and that improvement could help James play more confidently at center.
19) Seattle Seahawks
- LT Charles Cross, LG Damien Lewis, C Evan Brown, RG Phil Haynes, RT Abraham Lucas
The next two teams on the list have an absurd amount of potential, but we need to see it before we can scoot them up the list. The “rookie wall” can be a very real thing sometimes, and it appeared to hit Cross and Lucas in the face a season ago. Both got off to hot starts before fizzling out. However, their Year 2 projection should be relatively high because of the flashes they showed.
Lewis is a solid option at left guard, but center and right guard remain the underwhelming pieces of the team’s line. But like the Chargers in LA and San Diego, what would the Seahawks be if they didn’t have questions surrounding the interior of their offensive line?
20) Chicago Bears
- LT Braxton Jones, LG Teven Jenkins, C Cody Whitehair, RG Nate Davis, RT Darnell Wright
The Bears are an interesting case study in ability vs. scheme. The OL could produce like one of the worst units in the league, but that doesn’t mean that they are. A passing attack based on intermediate-level throws is not the same as blocking in Atlanta or Tennessee, where offensive tackles are somewhat shielded by play action.
Jones shined as a rookie, and there is no reason to believe he won’t remain a viable option at left tackle in 2023. Although Jenkins played on the right side a season ago, he shouldn’t have too many issues going to the left side to play guard, considering he played left tackle in college. Whitehair and Davis are both serviceable players, but Wright’s fit at right tackle will be the most fascinating piece on the entire offense in 2023.
21) New York Jets
- LT Duane Brown, LG Laken Tomlinson, C Joe Tippmann, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker, RT Mekhi Becton
Admittedly, nobody knows who will start at center for the Jets. But while that’s almost always a bad thing for a football team, New York actually has at least two legitimate starting options at a position where there aren’t 32 starters in the league.
Brown is approaching 40 and is returning from a serious injury. Becton doesn’t want to play right tackle and is returning from a serious injury he claims is because of the move to the right side. It’s safe to say the bookends are a bit questionable. But with a solid interior and a QB who doesn’t want to hold onto the ball anyway, the unit should survive.
22) New Orleans Saints
- LT Trevor Penning, LG Andrus Peat, C Erik McCoy, RG Cesar Ruiz, RT Ryan Ramczyk
Ramczyk is still one of the better right tackles in the league, and Erik McCoy is still a stud on the center of the offensive line. But the rest of the offensive line is filled with question marks or flat-out holes.
Penning needs to improve in Year 2, and the combination of Peat and Ruiz certainly shouldn’t fill fans or coaches with confidence on the interior.
23) Buffalo Bills
- LT Dion Dawkins, LG Connor McGovern, C Mitch Morse, RG O’Cyrus Torrence, RT Spencer Brown
The Buffalo Bills OL has been the weak point on their roster throughout their five-year streak of double-digit win seasons. Between the weapons they possess on the outside and a QB built like a refrigerator, the offense has persevered throughout that time.
The Bills’ unit isn’t the worst in the league, but they are one of the few units in the NFL without a high-caliber player at any spot on their line. And while that could be bad if there are a few legitimate weak links, that’s not the case in Buffalo.
24) Indianapolis Colts
- LT Bernhard Raimann, LG Quenton Nelson, C Ryan Kelly, RG Will Fries, RT Braden Smith
The Colts OL had a down year in 2022. Matt Ryan has always been a QB known for high sack numbers, and that was no different a season ago. Even Nelson didn’t look like his normally dominant self at left guard.
Raimann was a developmental draft pick who could end up being a very good left tackle. Smith has been solid on the right side since entering the league. But Kelly will be looking for a bounce-back season on the inside, and Fries will be looking to keep his job at right guard.
25) Arizona Cardinals
- LT D.J. Humphries, LG Paris Johnson Jr., C Hjalte Froholdt, RG Will Hernandez, RT Kelvin Beachum
The more things change, the more things stay the same. That’s not a universal truth, but it might be when it comes to the Cardinals’ offensive line. Humphries is only 29, but ideally, Johnson would end up replacing him, given the capital they used on the rookie slated to play left guard. Beachum was born before 1990 playing in a league with a bunch of guys born after 2000, and Hernandez never turned into the cold-blooded killer many believed he could be coming from UTEP, although he did play better a season ago.
26) Jacksonville Jaguars
- LT Cam Robinson, LG Ben Bartch, C Luke Fortner, RG Brandon Scherff, RT Anton Harrison
Robinson won’t start the season at left tackle because of a suspension, but he is the entrenched starter at left tackle. Harrison is making the switch to the right side, which probably leaves Walker Little as the swing tackle (who will start at left tackle to begin the season).
Scherff wasn’t as consistent in his first season as a Jaguar, but he’s earned the benefit of the doubt throughout his career. He should bounce back in 2023 as long as he remains healthy. Bartch and Fortner need to improve their play if the Jaguars want to compete for a Super Bowl, but the offense proved efficient even with their underwhelming performance a season ago.
27) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LT Tristan Wirfs, LG Matt Feiler, C Ryan Jensen, RG Cody Mauch, RT Luke Goedeke
Wirfs played a little bit on the left side in college, but he’s been a right tackle in each of his three professional seasons. Tampa Bay did the right thing by committing to the switch immediately this offseason, giving the All-Pro talent the time necessary to make the move.
The Buccaneers are hoping that Jensen can return to form after not playing last season, but there is no guarantee that the 32-year-old will return to his dominant form. They’ll hope for the best from Mauch as a rookie, but that should be approached with cautious optimism.
28) Miami Dolphins
- LT Terron Armstead, LG Liam Eichenberg, C Connor Williams, RG Robert Hunt, RT Austin Jackson
When one thinks about the athletic revolution at offensive tackle, many probably look at Trent Williams in San Francisco as the inspiration. But Armstead was actually that dude. He’s the one who got other smooth athletes overdrafted because the former third-round pick selected due to his athletic traits ended up being one of the best in the game. The problem is, like many other greats at the position, he struggles to remain on the field.
Williams was really good in his first season playing center, but now he’s in a weird holdout. If he doesn’t play in 2023, this is one of the worst — if not the worst — offensive lines in the NFL.
29) New York Giants
- LT Andrew Thomas, LG Ben Bredeson, C John Michael Schmitz, RG Mark Glowinski, RT Evan Neal
Thomas could end up being the league’s best left tackle over the next few seasons, but Evan Neal must improve if the Giants’ offensive line wants to become a strength instead of being the offense’s weakness.
Neal struggled as a rookie, but his Year 2 leap could be significant. Schmitz also needs to be an immediate contributor at center if the interior of the offensive line is going to survive because Bredeson is not the ideal starter at left guard, and Glowinski is aging.
30) Washington Commanders
- LT Charles Leno Jr., LG Saahdiq Charles, C Ricky Stromberg, RG Sam Cosmi, RT Andrew Wylie
The Commanders’ offensive line performance in 2021 probably surprised their own mothers. An offensive line lacking any high-end talent played incredibly well. But they came back down to earth a season ago and likely drop from there in 2023.
Stromberg may not be ready to start this season, but he needs to be if the Commanders’ offense wants to have any success. Gates can survive sandwiched between competent starters at the guard spots, but that’s not what Washington offers. Left guard is a battle between Chris Paul (not that one) and Charles, but neither are the ideal candidate. Cosmi might be alright at right guard, but he’s only played 65 snaps there in his two NFL seasons.
31) Los Angeles Rams
- LT Joseph Noteboom, LG Steve Avila, C Brian Allen, RG Coleman Shelton, RT Rob Havenstein
The Los Angeles Rams are in the midst of a retooling/rebuilding period, but that began on the offensive line last season. There aren’t many redeeming qualities about the front five blockers, and the Rams must look to vastly improve this unit before 2024 if they want to compete in the NFC West by then.
32) Tennessee Titans
- LT Andre Dillard, LG Peter Skoronski, C Aaron Brewer, RG Daniel Brunskill, RT Nicholas Petit-Frere
It’s impossible to comprehend what the Tennessee Titans are doing on offense. They’re a unit built to physically punish teams and use play action as the main focus of the passing game, but their offensive line is, well, whatever all that is. And now they’ll also have to deal with Petit-Frere missing games because of the league’s gambling policy.
