Bucs, Cowboys and Eagles are among NFL's top offensive lines: A tiered look at big men up front of all 32 teams

Nate Tice

from on 2026-08-22 01:05 (#77VQS)

What started as an offensive line rankings article has morphed into an offensive line arbitrary tiers" article. To be completely transparent: It was really hard for me to parse between the ranking of the true talent level of the offensive line and how the coaches, scheme, surroundings (i.e. quarterback and running back) help or hinder them.

The tiers help broadly group where these teams stand at in Week 2 of the preseason. I took into account the high-end talent level the starters, weakest link(s), depth, ascending talent, offensive line coach, overall scheme, and surroundings.

Having said that, I have an optimistic view of where these offensive line units are league-wide. Defenses are still finding ways to make the protection scheme of the offensive lines harder, but there aren't a ton of outright atrocious units (right now, anyways. Because we know the injury bug loves to start going to work in the fall). Even some teams that might be outright bad this year have a young, talented group of blockers to work with (looking at you, Miami Dolphins).

Let's get to it. A half-dozen tiers to group the NFL's offensive lines for 2026.

Tristan Wirfs is a good friend to have on the offensive line for Bucs QB Baker Mayfield. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)Kevin Sabitus via Getty ImagesMy top unit for 2026Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs are spearheaded by one of, if not the best, offensive lineman in the game in Tristan Wirfs at left tackle (he's at the very least on the podium for me). Cody Mauch also starts the season healthy at right guard. Graham Barton is a quality center who flashes Pro Bowl stretches, and Luke Goedeke is one of the league's better right tackles. The weakest starter is Ben Bredeson at left guard, but he is still a solid starter who can handle himself in both pass protection and as a run blocker.

After injuries ravaged this unit last season, the Bucs' line looks to make a claim at the top spot. The Bucs return their same starters for the third season in a row, this time seemingly healthy. Also returning is offensive line coach/run game coordinator Kevin Carberry. Zac Robinson was hired as offensive coordinator, and he employed a zone-heavy scheme in Atlanta. Whether he molds his preferred attack to something else to adapt to the Bucs' personnel remains to be seen, but at the very least his scheme stays offensive line-friendly. Not many, if any, offensive lines have five above-average-or-better starters for Week 1 in any given year, but the Bucs have enough high-end talent with Wirfs and even Barton and Goedeke at times that it puts this unit at the top.

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Next top 4 units

Denver Broncos
Philadelphia Eagles
Buffalo Bills
Dallas Cowboys

The Broncos and Eagles are the other top units that are fighting for the preseason top spot with the Bucs. Both have talent across the board, with the Broncos' scheme being especially friendly with the heavy personnel they use and the bevy of play-action, RPOs and movement throws in their passing game. The biggest question I have about the Eagles, other than how much longer Lane Johnson can keep playing at this high level, is will there be any drop-off from longtime coach Jeff Stoutland no longer being there? Philly's scheme should be more offensive line-friendly, at least in theory, under offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. The Eagles' high talent level can translate to any type of scheme, so I still feel safe in keeping them up among the league's top units. This Eagles offense is one of my favorite subplots of the season, how the line plays under OL coach Chris Kuper after a notable drop in run efficiency in 2025 will be interesting.

The Bills are an excellent run blocking unit also with a new offensive line coach in Pat Meyer. They are replacing David Edwards at left guard with (likely) Alec Anderson, which will be a drop in some ability at the spot. But the other four spots are manned by quality players who are excellent in the run game with real chemistry on double-teams, with their pass protection being more good" than excellent." (Sidenote: I thought tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown looked poor in protection in the preseason. It's not the end of the world but I saw some drop-off last year, both mentally and physically, and it's something I'm keeping my eye on.)

The Cowboys had a left tackle battle this training camp and yet I'm still placing them among the league's best. I really like the interior trio the Cowboys have built, with Tyler Smith being the crown jewel of this entire unit. Cooper Beebe has really come along as a center in the NFL and looks like (another) solid starter with chemistry with Dak Prescott that the Cowboys seemingly find every presidential cycle. Tyler Booker is a mauler in the run game and while he's not the quickest, the Cowboys' preferred offense matches his size and power skills perfectly. Terence Steele has had good seasons before injuries cropped up. He is still a fine starter at right tackle, but he can be limited and exposed if left on an island too much. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley have shown ways to help out the line with the scheme, too. Tyler Guyton is the biggest question mark at left tackle, but he has real ability and I have faith in the Cowboys' staff to get the most out of him if he stays healthy and on the field. And it doesn't hurt to have a little somewhat-proven depth in Nate Thomas. I'm high on this offensive line and offense as a whole.

Good units with a couple of spots or things I'm squinting atKansas City Chiefs
Chicago Bears
Indianapolis Colts

This is the good to very good" tier. The Chiefs' offensive line could end up in a tier above by the end of this season. I'm high on what this unit could end up looking like, especially with more juice in the backfield with Kenneth Walker III. Josh Simmons is an excellent athlete who flashed All-Pro level ability as a rookie last season. Kingsley Suamataia was one of the more improved linemen in the NFL last year, Creed Humphrey is the best center in the game and Trey Smith is still dominant when healthy. Jaylon Moore is the main question mark right now at right tackle, but there is a lot of talent at the other four spots. Rookie undrafted free agent Kahlil Benson also had an excellent showing in the preseason, which could create newfound depth on the right side behind Smith. Or even push Moore at the right tackle spot.

The Bears had one of the best units last year and a scheme that helps and boosts their abilities, but they ran hot in terms of injury luck (outside left tackle), and Caleb Williams doing a lot to mitigate the damage from pressure. They replaced the retired Drew Dalman by trading for Garrett Bradbury, who is an average at best starter at the pivot position (but still might be better than what the Bears have had there pre-Dalman). Joe Thuney is still incredible, but another year older, and the right side is one of the most powerful tandems in the league with Jonah Jackson and Darnell Wright. Ozzy Trapilo returning so early from injury already would be a happy surprise as he was ascending and looking like the Bears' long-term solution on the blindside before his unfortunate injury. Even 80% of what he was showing would likely be better than what else the Bears could trot out there.

Tony Sparano Jr. has done a great job with a Colts offensive line that features a former first-rounder in Quenton Nelson, who's also the keystone player of this group. Bernhard Raimann has turned himself into a more than quality starter on the left side, overcoming his lack of length with his technique and quickness. The Colts will be replacing Braden Smith at right tackle, but Jalen Travis, another one of the project-type linemen the Colts constantly have on the production line, still lacks play strength, but he's a good athlete and the Colts return the other four starters on their line. Tanor Bortolini is a good athlete who improved a bunch in his first full year starting. He still lacks play strength to hold up in protection and benefits from the scheme, but he has turned himself into a player the Colts can rely on. Matt Goncalves also ascended after kicking inside from tackle. He's much better in the run game than in pass protection right now. But he's another feather in the cap for Sparano in finding another functional player when so many teams fail in the middle rounds of the draft. Head coach Shane Steichen's scheme also helps neutralize some of these players' deficiencies. This unit just lacks those true high-end players (outside Nelson) and I have questions regarding Travis.

Better than you thinkCincinnati Bengals
New York Giants
Miami Dolphins
New Orleans Saints
New York Jets

These are five units here that I'm going to find excuses to check out every once in a while. The Bengals are more talented across the board than people realize, and I consider them a line that should be considered in the top-half in the league, not among the league's worst. I've liked what OL coach Scott Peters has done with this group, and the Bengals have some young talent that really improved last season. Dylan Fairchild had stretches showing off his hand strength in his rookie season and Amarius Mims started to play to his high-end talent after finally staying healthy for a full season. Mims has an elite size and ability combination and he could be earning accolades after this season if he can stay healthy again.

The Giants are going to pound the rock this season, and they have the offensive line to do it. Andrew Thomas is still a star, Jermaine Eluemunor had a career season at right tackle, and Francis Mauigoa gets dropped in and already looks excellent in the run game during the preseason at right guard. The Giants don't have a real weak spot, and could be knocking at the door of a top-10 placement by the end of the season.

The Dolphins and Jets have legit stars up front. Armand Membou had a strong rookie year and the arrow is pointing toward a future star at right tackle there. Olu Fashanu should (emphasis on should) have a bounce-back year without Justin Fields scrambling like crazy behind him. And the interior of the Jets' line is actually solid at center and right guard. The Dolphins have one of the best centers in the NFL in Aaron Brewer, a talented left tackle in Patrick Paul who is on the cusp of taking a leap (but I will be curious how he looks outside of Mike McDaniel's very friendly scheme), and Jonah Savaiinaea, judging from his Week 1 preseason outing, appears to be coming along at right guard after a rough rookie year at left guard. Drop in the behemoth Kadyn Proctor at left guard and the Dolphins are close to having four plus starters on their offensive line (we won't talk about right tackle).

The Saints also have put together a young, talented group across the board. It's required a heavy investment of high draft picks and a free-agent acquisition, but it's a great mix of talent, intelligence and skill sets if all their projected starting five are on the field. And if they take a step forward together like the rest of this team has the chance of doing this year, the Saints might not only become a bona fide top-10 unit, but one that gets labeled with the e" word: Elite.

Some real talent, but a couple of question marksPittsburgh Steelers
Detroit Lions
Minnesota Vikings
Atlanta Falcons

All of these offensive lines have Pro Bowl-quality players, some even have two. But they also have new faces at a spot (or two), aging veterans or just a general question mark that stops me from bumping them up higher.

Zach Frazier leads the Steelers' offensive line. Frazier, one of my favorite offensive linemen, at any position, is smart, quick, and burly, and could make the leap to some postseason accolades if things go right. His fellow 2024 draft classmates fill out the Steelers' left side. And that left side has a chance to be really good. Troy Fautanu had better health and ascended last year to what he looked like during his last collegiate season in Washington. Mason McCormick has been a fine guard for the Steelers, too. He lacks the high ceiling of his teammates, but he can be a steady starter for years. The right side will be new in Pittsburgh, as well as the play-callers. But Aaron Rodgers will still be getting rid of the ball quickly, which will help some of the underlying numbers no matter what.

I really liked the Blake Miller selection for the Lions, but the center spot is apparently cursed in this post-Frank Ragnow world the Lions are living in as new signing Cade Mays went down with a significant wrist injury. Whether it's Seth McLaughlin or Juice Scruggs - two players who could hold up as low-end starters this year - that ends up at center, it's still not something the Lions can hang their hat on going into the season. Their guards also battled inconsistency last year, but they have talent. Penei Sewell will be switching to the left side, but he's done it before and has the talent to continue to excel at the blindspot (there's a reason he was so highly regarded coming out of Oregon). I think this unit will be better than last year, but still a tier or two below the highs reached previously under head coach Dan Campbell.

Kevin O'Connell's scheme can both help the offensive line and put a lot of strain on the group with his highly aggressive attack. The Vikings' run game was the best it's ever been last year under KOC, even with injuries (something you can set your clock to with this unit). Christian Darrisaw is a needle moving starter when he's on the field, but him being on the field is still something you can't rely on. Brian O'Neill is a plus starter on the right side. Donovan Jackson is strong as an ox and while he had some inconsistencies (injuries, natch), he looks in line to take a step forward this season. Center (and health, of course) is my biggest concern with this unit, but it's actually a good starting four around Blake Brandel, and I did like how they acquired Ryan Van Demark and Caleb Tiernan to provide some depth for when Darrisaw inevitably goes down.

The Falcons have ironman Jake Matthews and a couple of highly paid guards. They lose offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, who actually might be considered an upgrade over new line coach, the legendary Bill Callahan. Jawaan Taylor brings his false starts and quick feet to Atlanta, and Ryan Neuzil is still at center to continue the Falcons' Leftorium-like affinity for left-handed players. I really have trouble placing this unit because I could see it being better than expected, but I have some concerns outside of Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron.

Shanahan Scheme DeodorantLos Angeles Rams
Jacksonville Jaguars
Baltimore Ravens
Green Bay Packers
Los Angeles Chargers
Arizona Cardinals
Seattle Seahawks
Las Vegas Raiders
San Francisco 49ers

This group is purely the Her Confidence" line from Zero Dark Thirty."

All of these teams have different levels of talents, but they also play with a group of coaches (sans the Ravens, more on them in a second) that use some offshoot of the Shanahan-Kubiak offense. Including a literal Shanahan and Kubiak.

Most of the teams are the same story: a couple of quality players, and a couple who make you squint as how this unit is even functional. I stacked them based on my preference of what I consider their true talent level, if that matters.

A case in point of how this scheme can help boost the offensive line: Coleman Shelton allowed one of the highest one-on-one pressure rates among any center in 2024 for the Bears, something that sparked their signing of Drew Dalman. In 2025, when he went back to Sean McVay's offense, that pressure rate dropped from over 10% to 6.1%. That's kind of how I feel about the entire Rams unit. They're burly, they play smart, and I am excited to see if Warren McClendon Jr. can take a leap forward this year. Alaric Jackson's off-field issues could lead to the Rams looking at depth early, though.

The Packers are a well-oiled unit that lives and dies by the no weak unit" philosophy. And I am keen on seeing Jordan Morgan on the left side. The Chargers have a couple of star tackles (when healthy), and while I think coordinator Mike McDaniel is excellent in mitigating his offensive line issues, their interior trio still has me a little squeamish. I'm fairly high on Jake Slaughter at center, which helps a little bit after the Tyler Biadasz injury.

Head coach Liam Coen does a nice job of mitigating his offensive line issues, and the Jaguars have figured out a solid starting five for themselves with the emergence of Emmanuel Pregnon at guard. The Seahawks are trotting out the same unit, with likely the same strengths (the left side with Charles Cross and Grey Zabel) and weaknesses (center and right guard). The 49ers really don't have much outside of the ageless Trent Williams and the solid Dominick Puni. That doesn't mean they won't trot out a top-10 offense this year. No matter who is starting at left guard. Same for the Raiders and their group, which should take a big leap forward from last year's embarrassing performance with way more competent coaching around them.

I included the Arizona Cardinals here as well. I'm expecting a bounce-back year from Paris Johnson Jr., and I really liked the Isaac Seumalo signing, too. Hjalte Froholdt is fine at center, but the right side still has a couple of question marks. Chase Bisontis getting hurt threw some cold water on my optimism with this unit, but I do think head coach Mike LaFleur's scheme will really help this unit play more cohesive than it did last season, despite returning the same offensive line coach.

I included the Ravens here because I think they will utilize a zone and boot-heavy offense under Declan Doyle and new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford. Their center spot has me a little worried, but I really liked how they addressed both guard positions this season. They have an injection of talent, but they could also easily outplay that talent level with this scheme.

Change Likely for the BestNew England Patriots
Houston Texans
Cleveland Browns
Tennessee Titans

Here are four teams that have swapped some spots out. I really didn't know where to put the Patriots' offensive line, but I do think they can play like a league-average unit this year. I liked the confidence the Patriots had to ship off Garrett Bradbury and start Jared Wilson at his final college position at center. The Alijah Vera-Tucker signing has real upside, but of course carries huge injury risk. The Patriots gave themselves some ability to pivot in case of injury with the Caleb Lomu selection. As they can have a plan of Lomu being the swing tackle and Will Campbell, who had a solid first season in the NFL despite the disastrous last month, could bump inside if any interior injuries happen.

The Texans added several new faces and depth to their offensive line, which can't be any worse than it's been for a few seasons now. The run game and overall line play will improve, but to something that's more merely below-average than outright atrocious. I think Aireontae Ersery has ability on the left side and I liked the Keylan Rutledge draft pick to find a long-term center, but Wyatt Teller and Braden Smith's health will always be a concern this season, and Ed Ingram could turn into a pumpkin at any moment.

The Cleveland Browns flipped their whole line because, well, they had to. I'll be very interested to see who ends up being their center by the end of the season, but I really like how the Browns got a lot of players with versatility to get their best five out there no matter what. Spencer Fano included. I also want to see if Austin Barber gets a chance at some point this season. No matter what, I feel much better where this unit is at, and the situation the Browns are building to drop a potential young quarterback into.

The Tennessee Titans' offensive line impressed me in a limited preseason outing. Peter Skoronski is the star of the unit. JC Latham looked downright explosive in the preseason, and fifth-round rookie Fernando Carmona Jr. was one of the most pleasant surprises of the preseason so far at guard. Offensive line coach Carmen Bricillo got the Giants unit playing well in 2025, and it looks like he's getting (very) early returns in Tennessee so far. Dan Moore will never play up to his contract, but perhaps Bricillo will eke more out of him this season.

Injuries and now I don't know what to do with youWashington Commanders
Carolina Panthers

At least I'm high on Josh Conerly Jr. and very, very high on Monroe Freeling!

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