Ranking the five best offensive lines in the 2021 NFL season
By Geoff Schwartz
FOX Sports NFL Analyst
Nothing warms my heart more than watching the big uglies up front do their work.
After three months of the 2021 NFL season, which offensive lines are the best-performing units? I've broken down the film and placed the top groups into two tiers.
TIER ONE:
For some reason, the Buccaneers' offensive line is continuously overlooked, despite having one of the game's best right tackles (Tristan Wirfs) and arguably the top center (Ryan Jensen).
Both guards, Ali Marpet and Alex Cappa, are ranked in the top 16 by Pro Football Focus (among players who have played at least 75% of snaps), and left tackle Donovan Smith might be having his best NFL season.
Tampa Bay is tied with Cleveland in adjusted line yards and ranks as the sixth-best unit, according to PFF, at minimizing the number of times it is defeated in the running game.
All of the Bucs' starters rank under 5% in pressure rate, and the entire unit leads the NFL in fewest pressures given up. Part of that could be traced to Tom Brady being quick on the trigger, but the film would show otherwise.
This unit is led by Jensen, a fiery center who has never seen a defensive lineman who didn’t need a little extra after the play. Having an enforcer like that on your offensive line makes it special.
Like most offensive-line groups at this time of the season, the Browns are dealing with injuries that have made their overall play decline. They also are blocking for a quarterback who doesn't scare defenses, so the box tends to be stacked.
Nearly 25% of the Browns' runs this season have been against an eight-man box. That has not stopped this unit from excelling.
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NFL reporter Albert Breer joins Colin Cowherd to discuss the future of Browns QB Baker Mayfield. The Browns' loss to the rival Ravens leaves them 6-6 and last in the AFC North. With their playoff hopes looking cloudy, Colin asks Breer about Mayfield's future in Cleveland.
They have two outstanding guards, including Wyatt Teller, who just got a massive extension. Center JC Tretter is reliable, and left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. keeps improving in his second season. When Jack Conklin — who returned from injured reserve Sunday, only to be injured again — is healthy at right tackle, they are an outstanding unit.
The Browns' rushing unit ranks first in adjusted line yards, a metric used by Football Outsiders to measure the success rates of offensive lines in the run game. Cleveland's ground game specializes in the outside zone, in which the linemen are successful at moving as one unit and giving the running back room to stretch and cut back against the defense.
This line does well when pulling, having nearly a 20% explosive run rate when a guard is on the move. In pass protection, four of the five starters have a pressure rate at 5% or less, while Wills is at 9%. (Wills has played this season with a bum ankle at times; otherwise this number would be lower.)
I just love how this Browns unit plays as one.
As is the case for several of these units, injuries have caused Philadelphia's line play to be up and down. However, as the Eagles have gotten linemen back after absences, they’ve become a top-tier unit.
The Eagles are first in yards before contact in the rushing game, and over the past five weeks, they rank fourth in limiting poor blocks. They are third in "stuff rate" and fourth in second-level rate, which means they work to the linebacker level very well. In pass protection, Philly is second in pressure rate over the past five weeks as well.
Center Jason Kelce and right tackle Lane Johnson are the anchors of this group. Kelce continues his path toward the Hall of Fame. There’s no better center at blocking on the move. The next time you watch Philadelphia play, focus on Kelce.
The Eagles have two bookend tackles, one of whom is first-year starter Jordan Mailata on the left side. The youngster is improving each week and could become one of the best in the game. At right tackle, the Eagles have Johnson, who has been dominant since he was drafted in 2013.
The Eagles drafted Landon Dickerson from Alabama, hoping he’d sit this season, but after right guard Brandon Brooks got hurt, Dickerson took over at right guard before moving to the left side for the rest of the season.
TIER TWO:
A healthy Dallas unit, with two Hall of Famers in left tackle Tyron Smith and right guard Zack Martin, will always make the upper tier of offensive lines for me. And before the Cowboys started messing with their rotations, including moving right tackle Terence Steele to left tackle to replace Smith when he was out with an ankle injury, they had the makings of an up-and-coming stud at right tackle.
At center, Dallas has Tyler Biadasz from Wisconsin getting his first opportunity to be a starter from opening day. As expected, he struggled early, but he has gotten far better as the season has progressed.
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The Cowboys are favored heading into their Thursday matchup against the Saints. Clay Travis explains why he's confident that Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will win and cover against New Orleans.
The Cowboys still have a hole at left guard, which they haven’t been able to fill. But again, when this line is healthy, the group is excellent.
Despite all the the injuries, Dallas ranks seventh in pressure rate and 10th in adjusted line yards. Cowboys fans have to hope this group gets healthier for the stretch run.
Kansas City completely rebuilt its offensive line in the offseason. And while the two-time defending AFC champions have dealt with some offensive woes this season, that's not because of this unit.
The Chiefs hit home runs in drafting center Creed Humphrey from Oklahoma and right guard Trey Smith from Tennessee. Humphrey is currently PFF’s top-ranked center, and he deserves that ranking. He has been flawless in his play, effort and finish. Then there’s Smith, who might be the best value in the 2021 draft. The sixth-round rookie is a dominant force at right guard.
The Chiefs signed Joe Thuney to man the left guard spot, and the veteran has done everything they’ve asked. Left tackle Orlando Brown is steady and has improved as he has gotten more comfortable in the offense.
Right tackle has been a revolving door, but that hasn’t stopped this unit. Kansas City ranks ninth in pressure rate, 10th in adjusted-line yards and third in yards before contact.
As the Chiefs have started to narrow their rushing attack to the schemes the guys up front do best, their explosive-play rate has increased. This unit will continue to improve.
This group can be one of the best in the NFL, but injuries have limited the unit's production. Both tackles are elite, but left tackle Terron Armstead has missed a lot of time, and right tackle Ryan Ramczyk has missed the past two games. Center Erik McCoy has played in only seven games, left guard Andrus Peat is on injured reserve, and so on.
It has been a rough season with the injury bug for this unit.
Geoff Schwartz played eight seasons in the NFL for five different teams. He started at right tackle for the University of Oregon for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. He is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.