Canal Street Chronicles
Who are the best of the best blocking in the trenches?
The final position we are ranking for the offensive line of scrimmage will be the linemen. We conducted a comprehensive review of the division with the best overall blockers up front.
The staff in Chicago pursued protection for Caleb Williams this offseason and did so in a big way; they’ve positioned themselves as one of the projected top offensive lines in the league. The Bears made trades with the Rams and Chiefs to acquire Pro Bowlers Jonah Jackson and Joe Thuney, respectively.
Detroit prides its offense on being aggressive, and it has worked to perfection thus far for Dan Campbell and company. The Lions offensive line features two players who are some of the highest-paid players at their position: Penei Sewell and Frank Ragnow.
The Packers signed G Aaron Banks to a four-year contract that made him one of the highest-paid interior linemen in the NFL. The former 49er spent four seasons in San Francisco before making the move to Green Bay this season.
Minnesota was dealt a blow last year when LT Christian Darrisaw went down for the season with ACL and MCL injuries. He is expected back and healthy for the team this year, but in that gap, Minnesota made a trade for Jacksonville’s Cam Robinson, who has since moved elsewhere this offseason. The Vikings signed G Will Fries, also coming off of injury.
Atlanta is set to have excellent interior line play with the trio of Matthew Bergeron, Ryan Neuzil, and Chris Lindstrom. When you have an agile tailback that can navigate outside running easily like Bijan Robinson, it makes it all the more important to get good blocking on those up-the-middle runs for maximum efficiency.
As for the Panthers, their strength lies within the depth of their O-line. A year of progression and no major coaching changes for the linemen should allow them the development to better protect Bryce Young. Robert Hunt is coming off his first Pro Bowl selection as an alternate in 2024.
The New Orleans Saints have a well-rounded line that includes a projected rookie starter in Kelvin Banks Jr. The Saints also transitioned Trevor Penning from the tackle position last season to the interior left guard. New head coach Kellen Moore has made winning in the trenches an emphasis in his first year in Louisiana.
Tampa Bay has a top-five offensive line in the NFL. Although a group effort, the anchor of their unit is T Tristan Wirfs. Wirfs, who was named a First Team All-Pro for the second time in his career last season, is the second-highest paid offensive lineman in the league this year behind just Sewell in Detroit.
In Denver, the...
