Thorn: 2023 Midseason OL Rankings

 

The primary factors I use to arrive at these rankings are my game-film evaluation of each individual offensive lineman and 2023 performance as a unit from Weeks 1-9 — with an eye toward the rest of the season.

In short, these OLs are ranked according to both descriptive and predictive analysis.

Offensive line coaches are in parentheses.

 

Tier 1: Elite Offensive Lines

 

1. Eagles (Jeff Stoutland)

LT Jordan Mailata
LG Landon Dickerson
C Jason Kelce
RG Cam Jurgens
RT Lane Johnson

Preseason ranking: 1

Notes: The Eagles have managed to get off to an 8-1 start despite seemingly not firing on all cylinders offensively thanks in large part to their offensive line maintaining a high floor every week. With two elite starters in Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce, a top-five left guard in Landon Dickerson, and a solid left tackle in Jordan Mailata, the unit has been able to carry their offense despite not having their starting right guard in Cam Jurgens since Week 4.

Philly will come out of the bye in Week 11 with Jurgens expected back in the lineup, fresh off a statement win against the Cowboys in Week 9 and the healthiest they have been all season. Expect this line to improve as the year moves along, with the right side gaining more continuity.

 

2. Lions (Hank Fraley)

LT Taylor Decker
LG Jonah Jackson
C Frank Ragnow
RG Graham Glasgow
RT Penei Sewell

Preseason ranking: 2

Notes: Detroit’s line is the latest example in a long line of them marrying shrewd offensive scheming with blue-chip talent built through the draft, resulting in a unit that a team wins because of. Penei Sewell will be an All-Pro this season, Frank Ragnow a Pro Bowler, and they have another Pro Bowl-caliber starter in LG Jonah Jackson, who has missed three games with a high-ankle sprain but will likely return after their bye week in Week 11.

With an elite trio and steady starters elsewhere, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson can incorporate the most diverse run scheme in the NFL with the bells and whistles of a misdirection-heavy offensive approach that can also go true drop-back. The Lions are tied for fourth in yards per play at 5.7 thanks in large part to a line that allows them to throw a lot of looks at defenses while having the dudes to win the vast majority of their one-on-one matchups.

 

Tier 2: Very Good Offensive Lines

 

3. Cowboys (Mike Solari)

LT Tyron Smith
LG Tyler Smith
C Tyler Biadasz
RG Zack Martin
RT Terence Steele

Preseason ranking: 6

Notes: If not for RT Terence Steele taking a step back this season in his return from major knee surgery, the Cowboys would be an easy Tier 1 unit thanks to a resurgent year from former All-Pro LT Tyron Smith, RG Zack Martin continuing to be the best guard in the league, above-average play from C Tyler Biadasz, and second-year LG Tyler Smith turning into a superstar. Dallas has been an O-Line factory for decades with blue-chip talent at multiple spots that can take over games at a moment’s notice while having the personnel to execute the drop-back passing game as well as any in football. Steele has lowered their floor this season, but they are firmly a top-10 group with arguably the highest ceiling in the league when healthy.

 

4. Ravens (Joe D’Alessandris)

LT Ronnie Stanley
LG John Simpson
C Tyler Linderbaum
RG Kevin Zeitler
RT Morgan Moses

Preseason ranking: 8

Notes: Baltimore has gotten quality tackle play from Ronnie Stanley and Morgan Moses this season with one of the five best backups in the league in Patrick Mekari stepping in at a high level during the five total starts those two have missed. When one of those three does get exposed in pass protection, QB Lamar Jackson often rights those wrongs to evade pressure, turning a negative into a positive. On the inside, second-year C Tyler Linderbaum has become the high-end starter that he was expected to be as a prospect, while Kevin Zeitler remains rock steady 175 starts into his career and LG John Simpson is plenty functional as the fifth-best starter on the unit. This is a team firing on all cylinders this season with a very good offensive line with quality depth to insulate them against short-term injury.

 

5. Browns (Bill Callahan)

LT James Hudson III
LG Joel Bitonio
C Ethan Pocic
RG Wyatt Teller
RT Dawand Jones

Preseason ranking: 3

Notes: Under Bill Callahan, a run-first (third in rush attempts), play-action-based scheme (13th in play-action percentage) with a top-three guard duo in football, solid center play, and above-average play from rookie right tackle Dawand Jones, the Browns have been able to maintain their status quo as a top-10 unit so far this season. This OL-friendly infrastructure has allowed them to hit the ground running despite Pro Bowl RT Jack Conklin tearing his ACL in Week 1 and should allow the same until Jedrick Wills Jr. comes back from a sprained MCL suffered in Week 9 (which put him on short-term injured reserve). James Hudson III will take over for Wills in the interim and has proven over spot duty the last couple of seasons to be a quality backup. As the QB carousel continues to turn in Cleveland, the offensive line remains a strength that the offense can rely on for the foreseeable future.

 

6. Chiefs (Andy Heck)

LT Donovan Smith
LG Joe Thuney
C Creed Humphrey
RG Trey Smith
RT Jawaan Taylor

Preseason ranking: 4

Notes: Kansas City still has a top-tier interior trio in place that forms the foundation of their line, translating into a consistently stout middle of the pocket for QB Patrick Mahomes to operate in. Their tackle play has been even more inconsistent than in years past despite heavily investing into the position financially this offseason thanks to Donovan Smith’s propensity for his technique to fall apart on any given rep and RT Jawaan Taylor not quite taking the next step yet despite receiving the best coaching of his career.

Taylor is still just halfway through his first season playing for renowned line coach Andy Heck and could still make modest improvements to his technique as a pass protector to raise the unit’s floor even higher, but on the other side, this is just who Smith has been his entire career. Ultimately, this unit is constructed in a way to make Mahomes comfortable by limiting pressure in his face, allowing for escape routes through the ‘B’ gaps when the tackles lose outside. They also can provide some of the most effective and creative ways to help their tackles through Andy Reid’s schematic genius, mitigating their weaknesses and accentuating their strengths as well as any unit in the NFL.

 

Tier 3: Solid Offensive Lines