Week 9 of the NFL season is here, and so are our NFL OL rankings. No offensive linemen were included in the 2022 trade deadline extravaganza, and front five players never seem to get dealt at midseason. Let’s examine the dearth of OL trades and where offensive line-needy teams go from here before diving into our OL rankings and tiers.
Week 9 NFL OL Rankings | Trade Deadline Fallout
This year’s NFL trade deadline was — by far — the most eventful in league history. Ten trades were completed on deadline day, doubling the previous record. We also saw 19 deals go down after Oct. 1, five more than the previous high set in 2019.
Positions on both sides of the ball got in on the action. Here’s which positional groups were represented among those 19 October swaps:
- Running back: 4
- Wide receiver: 5
- Tight end: 1
- Defensive line: 4
- Linebacker: 2
- Secondary: 3
Two positions are conspicuously missing. One is quarterback, but no one expected any signal-callers to be moved at the deadline. The other is offensive line. There wasn’t a single offensive lineman traded after October 1.
This isn’t a new trend, either. While there are recent examples of deadline OL moves, they’re typically outliers.
The Chiefs traded guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets in 2021, but that was just roster shuffling. New York was 2-5 and wanted a locker room leader, so they added LDT, who had lost his starting spot in Kansas City.
The Bengals’ 2020 acquisition of center BJ Finney was the same story. Cincinnati was 1-5-1 at the time of that trade — they weren’t aiming to add players. They were simply trying to get disgruntled veteran Carlos Dunlap off their roster, and they took on Finney to offset Dunlap’s salary.
To find the last time a contender needing offensive line help scoured the market at the deadline and actually made a deal, you have to go back to 2019. After losing left guard Joe Noteboom to a torn ACL, the Rams sent a fifth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Austin Corbett, who went on to start 40 games over the next 2.5 years.
Why don’t NFL teams trade for offensive linemen at the deadline? One reason might be simple supply and demand. Nearly every club probably feels at least a lineman or two short, even on the best of days. There just aren’t enough high-quality OL to go around, so even rebuilding teams might not want to sacrifice depth.
Continuity is also critical to offensive lines, so adding a new face at midseason could cause problems with communication. When linemen are sorting out their pre-snap protection responsibilities, they need to convey information rapidly, which is more challenging if the player next to them isn’t comfortable with the terminology or the technique required.
Ultimately, none of the linemen rumored to be on the trade block — such as Isaiah Wynn (Patriots), Riley Reiff (Bears), and Cam Erving (Panthers) — were moved. Where does that leave the teams who could have stood to add depth at the deadline?
Let’s take a look at six clubs I thought could have been in the OL market leading up to Tuesday’s deadline and where they’ll go from here:
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams’ offensive line injury situation is the worst in the NFL. They got some good news in Week 8 when center Brian Allen returned to the lineup, but Los Angeles is starting backups or third-stringers at every other position up front.
I was surprised the Rams didn’t flip a late-round pick for a veteran lineman who could play tackle or guard. LA certainly isn’t afraid to give up draft capital, and they were reportedly willing to send four picks to Carolina for Christian McCaffrey. Why not expend one selection on boosting the offensive line?
Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins were incredibly active at the deadline. They acquired edge rusher Bradley Chubb from the Broncos and running back Jeff Wilson Jr. from the 49ers, but they failed to upgrade their OL.
MORE: Fantasy Impact of Jeff Wilson Trade
Miami activated right tackle Austin Jackson on Tuesday, but they’ve already seen what happens when Jackson or, more importantly, left tackle Terron Armstead goes down. The thought of allowing Greg Little to take more snaps should have forced general manager Chris Grier into action, but the Dolphins chose to use their assets elsewhere.
New York Giants
The Giants already had one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL, and that was before right tackle Evan Neal and left guard Ben Bredeson suffered injuries in Week 7. Despite their on-field success, New York’s front office probably realizes they’re still in the midst of a rebuild, so good on them for not adding just to add at the deadline.
New York Jets
Jets general manager Joe Douglas admitted he looked around the NFL for offensive line reinforcements before ultimately standing pat. It sounds as if Gang Green is hoping to get George Fant and/or Max Mitchell back soon, which would help them solve their tackle situation following Alijah Vera-Tucker’s season-ending injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs may have found something in current starting left guard Nick Leverett, who received a full complement of snaps against the Ravens last Thursday night. A 2020 undrafted free agent, Leverett rotated with second-round rookie Luke Goedeke in Week 7. With Goedeke sidelined in Week 8, Leverett played the entire game and held up in pass protection.
Still, Tampa Bay has already dealt with OL injuries this season. At one point, they were down to their third-string left tackle. I kept coming back to the versatile Reiff as a perfect addition for the Buccaneers, but they didn’t make any moves on Tuesday.
Tennessee Titans
It’s hard to say the Titans’ offensive line needs help after they paved the way for Derrick Henry’s 219-yard effort in Week 8. However, that performance came against the Texans, who field one of the NFL’s worst run defenses.
MORE: Week 9 NFL Picks and Predictions
I don’t know how well left tackle Dennis Daley can perform over an entire year. Daley, filling in for the injured Taylor Lewan, has never played more than 686 snaps in a single season, but he’s on pace to blow by that number in 2022. I still think Tennessee should look into signing free agent Eric Fisher, although they’d have to first rework another player’s contract to fit Fisher under the cap.
NFL OL Quick Hits
- On Monday, Cowboys executive Stephen Jones told 105.3 The Fan that left tackle Tyron Smith is “three or four weeks out” from returning to action. The 31-year-old has been sidelined since tearing his hamstring in late August. When he comes back, Dallas can line up Tyron Smith-Tyler Smith-Tyler Biadasz-Zack Martin-Terence Steele from left to right, with Connor McGovern and Jason Peters as depth.
- A week after starting at left tackle, Packers rookie Zach Tom played all 66 snaps at left guard against the Bills on Sunday night. I’ve been pretty impressed by the Wake Forest product, and he deserves to stay in the lineup over Jon Runyan when Elgton Jenkins returns from injury.
- Broncos center Lloyd Cushenberry will miss time with a groin strain, according to Mike Klis of 9News. While the loss of Cushenberry could lead to more struggles for Russell Wilson and Co., Denver does have an experienced backup in Graham Glasgow.
Week 9 NFL OL Rankings | Tiers 1-4
Now that we’ve taken a deeper look at some of the more notable offensive line groups around the NFL, let’s lay out how they rank based on tiers.
OL Rankings: Tier 1
Philadelphia Eagles, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots
OL Rankings: Tier 2
Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
OL Rankings: Tier 3
Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Houston Texans, Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders, Pittsburgh Steelers
OL Rankings: Tier 4
New York Jets, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, Los Angeles Rams