NFL Offensive Line Rankings & Tiers (2023 Fantasy Football)

NFL Offensive Line Rankings & Tiers (2023 Fantasy Football)

Ahead of the 2023 NFL season, here is a 1-to-32 ranking of all offensive lines around the NFL. Consideration was given to elite players, depth, etc. Consideration was not given to other rankings across the internet, PFF grades, arbitrary blocking stats, etc. Just calling it like I see it as someone who loves to watch trench play!

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2023 Offensive Line Rankings

Tier 1: Elite

1. Eagles

The Eagles might have lost to the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, but I’ll give them the edge here. It helps to have two Hall of Fame caliber linemen in Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, and two other guys who might become perennial Pro Bowlers for the next half-decade in Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson. Cam Jurgens – who was drafted as Kelce’s future replacement – at RG is the question mark, but the Eagles rarely whiff in the trenches, and they have a solid backup plan in Jack Driscoll anyway.

2. Chiefs

It sure feels like longer than two years ago when Pat Mahomes was massacred by the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl behind a porous offensive line. The Chiefs’ line is now excellent and remains excellent, despite losing both offensive tackles from last season in free agency. Jawaan Taylor is an ascendant star at RT who’s just entering his prime. Donovan Smith has seen better days at LT, but he’s a fine one-year stopgap option on an offense that will be infinitely better than his 2022 Bucs offense.

3. Lions

This line might not have entered Tier 1 by the conclusion of the 2022 season just yet, but I’m willing to pencil them in here anyway. When healthy, Frank Ragnow has a case as the top all-around center in the league, and Penei Sewell is one of the best young players in football, period. I think his upcoming third season is when the masses will catch on. The return of Vaitai alongside him will only help, and I liked the depth move to bring Glasgow back to Detroit a lot.

Tier 2: Rock Solid

4. Packers

Only Packers fans can routinely complain about an offensive line that’s pretty safely among the best in the league. Let’s hope that David Bakhtiari finally puts his injury issues behind him because he started to look like his old self again in 2022. The Packers restructured his deal to keep him around, so clearly, they have faith. Green Bay extended the massively underrated Jenkins, too, so that dominant left side of the line on top of multiple solid, cheap pieces should keep Jordan Love upright in his debut season as the starter.

5. Cowboys

If this were purely a ranking of Starting 5 groups, you could rank the Cowboys as high as Number 1. For my money, Zack Martin is still the best offensive lineman in the game. Dallas just has such little depth of note behind the starters, and this hasn’t been the most durable unit either. Tyron Smith has played 17 games over the last three seasons combined, and Terence Steele is returning from a torn ACL that ended his 2022 season. If Dallas signs another veteran lineman or two before Week 1 – and they currently have over $20mil in cap space – then they shouldn’t fall any further than this in the rankings.

6. Falcons

Atlanta’s front office has made some questionable decisions in recent years – Kyle Pitts with the fourth overall pick, Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder at QB – but they deserve credit for their high and continuous investment into the offensive line. Chris Lindstrom has developed into a star OG, and the Falcons were able to keep Kaleb McGary around following his breakout 2022 season. This unit should continue to dominate in the running game.

7. Bengals

Like the Chiefs, the Bengals have done an admirable job in immediately propping up a high-quality offensive line around their franchise QB. Signing Orlando Brown in free agency was one of the biggest surprises of the offseason, and while Brown might not be an elite LT, he’s plenty good and will stabilize a position that’s given fits to the recent Bengals. And now that Jonah Williams‘ trade request following Brown’s acquisition has reportedly flopped, his kick over to RT could become a “two birds, one stone” situation for Cincinnati.

8. Ravens

This group in Baltimore is a good one, but I’d stop short of labeling them as a great offensive line. Ronnie Stanley is the only true high-end player on it right now; Tyler Linderbaum can definitely get there in time, but some have been too quick to crown him after just one season in the NFL. Besides them, Zeitler and Moses are two solid but unspectacular veterans fighting off the aging cliff, and the LG spot is totally up for grabs. Mekari is a valuable chess piece off the bench who’s more like a permanent sixth lineman.

9. Browns

The offensive line is a strength of the team for the Browns, though this might be the lowest they’ve ranked atop a preseason list in a few years. It boils down to their tackle duo just being who they are at this point, which is fine but below the level of expectation for two top-10 overall picks. Still, when you have the best OG duo in the league, as Cleveland does with Bitonio and Teller, you aren’t leaving the top 10.

10. Saints

Trevor Penning has all of one NFL start to his name, Andrus Peat has missed 50% of the Saints’ games over the last two seasons, Cesar Ruiz had his fifth-year option declined…and I’m still putting this unit in the Top 10. Ramszyk and McCoy are studs, and it’s not like the rest of the group doesn’t possess a big upside. The Saints are one of the best in the league at discovering capable backup linemen too.

11. Texans

Houston’s line wasn’t very good in the 2022 season, even if Laremy Tunsil has a claim as the top LT in football. Still, it’s time to buy stock in this group. Tytus Howard is finally living up to his Round 1 billing and playing a solid RT opposite Tunsil, and fellow first-rounder Kenyon Green should take a huge jump in Year 2 of his career. I loved the trade and extension for Mason, and they must have confidence that Penn State’s Scruggs is a plug-and-play OC in the Shanahan-type scheme that Bobby Slowik is bringing into town.

12. Patriots

I have some hesitation in labeling a line as a “rock solid” unit with Trent Brown & Riley Reiff as its bookends in 2023, but Brown remains an above-average OT when he’s on the field, and New England has in-house options behind Reiff at RT – including Mike Onwenu. The interior of this line was already strong before the NFL Draft, and then the Patriots used three mid-round picks on more IOL. This deep and beefy group should run the ball with authority.

13. Raiders

I’ll be honest: I had no faith in the Raiders’ line heading into 2022, but they ended up playing pretty well together! It’s a group whose total upside might have a cap, but Vegas kept the entire Starting 5 intact, which includes a franchise LT in Kolton Miller. With more continuity, including Dylan Parham sticking at one position in his sophomore season, it’s definitely possible for the big boys in the silver-and-black to keep up the solid play.

Tier 3: Anchors & Weak Links

14. Dolphins

Please note that I am biting my tongue while typing Miami as a top-half unit, with Austin Jackson still listed as a starter on their depth chart. To counterbalance that, there aren’t many OTs better than Terron Armstead, and Robert Hunt has also developed into a very good OG. The one-year deal for Isaiah Wynn might be what saves this line, though. Even if Wynn isn’t special, he’s a quality blocker who’s a perfect insurance policy for Armstead’s health and a possible starter at either LG or RT.

15. Giants

The Giants’ line isn’t exactly good yet, even if it took a step up from being a total mess in 2022 as it had been in previous seasons. It helps to have a 24-year-old All-Pro as the blindside protector in Andrew Thomas; there might not be a more foundational building block along the offensive line in the league. Evan Neal had a mostly rough rookie season with Big Blue, but college-to-pro transitions for OTs are notably difficult, and Neal also shifted from the left side at Alabama to the right side in the NFC East. If he progresses even half as well as Andrew Thomas did following his similarly difficult rookie season, then the Giants should only move up in these rankings.

16. 49ers

This line from the LG to RT is probably a Bottom 5 unit in the league. The interior that San Francisco has cobbled together is adequate enough, but it’s more of a scrappy unit that doesn’t cover up what could be a revolving door at RT following the departure of Mike McGlinchey in free agency. McGlinchey is a bit overrated, but he’s at least a well-known commodity who contributes in the run game; I won’t pretend to know much about McKivitz, a 26-year-old who was on the practice squad as recently as 2021. So why are the 49ers ranked 16th? Trent Williams is probably still the best OT in the league. He’s that impactful.

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17. Buccaneers

The Bucs’ line was easily one of the worst in the league in 2022 after getting decimated by injuries and inexperience, and now they’re heading into 2023 with 0/5 incumbents in place. So yeah, this could definitely go poorly for Tampa, but I think their approach is mostly sound. I probably would’ve kept Tristan Wirfs at RT to not mess with what looks like the trajectory of a future Hall of Famer, but it’s a good bet he’ll dominate at LT too. Ryan Jensen is one of the league’s absolute toughest guys and should return from injury with a vengeance, and Cody Mauch was my single favorite player in the 2023 NFL Draft. (Not the best, just my favorite, though I do think he’ll be a lethal run blocker.)

Tier 4: Average

18. Seahawks

Is this ranking relative to Seattle’s 2022 performance? Maybe a bit high; their rookie OT combo of Cross & Lucas is exciting and deserving of the praise they received for holding up together across an entire season, but they do both need more seasoning in the pros. But this ranking relative to the team-building approach to Seattle’s offensive line? Way too low– because it’s one of the best in the league. Outside of Cross, this is a deep group of dependable mid-round draft picks and mid-level free agents. It’ll be hard for defenses to find a weak link in this line, and that’s only going to get tougher with time. The future is bright in the trenches for Seattle.

19. Broncos

Denver’s offensive line is nearly the inverse of Seattle’s group in that they have invested too much capital for a group that appears rather average. Bolles, Powers, and McGlinchey each have top six total contracts for their respective positions. That said, I suppose I won’t shame investment into the offensive line too much. Sean Payton has done so at every step of his career, and it’s rarely let him down.

20. Panthers

Carolina invested a ton into its offensive line ahead of the 2022 season, and they proceeded to stick together and over-perform as a unit, but I still see this as a middling group. Taylor Moton is an underrated rock at RT; I’ll give the Panthers that. But after him, Ikem Ekwonu is an exciting mauler who still has a ways to go, and the IOL isn’t anything special. Austin Corbett‘s late-season ACL tear certainly didn’t help matters.

21. Jets

The Jets certainly don’t have a QUANTITY issue in the trenches. They have no shortage of big bodies, but it’s difficult to piece them together in natural order – as proved by their messy 2022 performance. Outside of the excellent Alijah Vera-Tucker, it’s fair to debate the starter vs. the backup at every other spot on the line. Max Mitchell might be more reliable than Duane Brown or Mekhi Becton at this point, and Connor McGovern is probably more prepared to have an NFL offense run through him at OC than Joe Tippmann. Even Laken Tomlinson didn’t fit in well after taking big money to join the Jets ahead of last season. This is a really weird group.

Tier 5: Mediocre

22. Steelers

I know that it’s the Steelers’ fan base I’m talking about here, but we need to collectively temper the excitement about this unit. Sure, it should be better than last year, but that’s not a high bar. And I’m not even positive that will turn out to be the case. Three of the five starters remain the same, none of whom are particularly game-changers. Isaac Seumalo is a smart player who’s enjoyed a great career to date, but he is a 30-year-old about to switch positions who the Eagles let leave town. He’s more of a stabilizer than a transformer. Then there’s first-rounder Broderick Jones, about whom I’ll remind you that offensive line investment doesn’t always lead to automatic returns. Jones is a freakish prospect who could pan out with time, but I could see him having a rough go of things early into his career. With him and Chuk Okorafor as the OTs, Kenny Pickett might take a lot of hits in 2023.

23. Bears

This is another offensive line that requires a chill pill or two after an off-season makeover. It’s great to dump cash and draft capital into the trenches, but that doesn’t necessarily turn a line into a good one overnight. Do I think the Bears’ line will eventually become good? Yes, especially since I’m higher on Darnell Wright than Broderick Jones. But this was a bad unit in 2022 that couldn’t place all the blame on Justin Fields, even if he didn’t do them any favors. Nate Davis is more of an effective run blocker than a pass protector too, so the sack count in Chicago might remain high in 2023.

24. Bills

Buffalo’s philosophy towards the offensive line is tough to peg; they’ve been in this “mediocre” category for a long time now. They have a good LT in Dion Dawkins and otherwise, pay it enough attention to avoid becoming a team-sinking problem, but that’s close to the bare minimum – especially for a contender like the Bills. They do at least allocate their cap space to other premium positions for the most part, but then they also take half-measures like giving a replacement-level lineman in Connor McGovern a three-year deal or using a Round 3 pick instead of a Round 1 pick on a starting RT. I’d like to see this group improve; drafting O’Cyrus Torrence was a good start.

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25. Commanders

This has to be the most boring offensive line in the NFL. There might still exist some truth in an offensive line that avoids discussion during a broadcast being one that’s playing well, but Washington’s case has more to do with a total lack of impact blockers. Andrew Wylie might be the best starter on this line, and he was safely the worst starter on the Chiefs’ line last year. The LG spot could be a mess for them too.

26. Titans

Like I said atop this article: I didn’t consult any other OL rankings while writing this piece, but if I had, I figure that I’d find the Titans’ line at the bottom of a few lists. It’s a young and patchwork group, and clearly, I’m not that high on them, given their #26 ranking. But I am that high on Peter Skoronski‘s future and think that Tennessee’s overall process is sound. If Skoronski turns out as good as I think he can be, and if Nicholas Petit-Frere returns from suspension as a respectable RG, then this could be an above-average unit as soon as next season.

Tier 6: On the Brink

27. Chargers

On the flip side of the Titans, I imagine other OL rankings might have the Chargers’ group much higher. On an individual basis, I’d get that. Rashawn Slater is awesome, Corey Linsley is a former All-Pro, Zion Johnson was a Round 1 pick in 2022, and Jamaree Salyer filled in admirably as a sixth-round rookie last year. But collectively, I have doubts about the cohesion of this group, and it’s not like they played all that well last year. He’ll probably be fine, but Slater is returning from a serious injury that knocked out his 2022 season, and Linsley has taken a toll heading into his Age-32 season. After them, Johnson and Salyer are each changing positions heading into year two, and I’m not sure if it’s a good or bad thing that Salyer probably outplayed Johnson in 2022 despite being drafted five rounds later than him. And then there’s the black hole at RT, which might prove to be the fatal flaw of the organization during the Justin Herbert rookie deal era.

28. Vikings

Similar idea to this group in that this starting five merits a higher ranking on paper, but I have major reservations over how things will unfold for Minnesota’s line in 2023. It’s worth noting that I even think this starting five is overrated too. The IOL is mediocre, and the tackle duo is very good, but I’d certainly stop short of calling them the best OT twosome in the league. Brian O’Neill tore his Achilles in the 2022 regular season finale too. More than that, this line is being held together by scotch tape, and they have zero depth to speak of. Like the Chargers, the Vikings entered this offseason in a brutal salary cap situation and were somewhat forced into doubling down on a flawed unit to keep the team’s contention window open. I’d be holding my breath for 18 straight weeks as a Vikings fan.

29. Rams

The Rams’ unit is “on the brink” in a different sense. They’re also an injury or two away from total collapse – which happened to them just last season – but this group actually has somewhat of a bright future. Allen & Havenstein are solid holdovers from LA’s Super Bowl squad, and Avila & Bruss were the Rams’ top picks in the last two NFL Drafts. It turns out you can get new starters when you keep your draft picks! This line probably won’t be any good in 2023, but at least they are trending the right way.

Tier 7: Bad

30. Colts

It’s hard to believe how far this group has fallen. As recently as two years ago, the Colts’ line had a fair claim as one of the best in the league, and yet they might have been the worst line on the field in 2022. Basically, everything went wrong for the Colts: injuries, unexpected regression from the stalwarts of the line, rookies being forced into key snaps, etc. Even if Quenton Nelson and Ryan Kelly are more true to form in 2023 – and I do think that they’ll each play better – this line still has major issues. The LT and RG positions are in clear need of upgrades, and it’s disappointing that Indy is practicing patience in those spots when they just drafted a rookie QB. Anthony Richardson is adept at escaping pressure but might be running for his life in 2023.

31. Jaguars

I have a terrible feeling about this line. I say that having liked the Round 1 pick of Anton Harrison out of Oklahoma, too, even if Jacksonville is preparing to throw the 21-year-old to the NFL wolves at a new position at RT. Cam Robinson, who’s merely an average LT himself, did his team zero favors with a PED suspension. His replacement, Walker Little, and LG Ben Bartch have started 23 combined games for the Jags despite five years of combined experience. Luke Fortner wasn’t any good as a rookie. And Jacksonville might even be on the hook for the wrong half of Brandon Scherff‘s career after giving him a massive contract in free agency. I could go on, but the Jaguars have taken so many wrong steps in team building around a special young QB in Trevor Lawrence. Maybe I’m being too pessimistic, we’ll see, but this, unfortunately, reminds me of the Ryan Grigson era of Andrew Luck’s Colts.

32. Cardinals

It feels like piling on to rank the Cardinals in last place, but this line is going to stink. There’s no sugarcoating how rough the IOL looks on the depth chart. Even with Paris Johnson Jr. who is a very young and talented prospect, Arizona reached for him in the NFL Draft, gave up the 34th overall pick to secure him, and now is sliding him over to a new position at RT. Ideally, they’d trade DJ Humphries, who’s a fine LT, and fully commit to their rebuild, but he’s nursing a back injury, and the previous Cardinals’ regime handed him a $51mil extension before getting fired. Like the rest of the roster, this unit has a long, long way to go.

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