Pick a team, and there's a really good chance they've lost a key starter on the offensive line to injury. Some teams are or may soon be getting a banged-up player back, others have questions as we speak. Here are the latest rankings taking the most recent injuries into account.
The below list doesn't mention every injured starter on every team, but should include most of the critical ones.
The Chargers offensive line depth will be tested the rest of the way. Guard Oday Aboushi tore his ACL last week, while right tackle Bryan Bulaga has been battling multiple injuries since Week 2 and is sidelined indefinitely. Michael Schofield and Storm Norton are the replacements; Norton has been fine filling in.
Texan left tackle Laremy Tunsil will miss about a month following thumb surgery. Downgrade to Geron Christian, who will fill in.
Browns left tackle Jedrick Wills suffered an ankle injury in Week 1. He tried to play through it the next three weeks, often being forced to the sideline after aggravating it. He sat out entirely in Week 5, with Blake Hance filling in.
The Colts have been without right tackle Braden Smith since he suffered a foot injury in Week 1. Nobody seems to know when he'll be able to return, so that hurts them in our rankings. They did, however, get Eric Fisher back from his January Achilles injury sooner than expected, a plus.
The Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley has been trying to come back from an ankle injury, but he's not back yet. The Ravens have been using Ali Villanueva, a steep downgrade.
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson has been away from the team due to a personal matter. They also lost guard Brandon Brooks to injury. Those are two of the league's best players at their positions, explaining why this line isn't as good as it once was.
Saints have been without center Erik McCoy (calf), but there's hope he'll be able to return after this week's bye.
The Patriots won't have Trent Brown for at least the next three games after he was placed on IR; he's been dealing with a calf injury. They also won't have Shaq Mason (abdomen) for at least one more game. But they get guard Michael Owenwu back, and might also have left tackle Isaiah Wynn (COVID). We're proceeding as if they're available, but the line shows up lower than it would if everyone was healthy.
La'el Collins has been serving a 5-game suspension, but will return next week, so we're including him in the projection.
We're nearing the point where the Packers may soon have David Bakhtiari (knee, PUP) back from injury. For now, we're putting Elgton Jenkins (also hurt, but practicing this week) in that spot; he'll slide back in at guard when the regular starter is available.
Check out our Facebook page for a colorful table showing grades of all current starters on each offensive line. Let me know below where you think I've over- or underestimated your favorite team.
| CURRENT OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| Rk | Team |
| 1 | Tampa Bay |
| 2 | New Orleans |
| 3 | Dallas |
| 4 | Cleveland |
| 5 | Indianapolis |
| 6 | San Francisco |
| 7 | Tennessee |
| 8 | Kansas City |
| 9 | Buffalo |
| 10 | Arizona |
| 11 | Green Bay |
| 12 | New England |
| 13 | LA Rams |
| 14 | LA Chargers |
| 15 | Washington |
| 16 | Denver |
| 17 | Carolina |
| 18 | Seattle |
| 19 | Philadelphia |
| 20 | Las Vegas |
| 21 | Baltimore |
| 22 | Cincinnati |
| 23 | Atlanta |
| 24 | Miami |
| 25 | Minnesota |
| 26 | NY Jets |
| 27 | Chicago |
| 28 | NY Giants |
| 29 | Pittsburgh |
| 30 | Detroit |
| 31 | Jacksonville |
| 32 | Houston |
--Andy Richardson