Lane Johnson has been hit with a 10-game suspension for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing He's one of the league's best right tackles -- and a mauler in the ground game -- and his absence (pending appeal) will be a major blow to one of the league's best lines.
Meanwhile, in San Francisco, Anthony Davis has returned from retirement, and all reports on their quality right tackle are positive. The team's saying he's in better shape than expected, and it won't be long before he's back in the starting lineup.
Together, those developments cause Philadelphia's offensive line to slip from the rankings used in the magazine, while San Francisco gets a decent boost. There have been other noteworthy developments. Chicago center Hroniss Grasu (knee) is out for the year, a blow to a line that already looked shaky at several spots -- and can now add another.
Among the risers since the magazine (based on positive camp reports and early-summer additions): Miami, Atlanta, New England. Fallers include Buffalo and Chicago.
Some guesswork is involved, most notably with regard to rookies who we've yet to see play. Seattle, for example, used mid-round picks on linemen expected to push to start right away. If it appears they've found a gem or two, they'll climb as we get a look at these players in action.
Our updated rankings are below. For a colorful table showing our projected starting five for each team, and how we evaluate them, please see our Facebook page.
| OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| Rk | Team |
| 1 | Dallas |
| 2 | Oakland |
| 3 | Minnesota |
| 4 | Green Bay |
| 5 | Pittsburgh |
| 6 | Miami |
| 7 | Cincinnati |
| 8 | Atlanta |
| 9 | New England |
| 10 | Philadelphia |
| 11 | Arizona |
| 12 | New Orleans |
| 13 | Carolina |
| 14 | Houston |
| 15 | San Francisco |
| 16 | Buffalo |
| 17 | Baltimore |
| 18 | Indianapolis |
| 19 | San Diego |
| 20 | Tennessee |
| 21 | Cleveland |
| 22 | NY Jets |
| 23 | Washington |
| 24 | Chicago |
| 25 | Denver |
| 26 | Tampa Bay |
| 27 | NY Giants |
| 28 | Kansas City |
| 29 | Jacksonville |
| 30 | Detroit |
| 31 | Los Angeles |
| 32 | Seattle |
--Andy Richardson
