Episode Summary: 2026 Offensive Line Outlooks with Brandon Thorn (July 27, 2026)
Adam Levitan and Evan Silva are joined by ETR’s offensive line evaluator, Brandon Thorn, to run through 2026 offensive line outlooks and how they change the fantasy picture. Thorn has the Chargers at fifth overall with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt healthy, plus Mike McDaniel running the scheme — validating the ETR-wide Chargers hype. The Saints move up to seventh with Erik McCoy back and David Edwards signed at left guard, validating the aggressive drafting of Chris Olave, Jordyn Tyson, and Tyler Shough. And the biggest concern for the ETR bulls: The Packers check in at 29th, cutting into the Jordan Love-Christian Watson-Jayden Reed-Matthew Golden-Tucker Kraft pass-game thesis. Plus the Bengals up to 14th, Ravens at 21, Steelers at 19, Raiders at 26 (but better if you weight run blocking), Eagles at 2 despite losing Jeff Stoutland, and Panthers free-falling after Taylor Moton’s blood clot.
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Key Topics
- Better in 2026: Chargers (fifth), Saints (seventh), Bengals (14th) — validating ETR’s hype on Justin Herbert, Kellen Moore’s Saints, and Joe Burrow’s Bengals.
- Worse or concerning in 2026: Lions (13th, down from elite), Steelers (19th), Ravens (21st), Raiders (26th), Packers (29th) — the Packers being the biggest concern for anyone bullish on that pass game.
Takeaway #1 (0:49): The Chargers’ offensive line at No. 5 overall validates the Justin Herbert hype
- Brandon Thorn: The Chargers’ tackle pairing of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt is one of the two or three best in the league, hands down. There is variance with both returning from season-ending injuries — Slater’s being more serious with the patella injury. But even at 80% to 85%, Slater is still really, really good. Bradley Bozeman at center rounds out the top three, and the guards will be fine, especially with the system upgrade under Mike McDaniel.
- Brandon Thorn: McDaniel raises the floor of an offensive line in a way we already saw in Miami. This is a better offensive line than Miami’s, with a better quarterback. The floor is high because of the infrastructure, and the ceiling is high because of the personnel. Thorn is very excited about this unit.
- Evan Silva: The biggest takeaway Evan had picking Brandon Thorn’s brain at the retreat was that the scheme for an offensive line is almost more important than the parts themselves. Thorn thinks Aaron Brewer, the undrafted, undersized Dolphins center, should have won Protector of the Year over Joe Thuney because of what McDaniel did with him. Adam adds that when the Dolphins were humming with McDaniel, Thorn had that line only in the low 20s, and they still produced elite yards-per-play EPA numbers. Adam has been drafting a ton of Chargers and Justin Herbert.
Takeaway #2 (7:21): The Saints’ offensive line up to No. 7 validates ETR’s aggressive Saints drafting
- Brandon Thorn: At the end of last year, Thorn had the Saints in the late 20s. This year, they upgrade two spots — David Edwards is a big upgrade at left guard, and Erik McCoy coming back is huge. McCoy is the best player on the line. The situation is a little fragile because McCoy gets hurt fairly often, but this year, they are much better insulated on the interior with Edwards there, too. With McCoy in the lineup, Edwards, two young tackles with a good chance of getting better, and this system, they are a top-10 unit coming into the season.
- Brandon Thorn: The Kellen Moore system emphasizes a multiple run game that has generally been efficient throughout his career as a play-caller. Anytime you are focused on the run game and it is efficient, it makes everything else more friendly and less predictable when you have to pass. That is a big reason why Thorn is a little more optimistic than he was a few weeks ago — low-end Tier 2 unit right now with McCoy in the lineup.
- Adam Levitan: Adam is drafting an insane amount of Saints stuff. It feels good to see them at 7. Evan chimes in that ETR is drafting Tyler Shough, the running backs, and Jordyn Tyson ahead of Carnell Tate in the ranks. Adam has a ton of Tyson, Chris Olave, and even started drafting Travis Etienne in the third round. Evan has been drafting a bunch of them, too.
Takeaway #3 (32:29): The Packers at No. 29 is the biggest concern for anyone bullish on the Jordan Love pass game
- Brandon Thorn: This is the one team Thorn wrestled with the most because he has never viewed the Packers’ line this low in the eight years he has been doing this at ETR. The system and continuity under Matt LaFleur keep them afloat — LaFleur is a Kyle Shanahan disciple and among the best in the league at scheming up pass-protection help. Jordan Love is also very good at not letting pressures turn into sacks. That is the optimistic side.
- Brandon Thorn: The personnel is very underwhelming. Zach Tom, coming off an injury, is far and away the best player, and Thorn has always been a little lower on him than most — he is undersized and not the most stout presence. Sean Rhyan at center is the guy Thorn latches onto as the second-best starter. The rest are four question marks: Jordan Morgan, Rhyan, and Anthony Belton have a combined 14 career starts, and the next-most-experienced guy, Aaron Banks, is not very good. Just a ton of variance with four of the five starters.
- Evan Silva: It is discouraging because the Packers have invested in the offensive line. Jordan Morgan was a first-round pick, Aaron Banks got a bunch of money from San Francisco, Sean Rhyan got an extension last offseason, Zach Tom signed a big deal two offseasons ago, and Anthony Belton was a second-round pick. They have not ignored the line; it is just the personnel. This may actually lead to a more pass-happy environment, especially with Micah Parsons out early. Evan is banking on the Packers throwing more when he drafts Jayden Reed, Christian Watson, Matthew Golden, and Tucker Kraft.
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About Establish The Run
Establish The Run was founded by Adam Levitan and Evan Silva, two of the most respected analysts in fantasy football and sports betting. ETR delivers high-quality, actionable analysis across season-long, best ball, DFS, and props.
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