Offensive Line Rankings - Updated

Photo: Jeff Hanisch, USA Today Sports

Upgrades

Seattle: (from 11th to 4th)

The story in Seattle is one of recovering health. Pro Bowl left tackle Russell Okung has rejoined the lineup, which allows Paul McQuistan to slide back to his usual left guard position. Meanwhile solid right tackle Breno Giacomini is well enough to claim his starting job back from Michael Bowie, however it should be noted that Bowie played extremely well in relief and it would not be surprising if Bowie held this position in the long term. James Carpenter and Alvin Bailey also displayed good skills as depth replacements and few teams have as many capable linemen as the Seahawks. In other news, All-Pro center Max Unger was back in the lineup two weeks ago and this unit is overall trending upward. While other teams are suffering injuries down the stretch, Seattle is getting healthier, and that is a scary idea for opposing defenses.

Philadelphia: (from 15th to 10th)

The Eagles offensive line gets an upgrade primarily due to the dominant play of left guard Evan Mathis. Mathis has been praised by coaches for his technique, durability and overall dependability. Should the Birds continue to win, a trip to Hawaii could be in Mathis' near future. In other news, Jason Peters has appeared to shake off his various ailments and has returned Allen Barbre to the bench. Barbre continues to be a surprisingly good swing tackle and could have starter potential in the right situation.

Tampa Bay: (from 18th to 15th)

The Bucs' offensive line has been surging lately, especially former Pro Bowl guard Davin Joseph. Joseph has been recovering from a knee injury that wiped out his 2012 campaign and is only recently showing top form. Despite still not getting back All-Pro guard Carl Nicks from a MRSA infection, the unit is currently without a weak spot. All five players are playing decent or better. Nicks' replacement Jamon Meredith has been especially capable at left guard. This line has gelled in recent weeks and has been doing a fine job in both run and pass phases of the offense.

Detroit: (from 31st to 20th)

The largest upgrade of the week is the Detroit Lions offensive line, who goes from the bottom to the middle tier. This upgrade is in no small part to the reviatlized right side of the line with two rookies: guard Larry Warford and tackle LaAdrian Waddle. Warford has been impressive in recent weeks and is even creating some buzz as a possible offensive rookie of the year candidate. This is not as crazy as it sounds, as Warford has been named the rookie of the week previously. Meanwhile undrafted rookie LaAdrian Waddle is the third starter at the right tackle position this year so far, but he has been dominant against top defensive ends and might have Wally Pipp'ed both Corey Hilliard and Jason Fox. With a new right side and Riley Reiff settling in at left tackle, this line should be above average (or better) in the seasons to come. 

Downgrades

New England: (from 5th to 9th)

New England is experiencing some uncertainty on their right side of the line. Right tackle Sebastian Vollmer was lost for the year with a broken right leg. His replacement, Marcus Cannon, is garnering a reputation for dirty play, after an obvious leg whip on Carolina Panthers defensive end Charles Johnson on national television (link with GIF). The troubling part of this situation is not the act itself, but why is Cannon is on the floor so much that he's becoming a leg whip specialist? Either way it's bad news for the Patriots offensive line, who is still one of the league's better units, despite the downgrade.

New York (AFC): (from 9th to 15th)

Rookie left guard Brian Winters has been a liability in pass protection for the last several games and it's primarily on his play that this unit must be downgraded. Winters appears to lack the functional strength for the position, as a prospect at Indy he didn't bench due to a pectoral strain. This player will probably be a long term starter, as he shows good feet and awareness for the position, but he needs an offseason in a strength program deserately. At various points in the year, critics have complained about the play of center Nick Mangold and left tackle D'Brickashaw Ferguson, but these players are fine. They are often put in bad spots by the left guard. Right tackle Austin Howard has been mostly great this season but gave up a key pressure against Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcel Dareus last week, which resulted in Dareus burying his helmet in Geno Smith's ribs. Smith look shaken for the rest of the game. Overall this unit is still fairly solid but they have a problem at left guard.

Baltimore: (from 13th to 17th)

The Ravens have lost stand out left guard Kelechi Osemele for the year with back surgery. Osemele had not looked healthy all season and his back issues were clearly effecting his play. Center A.Q. Shipley takes over at the guard spot, and while he is a scrappy player in the run game, he certainly lacks Osemele's rare gifts. Jah Reid is being employed more as an extra blocker and rotates in for Shipley on occasion. It should be noted that all is not lost for this unit, as they actually appear to be gelling in the run game, led by the improved play of All-Pro guard Marshal Yanda. However because of the Osemele injury this line is downgraded slightly.

Dallas: (from 17th to 19th)

Easy come, easy go for the Cowboys, who lost six time Pro Bowler Brian Waters for the season with a torn triceps. Waters only played seven games for the Boys, but the coach has expressed interest in his possible return next season. They will miss his veteran leadership. In Waters' place steps Mackenzy Bernadeau, who is a downgrade but isn't completely terrible. More will be expected from right tackle Doug Free, who is actually experiencing a bounce-back season overall. However this line will come under fire down the stretch and their ability to open holes and protect the quarterback will be tested.

Kansas City: (from 20th to 26th)

This is a pure injury downgrade, as Kansas City has recently lost both right guard Jon Asamoah and first overall selection Eric Fisher. Neither player finished the game against Denver. Asamoah is battling two injuries to his calf and shoulder while Fisher is also recovering from a shoulder injury. At this point in the week it appears like Asamoah is closer to returning than Fisher, as Asamoah was particpating in practice, but it's possible that the team might be without both players against the Chargers. In their place step Geoff Schwartz and Donald Stephenson. This is a large amount of upheaval and the lack of further depth in this unit is approaching scary levels.

Miami: (from 29th to 32nd)

Ah Miami. We all know what happened between Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito (they are good friends who reportedly enjoy a civlized spot of tea after practice). However fewer are aware of starting center Mike Pouncey's gallbladder infection, which saw him in the hospital on Sunday instead of facing the San Diego Chargers. Pouncey has rejoined the team as of this morning, but it is not certain if he will be ready for action right away. Local scribes called his appearance "noticably lighter." Nate Garner has been taking snaps with the first team while former practice squad player Sam Brenner is the latest to occupy the left guard spot formerly owned by Incognito. With or without Pouncey, this line is among the league's worst right now, simply due to all the upheaval and changes.

Other Quick Notes

• San Francisco lost All-Pro Mike Iupati for multiple weeks with a sprained MCL. However due to the quality of depth (Adam Snyder and Daniel Kilgore), this line remains top in the rankings. Note however that the gap has closed and there are no A+ lines in the rankings at this time.
• With Harvey Dahl out, St. Louis has an interesting shuffle with Rodger Saffold moving to right guard and Joe Barksdale starting at right tackle. Both players looked great in their most recent performances and there is no downgrade at this time.
• Jason Pinkston has returned to health in Cleveland, but has not yet beaten out Shawn Lauvao at right guard.
• Jared Veldheer has resumed practicing in Oakland, but the team has not yet made a decision if or when he will be removed from the IR.
• Will Rackley remains out with a concussion in Jacksonville. Mike Brewster starts in his place.
• With King Dunlap out (neck strain), D.J. Fluker is on the left side in San Diego. No downgrade at this time.
• Despite a terrible overall ranking, the Pittsburgh line is enjoying extremely strong performances from right guard David Decastro.