With the NFL season upon us, at GoldSheet, we are ranking each positional group and coaching staff in the NFL. Each positional group will be ranked and placed into a tier to give us a better understanding of how each team is expected to fare at each position.
NFL games are won and lost in the trenches. Teams could possess the best QBs, WRs, RBs, and TEs in the entire NFL, but with no one to block for them, they would not succeed. Having a great offensive line opens up the entire playbook for coaches and allows the offense room to operate. At this point, the offensive line is arguably the most important positional unit in the NFL. In order for success moving the football, you need big guys up front who can displace the opposing defensive line.
Continuity is an underlying yet important aspect of offensive line play. It takes time for offensive linemen to be on the same page and to work well together. Linemen need to trust one another. Continuity is considered in these rankings, as is depth.
Without further ado, let’s break down all 32 OL rooms, rank each team’s OL situation, and put them into tiers.
2023 NFL OL Rankings
* Indicates a rookie
! Indicates a new starter
The order of the players listed is labeled from left tackle -> right tackle.
Tier One:
No. 1 Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Tyler Steen!*, Lane Johnson
No. 2 Detroit Lions
Taylor Decker, Jonah Jackson, Frank Ragnow, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Penei Sewell
No. 3 Cleveland Browns
Jedrick Willis Jr., Joel Bitonio, Ethan Pocic, Wyatt Teller, Jack Conklin
No. 4 Kansas City Chiefs
Donovan Smith!, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, Jawaan Taylor!
No. 5 Dallas Cowboys
Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biasasz, Zack Martin, Terence Steele
No. 6 Green Bay Packers
David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Zach Tom
No. 7 Atlanta Falcons
Jake Matthews, Matthew Bergeron*!, Drew Dalman, Chris Lindstrom, Kaleb McGary
As it currently stands, these seven teams have the best offensive lines in the NFL. The Eagles only lost one starter from their top-rated unit last season, and Steen has good collegiate tape. The Lions, Browns, Cowboys, and Packers are relying on their stud starting five to stay healthy because when they have their whole unit on the field, these teams have elite linemen.
The Chiefs are rolling out two new bookend tackles, and while Smith is a slight downgrade at LT, Taylor is a massive upgrade at RT. Their interior OL was one of the best in the NFL, and the continuity there helps.
The Falcons’ offensive line burst onto the scene last year, and with just one new addition to studs Jake Matthews and Chris Lindstrom, this unit should be great again this season.
Tier Two:
No. 8 Baltimore Ravens
Ronnie Stanley, Malaesala Aumavae-Laulu*!, Tyler Linderbaum, Kevin Zeitler, Morgan Moses
No. 9 Houston Texans
Laremy Tunsil, Kenyon Green, Juice Scruggs*!, Shaq Mason!, Tytus Howard
No. 10 Los Angeles Chargers
Rashawn Slater, Zion Johnson, Corey Linsley, Jamaree Salyer, Trey Pipkins
No. 11 New England Patriots
Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, Mike Onwenu, Riley Reiff
No. 12 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tristan Wirfs, Matt Feiler, Ryan Jenson, Cody Mauch!*, Luke Godeke
No. 13 Cincinnati Bengals
Orlando Brown Jr.!, Cordell Volson, Ted Karras, Alex Cappa, Jonah Williams
No. 14 Carolina Panthers
Ikem Ekwonu, Brady Christensen, Bradley Bozeman, Austin Corbett, Taylor Moton
No. 15 Minnesota Vikings
Christian Darrisaw, Ezra Cleveland, Garrett Bradbury, Ed Ingram, Brian O’Neill
The tier-two teams all have very good offensive lines. The Ravens, Patriots, Buccaneers, Chargers, and Vikings dealt with injuries last season that hampered their offensive line play. When guys like Ronnie Stanley, Rashawn Slater, Trista Wirfs, and Christian Darrisaw are healthy, these units are certainly well above average.
The Bengals went all in on securing Orlando Brown from the Cheifs. Brown is a good player but not a needle mover, hence their inclusion in the 2nd tier. The Texans have solid veterans mixed with a new rookie center and a young LG, but all things considered, their offensive line should be stout.
The Panthers have a young, ascending line, and I expect them to take a big leap this upcoming season. This unit played great at times last year, and they should continually improve with time.
Tier Three:
No. 16 Denver Broncos
Garett Bolles, Ben Powers!, Lloyd Cushenberry, Quinn Meinerz, Mike McGlinchey!
No. 17 New Orleans Saints
Trevor Penning, Andrus Peat, Erik McCoy, Cesar Ruiz, Ryan Ramczyk
No. 18 Indianapolis Colts
Bernhard Rainmann, Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly, Will Fries, Braden Smith
No. 19 Seattle Seahawks
Charles Cross, Daniel Lewis, Evan Brown!, Phil Haynes, Abraham Lucas
No. 20 Buffalo Bills
Dion Dawkins, Connor McGovern*, Mitch Morse, Ryan Bates, Spencer Brown
No. 21 Pittsburgh Steelers
Broderick Jones!*, Isaac Seumalo, Mason Cole, James Daniels, Chukwuma Okorafor
No. 22 San Francisco 49ers
Trent Williams, Aaron Banks, Jake Brendel, Spencer Burford, Colton McKivitz
No. 23 Miami Dolphins
Terron Armstead, Liam Eichenberg, Connor Williams, Robert Hunt, Austin Jackson
The third tier is a mixed bag. At the top, the Broncos have a lot of talent, but I am not sold on their two off-season acquisitions. With that being said, if they surpass my expectations, Denver will jump up a tier.
The Saints are relying on Trevor Penning, their 2022 first-round pick, to fill the void at LT. New Orleans is weak on the interior outside of McCoy, but Ramcyk is one of the best tackles in football.
The Colts, Bills, and Dolphins are both solid units with a lot of veteran players. These units underperformed last year, so they will need to improve this season. Buffalo is the only one of this bunch with a new starter, but the overall continuity is strong for these three teams.
Seattle has a young, ascending offensive line that could take a major step forward this season. The Steelers have the continuity, and the growth of rookie LT Brockerick Jones will be a massive storyline for them this season. The 49ers have one of the best offensive linemen in the history of the NFL, but the rest of their offensive line leaves a ton to be desired.
Tier Four:
No. 24 Las Vegas Raiders
Kolton Miller, Dylan Parham, Andre James, Alex Bars, Jermaine Eluemunor
No. 25 New York Jets
Duane Brown, Laken Tomlinson, Joe Tippman*!, Alijah Vera-Tucker, Mekhi Becton
No. 26 Jacksonville Jaguars
Cam Robinson, Ben Bartch, Luke Fortner, Brandon Scherff, Walker Litte!
No. 27 Chicago Bears
Braxton Jones, Teven Jenkins, Cody Whitehair, Nate Davis!, Darnell Wright*!
These teams are very weak at OL. The Raiders, Jets, and Jaguars have continuity going for them, but talent-wise, these are not talented lines. The Jets are getting AVT back from injury, who was their best lineman before getting hurt last season. If Mekhi Becton can get back in shape, New York has a chance to jump up a tier.
As for the Bears, there is not enough talent or depth to get excited about this offense live.
Tier Five:
No. 28 Tennessee Titans
Andre Dillard!, Peter Skoronski*!, Aaron Brewer, Daniel Brunskill, Nicholas Petit-Frere
No. 29 New York Giants
Andrew Thomas, Ben Bredeson, John Michael Schmitz!, Mark Glowinski, Evan Neal
No. 30 Washington Commanders
Charles Leno Jr., Chris Paul, Nick Gates!, Sam Cosmi, Andrew Wylie!
No. 31 Los Angeles Rams
Joe Noteboom, Steve Avila!*, Brian Allen, Logan Bruss, Rob Havenstein
No. 32 Arizona Cardinals
D.J. Humphries, Paris Johnson Jr.*!, Hjalte Frohold!, Will Hernandez, Kelvin Beachum
Simply put, these teams are borderline devoid of talent on the offensive line. The Titans are hoping two new starters will do the trick, but Dillard is a career backup, and Skoronski is a rookie. At least he has an upside.
Andrew Thomas is a solid player, but the rest of the Giants’ OL leaves a ton to be desired. Washington has one new starter, but he was graded as one of the worst RTs in allowing pressure last season.
The Rams and Cardinals lack talent. Period. Not even Paris Johnson bursting onto the scene can save the Cardinals. All five of these lines are liabilities and may be major deterrents to these teams winning anything.
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