2026 NFL Offensive Line Rankings

Continuity is the whole story. Very few lines run it back three seasons in a row, and it shows up in how cleanly they pass off stunts and pressure. Meinerz has become the best right guard in the league, Bolles is coming off his most consistent year, and Wattenberg has grown into a legitimately good center. Denver also schemes to keep them comfortable, getting the ball out quickly and using movement to avoid long-developing pass sets. Depth held up when Powers missed most of last season, which is the final box this group checks.

Last season is easy to explain. Johnson was gone for the final eight games with a Lisfranc, and Dickerson never got right after hurting his knee in camp. Mailata is still among the best left tackles in football and one of the highest-ranked linemen on the major top-100 lists, though our read is that his play dipped last year and his pass protection specifically fell off early before he recovered it. Johnson at his best is the most reliable one-on-one protector in the league. The shift toward more under-center play-action and zone runs should give this group more structural help than it has had in years. Steen at right guard is the spot opponents will attack, and Kuper is running the room for the first time.

The 2025 tape is close to useless for projection. Both guards and the right tackle missed a combined 27 starts, and Wirfs himself entered the season banged up, with his pressure rate spiking even on a reduced snap count. He still made a fifth Pro Bowl. Goedeke is better than his reputation on the other side, giving Tampa Bay a tackle pair most teams cannot match. Inside, Barton has the movement skills of a high-end center and needs his recognition to catch up, and Mauch is a good starter when his knee cooperates. This is a health projection more than a talent one.

This is the rare line where the play-caller is an active asset. Indianapolis runs early and often and leans on play-action, which keeps its blockers out of the long-developing dropbacks that expose weaker groups. Nelson remains the standard at the position and is due a new contract after this season, with the team so far showing little urgency about extending its core. Bortolini and Goncalves are both entering their second full seasons as starters and offer different things, one moving well in space and the other winning with size. Travis takes over at right tackle after filling in capably down the stretch.

Dawkins made a fifth straight Pro Bowl with the seventh-lowest pressure rate among starting left tackles, and our tracking also flags a rising false-start count and more sacks surrendered than that pressure rate suggests, particularly when he is left on an island. Brown has been banged up this offseason, which matters because a healthy Brown next to Torrence would give Buffalo an elite right side. McGovern was re-signed at a real price partly on the strength of his working relationship with Allen. Anderson is the favorite at left guard and has legitimate five-position flexibility, and filling in at left tackle last season he turned in one of the better individual games any Buffalo lineman had all year.

Thuney won the inaugural Protector of the Year award in his first season with Chicago, excelling in the run game while providing steady protection, and only two guards in the league rank ahead of him on the major top-100 lists. The right side of Jackson and Wright generates as much displacement on run downs as any pair in football. Ben Johnson does more than any coach to keep his linemen out of losing situations, using heavy personnel and motion to manufacture angles. Bradbury arrives via trade as an interim answer at center after an unexpected retirement, and left tackle depends on a player returning from an IR stint. Protection is what caps this group.

The tackles are the whole projection. Our tracking of last season's efficiency splits with and without Joe Alt showed an enormous gap, and Slater never took a snap after tearing his patellar tendon in camp. Both are expected back for Week 1, and both are legitimately top-tier when healthy. The interior was rebuilt from scratch, with Biadasz a sensible fit for a zone run game and Strange a player whose limitations are easier to hide in this scheme than most. McDaniel's system has a long record of making average linemen look better than they are.

Alaric Jackson will not face felony charges from his June arrest, but the league office is typically stricter than the courts, and as a repeat offender who already served a two-game personal conduct suspension in 2024 he faces a baseline of roughly six games. That is our read on the most likely outcome, and Rams depth is not strong enough to absorb losing their most consistent blocker for that long. Dotson anchors the group with commanding size and knockout ability on the move, and he and Avila are both extension candidates. Shelton is undersized and gets exposed in protection, though he is demonstrably better in this system than he was elsewhere.

Our camp tracking is unusually clear on the rookie: Miller took every spring practice rep at right tackle while Borom split sides, and this regime's first-round picks have historically started from day one. He is also more prepared than most rookies, with 54 college starts, 34-inch arms at 6-foot-7, and a near-perfect athletic score. Sewell has not played the blind side since briefly doing so as a rookie, but that is where he started and he is good enough that the switch is close to a non-issue. Mays is the real X-factor. Good center play would cover for two young guards, and Mahogany and Ratledge both need it.

Edwards is the addition that matters. He was among the more valuable linemen on a very good Buffalo front for two seasons and was allowed to leave in free agency, which is the kind of departure that tends to look worse for the old team than the new one. He brings size, anchor, and dependable protection to a spot that needed all three. Paired with Banks, who exceeded expectations as a rookie, and McCoy when healthy, the left side and center could be genuinely good. The right side is shakier, with Ruiz now a reliable mid-level starter and Fuaga powerful but stiff when isolated against speed.

Cross is genuinely underrated and was part of what made the Super Bowl run work when he was on the field. Lucas finally got through a season without the injuries that had defined his career, giving Seattle two dependable tackles. Zabel was the standout as a rookie, particularly on run downs, and if his protection catches up this line climbs quickly. Sundell lacks bulk but moves well enough to be an asset in a zone scheme. Right guard is the one spot with a real challenger, and keeping the same five together matters more here than any individual grade.

Williams remains elite, but our tracking flags something beyond his play: his in-and-out availability was itself a factor in how the offense performed, and tackle continuity matters as much here as tackle quality. Puni is the one trending up, the only 49er on this year's all-breakout lists and a right guard with Pro Bowl trajectory once his play strength returned late in the season. Left guard is the problem. Colby was rough as a rookie and now has to hold the job, though second-year jumps are common at the position. The environment does real work: Shanahan's under-center, play-action offense keeps this line out of obvious passing downs more consistently than almost any scheme in football, which flatters the interior.

Darrisaw is the best left tackle this franchise has had in decades and a top-three player at the position when right, which is the whole projection after he missed seven games last season. His return also makes Donovan Jackson's job materially easier on the left side. O'Neill is steady on the right, missed three games himself, and is facing a meaningful contract decision. The interior is the concern: Fries posted a pass-block rate in the sixth percentile in his first year back from a brutal leg injury, and Brandel is a first-year starter at center with only a few hundred snaps there.

Smith is the best interior lineman in football by our grading, and pairing him with Booker gives Dallas the strongest guard duo in the league. Beebe is dense and firm at center even if his athleticism shows up late in reps. That trio can win a game on its own. The tackles cannot, and left tackle is not even settled: Guyton is competing with Nate Thomas, who has been solid without being dominant. Steele is a genuine force in the run game and erratic in protection. Dallas has built this line around size and a downhill run game, and the pass-protection variance at tackle is what caps it.

Matthews is the durability anchor here, a left tackle the quarterback can count on being there every week, which has real value on a roster that has not had much stability. Lindstrom remains an elite zone run blocker, and the arrival of a wide-zone system is a better fit for both than what they ran last year, when both took a step back as pass protectors operating with less play-action. Taylor is on a one-year deal at right tackle, so this is a prove-it season for him rather than a long-term answer. Neuzil keeps the offense on schedule and Bergeron has stalled technically.

Moton's absence forces rookie Monroe Freeling into the lineup at right tackle, a significant downgrade given Moton was one of the two pillars of this line alongside Lewis. Robert Hunt is physically imposing but durability and inconsistent pass protection limit him. Rasheed Walker was signed as a bridge at left tackle and brings experience with a limited pass-protection ceiling. The offensive staff enters its third season together, which at least provides continuity.

Humphrey has graded as the best center in football over the last two seasons, and Smith is a top-three right guard, so the middle of this line raises the floor of everything around it. Simmons is the piece to watch. He slid to the end of the first round on an injury that would otherwise have made him a top-10 pick, and Kansas City views him as the long-term answer at left tackle. He and Suamataia both need seasoning to stop losing reps quickly. Moore is favored at right tackle but is a career swing player with no extended starting record.

Thomas allowed a single sack across 448 snaps last season, which is the kind of number that changes how an offense can be called. His durability is the only real question, and he is expected back healthy. Schmitz has improved in each of his first three seasons and should benefit from the rookie next to him, using his athleticism to work to angles rather than absorbing interior power alone. Mauigoa was the 10th overall pick and is an immediate talent upgrade at right guard. Runyan and Eluemunor are mid-level starters who maximize what they have. A new coordinator adds some variance.

Stanley is the piece to watch. His length, experience, and set mechanics still give Baltimore a steady blindside presence, but he is deep into his career and our read is that his age is part of why the organization is operating with urgency right now. Rosengarten has turned into a plus run blocker through quickness and angles despite a mediocre anchor. Inside, rookie Ioane profiles as a high-floor, stout left guard, with Simpson switching to the right side and the center job unsettled. Three new interior starters learning a new scheme together is a slow start waiting to happen.

Campbell's postseason is the story. He was targeted repeatedly in the Super Bowl and openly questioned afterward about whether he can hold the position, and he was noticeably better before the Week 12 knee injury than after it. Wilson moving back to center should be a genuine unlock; he was an athletic center prospect who struggled when asked to play guard, and the move fits both his size and his skill set. Vera-Tucker is the swing piece, capable of being one of the better guards in the league when available and carrying an injury history that has repeatedly cost him extended stretches. Onwenu and Moses are sturdy and power-based, and neither is built for long dropbacks.

Fashanu and Membou are the reason to buy in, and our tracking had Tippmann as one of the more impressive linemen on tape last season. He signed a four-year extension worth 62 million and now sits among the higher-paid right guards, which is notable because he has more career snaps at center than at guard and his permanent home is still genuinely unclear. Myers was re-signed after playing well enough at center to earn it. Parham fills left guard and profiles as serviceable rather than an upgrade. If the tackles keep developing this group climbs quickly.

Tunsil combines an elite pass-block rate with noticeably improved discipline, and that one-on-one reliability is what opens up a playbook. Allegretti replaces Biadasz at center, and the bet is explicitly that his processing and communication cover for what he lacks physically, which matters most in setting protection and identifying targets in the run game. Paul was one of the better stories of the back half of last season and is competing to hold the job in a zone-based scheme that may favor a more athletic option. Cosmi is excellent when available and has not been available enough.

Anton Harrison offers the best blend of physical traits and developmental upside, and at 24 the tools suggest a higher ceiling if his technique stabilizes. Cole Van Lanen, Robert Hainsey, and Patrick Mekari are all technique-driven blockers who win with quickness and leverage but lack the size and stopping power to control the point of attack. A size and power boost could come if rookie Emmanuel Pregnon wins a guard job.

McCormick is the reason to be optimistic. He lifted his overall grade from 57.7 as a rookie to 72.9 in year two, and over the back half of last season he graded as a top-10 guard, which is why he landed on this year's All-Breakout lists. He moves to left guard alongside Fautanu, with both sliding over from the right side together, and both played those spots in college. Frazier is one of the strongest interior blockers in football. The right side is unresolved at both guard and tackle, with rookies in the mix and no NFL starts between them. McCormick still needs to round out his run blocking to reach the top tier.

Elijah Wilkinson is a volatile pass protector with unproven depth behind him, and right guard remains an open competition between a rookie second-round pick and the talented but inconsistent Isaiah Adams. That competition should produce at least functional play. A first-time head coach with experience in zone-based systems could help protect the right side through scheme, but whether the infrastructure gets built is an open question.

Mims is the one with real upside, a former first-rounder with All-Pro traits who started tapping into them last season while finally staying healthy. Fairchild profiled as a high-floor prospect and was solid rather than special as a rookie, and linemen typically make their biggest jump in year two. Risner's return to health at right guard was a visible turning point for the group's blocking. Karras remains dependable at center with a drafted successor already in the building. The upside here is modest but the floor is real, and continuity is worth more than it looks.

Brewer is an impact run blocker, and Paul's length, play strength, and growing confidence point toward above-average starter value. Rookie Kadyn Proctor is switching to guard, where his boom-or-bust skill set should be quieted by playing in less space. Jonah Savaiinaea moves back to the more familiar right side after a volatile rookie season but needs major technical improvement. Austin Jackson's erratic protection could open the door for a sturdier swing tackle.

Tom is the best of this group and is coming back from a significant injury, and how close he gets to his previous level effectively sets the ceiling for the whole line. Morgan moves to left tackle, his natural college position, and has to prove he can protect Love's blind side after failing to win the job in his first two seasons. Banks looked fine when healthy and clearly compromised when not, and he already has a minor issue worth monitoring from spring work. Rhyan's transition to center is the most encouraging development. LaFleur's track record of insulating lines raises the floor.

Linderbaum arrives on a record-setting contract for a center, which tells you how badly Las Vegas needed to fix the middle. The number that framed last season for us: Jeanty was getting hit at or behind the line on nearly 60% of his early-season carries, a rate no back survives. Miller returning healthy is worth several ranking spots on its own, taking this group from dead last toward the low-20s. Glaze remains the clear weak link at right tackle, and neither guard spot has a settled answer. Kubiak's scheme raises the floor more than the personnel does.

Ingram is the piece being undersold. He signed an extension after a career year in which he allowed a career-low 6.4% pressure rate, and he credited the position coach directly for the jump, which is a useful signal about the environment. Ersery gained real experience as a rookie at left tackle. The projection stays cloudy because Teller and Smith both carry significant mileage, and Rutledge is a first-round pick moving to center after playing guard in college. Depth is better than it has been.

Skoronski has quietly become one of the better guards in football and is still improving. Everything around him is a question. Moore was signed to solve left tackle and has not, Latham keeps flashing without stringing it together across a position change and a run of injuries, and Volson arrives at right guard off a season lost to injury and a year before that in which our tracking had him taking a clear step back. Daboll's arrival is the one real reason for optimism, because his systems have historically made ordinary fronts functional. That is a lot of weight for a scheme to carry.

The rebuild was aggressive. Fano went ninth overall to start at left tackle immediately, which is a heavy ask for a rookie who wins with movement rather than power and now faces NFL edge rushers weekly. Howard holds the other side and has been fine in stretches when his technique holds, with the bonus that he can kick inside if the interior falls apart. Zion Johnson and Elgton Jenkins both have starting résumés and both carry durability or consistency questions. Cleveland's backs also got the least clean running room in the league last season, so the bar this group has to clear is very low.