Photo: Raj Mehta, USA Today Sports

With the halfway point approaching, and one week away from an entire re-rank of all the lines, there's alot of ground to cover with the league's offensive line news. If a particular team isn't listed, and you have a question, feel free to reach out to me via Twitter or the Shark Pool message board.

MIA: Mike Pouncey returns And Excels at right guard.

After spending the start of the season recovering from a hip injury, All-Pro center Mike Pouncey finally rejoined the Dolphins’ lineup two weeks ago at Green Bay. With Samson Satele playing well at center, Pouncey was slotted in at right guard for Dallas Thomas. Without the benefit of a preseason, Pouncey was rough against Green Bay, and again in the first half against Chicago. However, Pouncey started to play really well in the second half of last week’s win against Chicago.   With Pouncey back, and presumably shaken off the rust of his inactivity, this is an immediate upgrade to the Dolphins’ offensive line, who are rising in the rankings quickly. Across the board this is a veteran line, with the exception of first round rookie Ja’Wuan James at right tackle (who isn't playing like a rookie). This is a strong unit and will likely be ranked in the top tier of next week's quarter rankings update. If you are the type of person who will upgrade a skill position player based on their offensive line play, now is the time for Dolphins skills to be upgraded. In related news, left tackle Branden Albert is considered to be a positive influence on the squad, and has been praised by the coaches for his work ethic. This is notable as the team recently invested huge money in this player and generally, effort falls off after a big pay-day.

SF: C Daniel Kilgore broke his leg and is out for the season.

During last week’s loss against Denver, starting center Daniel Kilgore was rolled up on by an opposing linebacker. Kilgore immediately called for help and was carted off the field. Undrafted rookie Dillion Farrell took his place briefly, until he was injured (ankle sprain), and Joe Looney slid over from guard. In the days after the game it was revealed that Kilgore suffered a broken leg, and it was a relatively serious version of that injury. Kilgore will likely miss all of the offseason and could be recovering into next preseason. Although he was inactive last week, third round rookie Marcus Martin could be expected to take Kilgore’s place. Martin had been battling back from a knee injury but had returned to practice two weeks ago. Martin is known as a cerebral and gifted player (Kilgore was considered undersized), but as with any rookie elevated to a starting position, teams will game-plan against him. The team has options and could go with Joe Looney if Martin doesn't seize the opportunity. Either is likely a downgrade from Kilgore, who was playing at a high level.In some good news for whoever the next center will be, left guard Mike Iupati has been cleared for non-contact work and is on track to return to the lineup after this week’s bye. Iupati is a dominating player when healthy and having him back will ease the transition at the center spot.

ATL: C Peter Konz tore his ACL and is out for the season.

After already losing their starting center Joe Hawley to a torn ACL, his backup Peter Konz suffered the same injury, last week at Baltimore. Counting Konz, the Falcons have lost four starting linemen to season ending injuries.  Undrafted rookie James Stone took Konz’ place and actually played “better than expected” according to the coaching staff. Stone has interesting physical gifts and could make the most of this opportunity. The challenge will likely be his mastery of the blocking calls. Should Stone go down, the next man up would be Harland Gunn. This is another hit of bad news for the Falcons’ offensive line. Those counting on their skill positions should be aware of the situation and tread carefully when setting their lineups.

PIT: RT Marcus Gilbert left the game with a concussion, Mike Adams steps up.

Early on in last week’s game against Houston, starting right tackle Marcus Gilbert suffered a concussion. Gilbert is going through the league’s protocol and his status for this week’s contest against Indianapolis is in doubt. This is notable news in and of itself, but even bigger news was that beleaguered former second round pick Mike Adams stepped in for Gilbert, and actually did well. Adams had many matchups against All-World defensive end J.J. Watt, and did not allow any pressure, despite being left an island for almost fifty offensive snaps. Adams career has been considered a bust to date, but perhaps he is turning a corner? Adams has always had above average size for the position, it was always a matter of technique and aggression that was his problem. This is a situation that bears further observation but there is no downgrade for the Steelers’ line at this time. 

CAR: RG Trai Turner out but LT Byron Bell and G Amini Silatolu are ready to return.

This week, there is both good news and bad news for the generally shabby Carolina offensive line. The bad news is that promising rookie Trai Turner has been ruled out for this weekend’s contest against Seattle at home. Turner suffered an ankle injury last week and has been seen in a walking boot since then. The good news is that left tackle Byron Bell (who left last week’s game with an injury) appears likely to return for this week’s game. Bell’s replacement, David Foucalt was exploited in Bell’s place, and is way too raw for game action at this time. In related news, Amini Silatolu should be back as well, after recovering from a multi-week absence. Silatolu could split time with Fernando Velasco in place of the previously discussed Turner. In general this is not a strong unit but having Bell at left tackle is far better than the alternative.

Other Notes

WAS: Struggling right tackle Tyler Polumbus will likely be benched for Tom Compton. This is not a clear upgrade but it's positive that the coaches are trying to improve this unit.

MIN: C John Sullivan (concussion) and RG Vladimir Ducasse (knee) were injured on the same play last week, but both should be available for this week's contest against Tampa Bay.

PHI: LG Evan Mathis and C Jason Kelce are reportedly ahead of schedule and should be ready for a Week 10 return (they are both on IR-DFR list and that is their earliest possible return date).

CLE: The Browns' line struggled last week without Alex Mack. A new lineup could emerge, with Vinston Painter instead of Paul McQuistan. Once the best rated line in football, this is a unit in free fall since Mack's injury.  

JAC: The Jaguars' line had their best game of the year last Sunday, led by greatly improved performances from Luke Joeckel and Zane Beadles. This line is trending upward, feel free to upgrade Jags' skills players accordingly.

NYJ: Aside from an early holding penalty that called back a touchdown, new left guard Oday Aboushi had a positive first career start in last week's close loss at New England. Aboushi could very well end up being an upgrade over Brian Winters, who is out for the year.

BAL: LT James Hurst was flagged for three holding penalties in the win over Atlanta. He and John Urschel are still starting and being praised by the coaching staff, who did not offer any updates on Eugene Monroe and Kelechi Osemele.

BUF: Kraig Urbik has regained a starting position, at left guard over rookie Cyril Richardson.  Richardson had been struggling in place of the injured Chris Williams.

SEA: It is not clear when Max Unger will return to the starting lineup, the team is taking a wait-and-see policy. This injury continues to affect the Seahawks' running attack.

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