While offensive lineman have no impact on your fantasy boxscore, the strength of the unit is essential to understand for fantasy managers heading into draft season. A strong offensive line can really boost the value of your fantasy producers (especially RBs) while a weak group can eliminate any value that talented skill position players could have had in a different situation. The mediocre units shouldn’t be viewed as either a positive boost or negative boost, solely neutral. It’s all about giving extra value to your fantasy producing players to the top-5-10 projected units while dinging those who have an offensive line group that’s ranked as one of the worst 5-10 in the league. Without further ado, let’s look at the projected offensive line ranks for the 2022 NFL season.

 

Snap % courtesy of Pro-football-reference.com

Positional Rank courtesy of PFF

*=Not with Team in 2021

**=Rookie

1. Philadelphia Eagles

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This group got some good news when Kelce decided to run it back for at least one more season, and he’ll get a great opportunity in training his replacement with Cam Jurgens drafted in the late second round (#51) during the draft. Jurgens has some question marks surrounding him as he graded below 50.0 by PFF in his first two years in school before getting a 71.4 rating in his junior season. The only true question mark with the projected starting group is at right guard since Seumalo has dealt with some serious injuries over the last two seasons. The Eagles will have plenty of peripheral options if Seumalo gets injured once again this year, and that includes their second-round selection. With no notable subtractions from the offensive line season over season and the Eagles being towards the top of the league in 2021 in both run and pass blocking, it would lead us to believe that this is going to be one of the stronger units heading into 2022.

Update: Kelce did undergo an arthroscopic procedure on his elbow after struggling to play through the discomfort. However, if he is forced to miss some time throughout the season, the Eagles used second-round draft capital on Jurgens who could fill in at times. While starting a rookie could mean a slight downgrade for the unit overall, this news doesn’t impact their standing as the best group in football with a possibility that Kelce could return ahead of Week 1.

2. Dallas Cowboys (+1)

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First-round pick Tyler Smith may struggle in the pass blocking scheme and he may have an issue with penalties, but he is thought of as one of the best run blockers (if not the best) offensive lineman in his draft class and that just further bolsters the No. 1 run blocking unit in the league. Both their draft picks need development, but the team continues to invest in the trenches where the game is won. They have two top-tier offensive lineman while their center showed notable improvement last season. The biggest storyline of the offseason with this group was the fact that they let RT La’el Collins leave because they have faith in the 2020 undrafted swing tackle Terence Steele to take over full-time on the right side. This may be reason to drop the Cowboys down the standings a bit, but this group was among the elites in 2021 and there is no reason to doubt their ability to repeat barring injuries even if Steele is a slight downgrade. He’ll be playing next to one of the best guards in the game, while the Cowboys have some depth if he disappoints or suffers an injury. Expect them to be especially lethal in run-blocking.

Update: The Cowboys were only elevated one spot in the rankings due to the question marks that have come up this preseason with the Buccaneers, and not because of any notable improvement we’ve seen this preseason. The biggest question for this group is whether first round selection Smith will start the season at left guard with Connor McGovern getting reps with the first team.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (+1)

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The fact that the team was able to revamp the offensive line on the fly successfully last offseason is a testament to the coaching staff and the players they brought in. It’s unusual for a group to come together as quickly as what we saw from the Chiefs. RT appears to be the only weak-ish position but the team does have some depth available to fill in, although none of their options are standouts. They were not able to get a long-term deal done with Orlando Brown Jr., and there are mixed opinions about whether he’s better on the left side vs. the right. He’ll play on the franchise tag as he attempts to show the league that he is quite capable at the most important position on the line. They should be able to come into next season with a top-tier offensive line unit overall with a shot to be the top run-blocking unit in the league after finishing in the top-3 in that category a season ago.

Update: The Chiefs had a bit of a scare when Brown did not initially sign the franchise tag, but that has since been resolved and the Chiefs get elevated one spot in the rankings due to the recent concerns that have arose with Tampa Bay’s interior.

4. Detroit Lions (+1)

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The Lions have been beefing up their offensive line with top draft capital over the last several years, and they were able to turn their attention to the defensive side of the ball with arguably the best DE and still managed to pick up an excellent WR in the 2022 draft. While the offense as a whole will continue to be dragged down by the play of their QB, their offensive line won’t be the reason this team struggles. D’Andre Swift is poised to have a really big year and this offensive line allows for fantasy managers to push him ahead of other RBs who are dealing with questionable offensive line units. If only the Lions had an above-average starting QB…

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-3)

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The Buccaneers lost their left guard to retirement and should plug and play their second-round draft pick into that role to start the year while Shaq Mason should bolster the line at the right guard position after the Bucs lost Alex Cappa to the Bengals in free agency. This unit shouldn’t miss a beat in 2022 as they continue to do their best to keep 45-year-old quarterback as upright as possible. They led the league in fewest sacks and that will be the primary goal for this group for as long as Brady remains behind center. The fact that they have continuity at the tackle spots as well as center really bodes well for the overall strength of this group while Mason should fill in excellently between Jensen and Wirfs on the right side. Also, they have no injury concerns heading into the year. The only true question mark is the rookie at LG, Luke Goedeke, but he should get plenty of help to begin his career playing next to Smith and Jensen. The second-round selection in 2022 started his college career as a tight end before shifting to the offensive line, and he didn’t allow a single sack in 2021 at RT which should fit in nicely with what the Bucs are trying to continue to do in 2022.

Update: While Goedeke is listed as the starter at left guard, he has actually been working with the second-team thus far through training camp. The veteran, Aaron Stinnie, has been working with the first-team and has a shot to take the job to start the season. However, the coaches on the Bucs are describing it as an open competition and head coach Todd Bowles said that we won’t likely get clarity on the team’s staring left guard until their final preseason game on August 27th vs. the Colts. Even more critical for this group is the health of Ryan Jensen after he went down with a knee injury at the end of July. More should be known about the severity of the injury this week (week of August 15) and should he miss the entire season, second-year and third-round selection Robert Hainey is probably the next man up. Outside of Mason at left guard, there are some question marks with the interior of this group and that’s why they’ve fallen a spot in the rankings. If we get good news about Jensen’s injury, they could very well climb back up the few spots that they’ve slipped due to the concern on the interior (specifically center).

6. Green Bay Packers (+1)

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The Packers lost their starting right tackle and center, but the team is clearly aware of where their bread is buttered and that’s why they’ve invested so heavily in their offensive line, selecting nine offensive linemen in the last three drafts. They want to keep Aaron Rodgers clean in the pocket and they should continue to have one of the stronger pass blocking units in the league. The guys they’ve drafted aren’t near the top of their class but they are solid depth options to build a strong unit that can handle some injuries. However, injuries are a major concern for this squad with David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins recovering from torn ACLs. While the team does boast depth as an overall unit, the injury concerns are the reason why they’ve slipped in the rankings. While their pass blocking should be upper-echelon (if healthy), their run blocking will likely be mediocre at best.

Update: The Packers are not without their question marks early into the preseason, but the team’s optimism when it comes to the health of Bakhtiari and Jenkins is the reason why they’ve climbed ahead of the Browns in our latest O-Line power rankings. They miss a game or two to start the year, but it doesn’t appear as if they’ll land on the PUP, which would cost them at lest the first four games.

7. New England Patriots (+1)

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The Patriots lost both their starting guards from a season ago, but their other three starters return. Michael Onwenu was with the team last season and is the likely answer at RG while they used first-round draft capital to replace Shaq Mason. Strange was s surprise in the draft, but there were other high profile NFL minds who liked his talent and understood (to an extent) why the Pats reached for him in the first round. He is definitely in a favorable spot to start the season and should he be average at left guard to start his career, this group would have no weakness and that will help keep youngster Mac Jones as clean as possible in the pocket. Improvement from Jones in his second season will also help the line as defenses won’t be able to focus solely on stopping the run. Adding two late-round offensive lineman in the 6th and 7th round doesn’t hurt the team’s depth on the line either. They are setting up Damien Harris and Rhamandre Stevenson for success but the biggest improvement for this team’s fantasy success will be on the improvement we see from their QB. He’s being put in a position to succeed with his protection up front.

Update: Through camp thus far, Brown has actually been playing his snaps at left tackle and it appears as if Wynn will shift to the right side after playing admirably on the left side for the last three seasons for the Patriots. Despite this shift in positional makeup, the Patriots have moved up a spot in the standings due to the projected season-long injury that the Browns’ starting center suffered in their first preseason contest.

8. Cleveland Browns (-2)

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The Browns released JC Tretter in a salary cap move and brought in Ethan Pocic to compete with Nick Harris at the center position. Harris performed well in limited opportunity as a sophomore after playing all of his snaps at right guard in his rookie season. The Browns boast two former top-10 draft picks at either tackle position which is one of the main reasons why they’ve had such a good group over the last couple of years even though they’ve slipped since 2020 when they were thought of as the best unit in the NFL. The big question mark for them entering this season is how healthy Jack Conklin will be after tearing his patellar tendon this past season. The unit should be solid overall but their elite status will be determined by Conklin’s health and whether Harris or Pocic can hang at the center position. Even with these question marks, the Browns still come into 2022 as a very solid group overall and it would take several major injuries for them to slip out of the top-10 as a unit. They are set up to be notably better when it comes to running the ball and that’ll continue to give Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt additional value during draft season.

Update: The good news for the Browns of late is that Conklin has been activated from the PUP and appears on track to suit up for the start of the regular season. However, they got some really disappointing news during the second snap of their first preseason game on August 12. Starting center Nick Harris suffered what is feared to be a season-ending right knee injury. The next man up appears to be Ethan Pocic and fortunately he does have plenty of starts under his belt. However, the Browns are now in the market for another starting caliber center in case something happens to Pocic. This is the primary reason why they’ve slipped a bit in the ranks.

 

9. Washington Commanders

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While the Commanders may have made some bad moves in free agency and the draft, they will once again have one of the stronger offensive line units in the league even though they lost both of their starting guards to free agency. Losing both Scherff and Flowers may be cause for a slight dip in production, but Norwell and Turner are solid additions that will keep the unit strong overall. They added Chris Paul (no, he doesn’t play in the NBA) to an already deep bench unit that should be able to spell the starters to a certain degree in case of injuries. The offensive line will likely keep up their end of the bargain in 2022, while the other positional groups leave more to be desired.

10. Los Angeles Chargers

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The Chargers did well in the draft by getting one of the best guards in the first round, a move that will likely allow Matt Feiler to move to RT where he was very successful (specifically in the passing game) in 2019. However, the team could opt to keep Feiler at right guard if they are comfortable with Trey Pipkens at right tackle after a couple of good performances to end 2021. Losing Quessenberry and Bulaga won’t hurt going into next year as they were both below average at their respective positions. The Chargers will have an improved unit overall after investing heavily in the position during the draft over the last two seasons, improving their overall depth and giving more positional flexibility to their coaching staff. They will be middle of the pack at the very worst and will likely finish as an above-average unit with possible upside of getting inside the top-5-7 overall.

Update: The only position that is truly up for grabs is at right tackle with Storm Norton and Pipkens battling it out this preseason.

11. Indianapolis Colts

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The Colts’ biggest question marks on the offensive line are at right guard and the most important position, left tackle. They are hoping that substitutes Danny Pinter and Matt Pryor can perform as well as they did last season in full-time roles. Their performance will dictate the overall strength of a group that has been elite for several seasons now. Nelson, Kelly and Smith are rock-solid options and while Eric Fisher remains a free agent and could choose retirement after a very down season, the Colts should have enough options to be at least average at left tackle. The Colts also invested third-round draft capital in Bernhard Raimann and he figures to at the very least provide additional depth in case of injury. The upgrade at QB should also alleviate some of the pressure off the line by getting the ball out faster than Carson Wentz did a season ago. The Colts should be average with a chance of being one of the elite groups if things work out with the new full-time starters Pryor and Pinter.

12. Los Angeles Rams

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There is no replacing Andrew Whitworth who retired after helping the Rams win their first Super Bowl in Los Angeles. Although there is no doubting that it’s a significant loss (hence the drop in ranking from last season), Joseph Noteboom should be able to at least provide competency at the most important position on the line. The Rams will likely have more of an issue replacing their starting RG Austin Corbett who they lost to free agency. They used third-round draft capital on Logan Bruss and he might not be the ideal fit at guard although his presence in the starting unit will allow more positional flexibility in case of injury. While an expected drop-off remains likely, this group has three returning players who are elite or well-above average at their positions while Noteboom excelled in his swing tackle role over the last two seasons. Bruss may have a bit of a learning curve to begin the year but playing alongside two quality veterans should benefit the youngster.

Update: Thus far through camp, Coleman Shelton has the apparent edge over rookie Bruss to start Week 1 given his familiarity with the team after spending his entire career with the Rams so far. However, Bruss apparently impressed the coaching staff during the team’s first preseason game and has a decent shot to start even if it doesn’t happen right out of the chute. The RG position is the only one that is truly up for grabs with this group.

13. Denver Broncos

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The right tackle position is the only spot on the offensive line that is projected to change heading into 2022, with former Green Bay Packer Billy Turner set to take over. While this group doesn’t boast any single elite option, they don’t have any glaring weakness on the line and should perform better season over season with Russell Wilson’s scrambling ability, especially if center Cushenberry’s improvement continues after a very rough 2020 rookie campaign. Expect this group to at worst be middle of the pack in terms of an overall unit, while there is an outside shot of them climbing up into the elite tier if everything breaks their way. The Broncos have not invested much over the last couple of seasons in their offensive line through the draft and that stayed true again in 2022. Wilson will likely enjoy the best offensive line group of his career since the Seahawks never really invested heavily in that respect.

Update: Quinn Meinerz appears poised to take over the RG position with Graham Glasgow a swing guard who will provide backup depth on the left and right side.

14. New York Jets

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After investing a first-round pick on an offensive lineman in the last two drafts, the Jets decided to improve their skill positions in 2022 and also decided to boost their defense with two top-tier options. GM Joe Douglas has invested heavily in the team’s offensive line since he took over the reins and the most interesting storyline to follow with this unit is who is going to start at left tackle. Mekhi Becton has dealt with injuries over his first two seasons in the league but showed plenty of promise when he was on the field in 2020. He barley played in 2021 due to injury and that allowed for George Fant (a 2020 free agent addition) to excel at left tackle for Zach Wilson and the Jets. Adding Laken Tomlinson into the mix further boosts a group that should be at least middle-of-the-pack in 2022, with definitive upside if Becton’s injury issues are behind him.

Update: Even before it was announced that Becton (knee) would likely done for the entirety of the 2022 season, he wasn’t in the running for the left tackle position with the Jets. The former first-round pick’s career has not gone as planned and another season-ending injury for a player who has barely been able to suit up thus far through his career doesn’t bode well for the future. Fortunately, the Jets did add long-time tackle Duane Brown with the injury news and Brown will be competing with Fant on the left side of the line. However, with Brown playing the majority of his career on the left side, he may be best suited there with Fant shifting over to the right side. Brown is not the player he was in his prime, but should still be able to provide solid production for at least one more season.

 

15. Cincinnati Bengals (+1)

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The Bengals didn’t invest much in the draft to improve their very below-average offense line group but did invest $74M in free agency, stealing away the former Cowboys’ RT La’el Collins and two interior lineman from the Buccaneers (Alex Cappa) and Patriots (Ted Karras) respectively. All three of those players were part of an offensive line unit that ranked top-10 according to PFF when the season concluded in 2021. That kind of financial investment should improve this group in a significant way and that is dangerous considering the fact that they were able to make it to the Super Bowl a season ago. While they grade out better than some of the groups ranked ahead of them, the lack of continuity is the primary reason why. There might be some growing pains to start the year, but they have great potential to finish the year as a top-10 unit given the individual talent that’s been assembled. At the very least, they should find themselves in the middle of the pack as long as they don’t have injuries because there isn’t much quality depth behind these starters.

Update: Both key free agent acquisitions Collins and Cappa weren’t immediately available once training camp began, but that has since changed and the season will show whether their investment in boosting the offensive line was worth it. On paper, this group is far superior to what they had last season even though they do lack continuity with three new starters.

 

16. Baltimore Ravens (-1)

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The Ravens were very keen on improving their offensive line this offseason and they did so primarily through the draft, adding the top-rated center that PFF had ever ranked while fourth-round draft pick Faalele adds some additional depth to what the Ravens hope is an above-average offensive line. Villanueva retired and Bozeman left in free agency and the Ravens will fill those spots with Linderbaum at center and newly signed Moses at right tackle. The biggest question mark with the overall unit comes at left tackle, where Stanley is coming off season-ending ankle surgery that limited him to just one game in 2021. Stanley has had two injury-riddled seasons and the Ravens offensive line has a shot of entering the elite conversation if Stanley is able to get back to his All-Pro form and the rookie is able to prove why he deserved the highest PFF grade that they’ve ever given out for a center prospect. Hopefully, they can also get some improvement from third-year player Phillips at LG after two very underwhelming seasons to begin his career.

Update: The big news that we are waiting on from this unit is the health of LT Stanley (ankle) and rookie Linderbaum (Lisfranc sprain). Stanley remains on the active/PUP list after undergoing several surgeries to address the ankle that limited him severely in 2021. Meanwhile, the phenomenal talent of Linderbaum may be hampered throughout the season by a similar injury that he dealt with during college. With both of these lineman healthy, this unit has the potential to rise up these ranks over the course of the season. Because of the question marks that exist, they’ve fallen a spot in the rankings.

 

17. San Francisco 49ers

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The strength of the 49ers offensive line is clearly on the outside with McGlinchey and of course Williams, who ended the campaign with the highest PFF grade out of any player. The confidence with this group ends there, however with Alex Mack retiring and two key guards leaving in free agency. Brendel was Mack’s backup and it remains to be seen if he can handle a starter’s workload alongside one young unproven guard in Banks and a below-average guard in Brunskill on the other side. McGlinchey has his own question coming into the campaign as he is returning from a quad injury that kept him out for nine games last season. Because of significant question marks on the interior this group should see a dip in production, although having a healthy McGlinchey will go a long way towards repeating as a middle-of-the-pack unit overall. However, things are trending in the wrong direction and the team didn’t spend major draft capital in this year’s draft. Thank goodness they have the best LT in the game because if they didn’t, things would look a lot worse.

Update: The Niners may have found a gem in the fourth round of the NFL draft with Burford, and the rookie appears to be the favorite to take over at RG. It’s not all good news for San Francisco this preseason with projected starting center Daniel Brunskill sidelined with a hamstring injury. He’ll miss valuable reps with second-year QB Trey Lance, but fortunately the 49ers have a quality backup in Brendel who acted as Mack’s backup last season.

18. Buffalo Bills

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