Pa Jeff Schwartz
FOX Sports NFL analyst
The offensive line is the heartbeat of the organization. If your line is good, your offense is good. Four weeks later NFL season, these five offensive lines rank among the top units in the league.
The Eagles offensive line is the gold standard. Over the years in the draft, Philly has built a dominant unit by combining valuable assets early in the draft with draft players that the team has turned into some of the best in the NFL.
The heart of the Eagles is in the center Jason Kells, a short, energizer bunny who was a four-time first-team All-Pro honoree. The Eagles are chosen Lane Johnson, the best right tackle in football, with the sixth pick in the 2013 draft. Left guard Landon Dickerson was a second-round pick at right guard Isaac Seumalo was the third circle. The last one is there Jordan Maillota late seventh-round pick who never played football until Philly drafted him in 2018. He is now one of the best left tackles in football.
Much credit goes to Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who has been with the team since 2013. He turned this squad into a beast.
The offensive line has been the leader for an offense that ranks fourth in Football Outsiders’ DVOA and sixth in yards per game. The Eagles have gained at least 400 yards in all four of their wins. Pro Football Focus ranks them as the best pass protection unit, but has a lower run blocking rate than I expected. I wonder if it’s because they’ve played away in the second half of two of their four games this season. Last weekend they pushed around a Jaguars defense at the top of the efficiency rating.
If you ever doubted the importance of a quality offensive line, look no further than the Chiefs game on Sunday night. When was the last time the Chiefs played Tampa Baythe Bucs defensive line was terrorizing Patrick Mahomes over 60 minutes in their Super Bowl win.
Now, more than a year later, the results have been much different with a Chiefs offensive line that has been completely rebuilt. External applications in the left tray (Orlando Brown Jr) and left guard (Joe Tunney), plus home runs in recent drafts in center (Creed Humphrey) and right guard (Trey Smith) updated this entire block. Don’t forget the right tackle Andrew Wiley, a forgotten member of the offensive line, is resilient and durable. The Chiefs offensive line is coached by one of the best Andy Heck has been in Kansas City since Andy Reid took over in 2013.
The Chiefs offense ranks first in points per drive and third in passing yards. The offensive line ranks second in Pro Football Focus’ run blocking rating. The line should clean up some of the pass protection in the tackles, but it hasn’t led to much change in the offense. Mahomes was only hit on 7% of pass defense reps, well below the NFL average. The line’s ability allows the Chiefs to run multiple defensive schemes and is versatile enough to excel in space on screens. This is an underrated part of the offense’s success.
It’s rare for a team without a great quarterback to be near the top of every offensive efficiency rating. Investments with first-round picks at both positions (LT Taylor DeckerRT Penae Sewell) and in the center (Frank Ragnow) paid off for Detroit.
The Lions’ offense ranks seventh in DVOA and is averaging 35 points per game. The offensive line, even with all of its injuries, continues to open up huge running lanes for the Lions. The line is fourth in adjusted rushing yards and has allowed just five QB sacks Jared Gough.
The Lions have the most yards per game, and it’s no surprise that their line helps them pile up explosive runs and deep pass attempts.
It’s no surprise that the Browns are on this list. They’ve had a top five offensive line for years. Once again, investing in a unit with one of the best offensive line coaches equates to continued success, even with injuries at center and right tackle.
The Browns have excellent guards Wyatt Teller and Joel Bitonio, which anchor the unit with all injuries around the squad. The line ranks seventh in adjusted line yards and has given up just five sacks. Pro Football Focus ranks this unit fourth in both the run and pass defense classes. Specifically, the line is seventh in pressure rate allowed, which has allowed the Browns to move the ball through the air with a backup quarterback in Jacoby Brissett.
At running back, Brown delivers a powerful one-two punch Nick Chubb averaged 5.7 yards per rush and Kareem Hunt at 4.3 yards per attempt.
If Tyrone Smith went down with a calf injury in training camp, I didn’t expect Dallas to make this list. And while the Cowboys’ line isn’t perfect, it continues to improve each week.
Newbie on the left Tyler Smith is a heck of a run blocker and the Cowboys have done a good job of helping him in the passing game. Right tackle Terence Steele quietly played very well. He ranks 15th in run blocking for OTs and 11th in pass blocking. Center Tyler Byadash he has some issues in pass protection, but he makes up for it with his ability to push defenders off the ball in plays. And then there is the right guard Zach Martin, who continues to be the best player at the position in the NFL. He is so much fun to watch.
The Cowboys’ offensive line ranks first in power play, which means Dallas can gain yardage on third down or fourth down better than any other team in the league.
Jeff Schwartz played eight seasons in the NFL with five different teams. He started at right tackle at Oregon State University for three seasons and was a second-team All-Pac-12 selection his senior year. He is an NFL analyst for FOX Sports. Follow him on Twitter @GeoffSchwartz.
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