After a year as a backup, Kelvin Beachum started 12 games for the Cardinals in 2024, mostly at right tackle. That’s where the majority of his experience has been over 13 NFL seasons. Beachum was considerably improved from his last season as a full-time starter in 2022. Beachum cut his pressure allowed percentage from 6.3% to 4.1%, his lowest rate since 2019. He also committed only five penalties, his fewest infractions as a starter since 2017 with the New York Jets. Beachum will turn 36 in June, so he’s likely looking at one-year deals. However, with expected starter Jonah Williams limited to six games, Beachum proved capable of holding up in an extended stretch as a starter.
Kevin Zeitler turns 35 this March but has remained as reliable as ever. For the 10th consecutive season, Zeitler started at least 15 games. His 3.2% pressure rate allowed with the Lions was a slight improvement from his 3.5% rate in 2023 with the Ravens. However, he did allow five sacks, as many as his previous three seasons combined. The one downside is that Zeitler doesn’t possess much positional versatility. Since 2019, all but three of his snaps have come at right guard. Both the Lions and Ravens also primarily employ gap-blocking schemes, making him a clear but somewhat limited system fit.
Coleman Shelton started all 17 games for the second consecutive season. After serving as a utilityman for the Rams, Shelton has settled in and played every snap at center for the past two seasons. Shelton’s second season as a starter was better than his first in terms of pass protection. He cut his pressure rate allowed from 5.5% in 2023 to 3.8% in 2024. He also cut his QB hits allowed from 11 in 2023 to five in 2024 and committed only three penalties after getting flagged five times in 2023.
After years of injury woes in Washington, Brandon Scherff has stayed healthy since signing with the Jaguars. Scherff played all 17 possible games for the third consecutive season after five straight seasons where he missed at least three games every year. Scherff didn’t allow a single sack in 592 pass-blocking snaps this season. Among guards, only Trey Smith of the Chiefs (665) had more pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack. Scherff will play most of next season at 33 years old (his birthday is December 26).
Tyron Smith was still a competent starting left tackle in his 14th season, no small feat given his age (34 years old) and injury history. However, some cracks started to show. Smith allowed five sacks in 10 games for the Jets, the same total he allowed in 43 games from 2019-23 combined. He continues to be a disciplined tackle, committing three penalties in 2024 and six over 27 games in the last three seasons combined. His age and injury history likely limit him to one-year contracts for the remainder of his career, but Smith is a worthy stopgap for 2025.
Dan Moore Jr. continued to start every game at left tackle for the Steelers, despite Pittsburgh spending first-round picks on offensive tackles in back-to-back years via Broderick Jones (2023) and Troy Fautanu (2024). Fautanu played just a single game as a rookie, leaving Moore to start 17 games. Availability has been his best trait, as Moore has started 66 out of 68 possible regular-season games since entering the league in 2021. While still a below-average tackle in pass protection, he cut his pressure rate allowed from 11.0% in 2023 to 7.1% in 2024. However, he did give up a career-high 12 sacks, the most of any left tackle in 2024. Moore also continues to be one of the least penalized tackles in the league. He was called for only three penalties this season after being called for two in 2023.
After four straight injury-riddled campaigns, Ronnie Stanley recaptured his franchise left tackle form in 2024. Stanley played all 17 games (plus both playoff games), which marked the first time in his nine-year career that he’s played every game. And while he wasn’t quite his vintage self in pass protection, his 6.5% pressure rate allowed was a big improvement from his 9.6% rate in 2023. He also allowed just three sacks in 17 games after allowing four in 13 games the prior season.
In his second season as the Rams’ starting left tackle, Alaric Jackson cut his pressure rate allowed from 7.4% in 2023 to 4.7% in 2024. That was the 10th-lowest pressure rate allowed among offensive linemen who played the majority of their snaps at left tackle. By raw totals, Jackson also cut his hits allowed in half from eight in 2023 to four in 2024. Jackson turns 27 years old in July and has demonstrated an ability to hold up at the most valued offensive line position, which should earn the former undrafted free agent a lucrative multi-year deal.
Morgan Moses allowed just 16 pressures on 433 pass-blocking snaps in 2024. That 3.7% pressure rate was his lowest allowed since PFF began tracking pressures in 2019. It also ranked eighth among players who primarily played right tackle in 2024. Moses turns 34 years old this offseason but has largely been durable. This was his 10th straight season in which he has played at least 14 games. The only year he’s played fewer than that total was his rookie season of 2014 (when he wasn’t a starter yet).
Trey Smith has developed into one of the best all-around guards in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs right guard had a career-best 4.0% pressure rate allowed in 2024, which ranked in the upper third among qualifying guards this season. He also impressed in the run game, ranking sixth in ESPN’s run block win rate metric. Most impressively, Smith didn’t allow a single sack all season. No guard played more pass-blocking snaps without allowing a sack during the 2024 season than Smith’s 665. Smith turns 26 years old this offseason and has been ultra-durable, playing 67 out of 68 possible games since being drafted in 2021.
