O-Line Free Agency: Protecting the Dynasty

Ryan Finley

I love to hate the NFL offseason, and I’m sure I’m not alone. The NFL Free Agency period is one of the four pillars of the offseason program (the Combine, the Draft and Hard Knocks being the other three) that keeps me going. In some ways the free agency period is the most exciting, as it tends to have the most unpredictable outcomes. We usually have a good idea how fast a guy can run in his underwear heading into the combine, the draft is dissected 1.2 million ways before it even starts and Hard Knocks is Hard Knocks – we’ll end up overvaluing some player featured therein. But when it comes to free agency, we never know how the chips will fall. We may know the players that will be part of the dance, and we know a few teams that will likely “make it rain,” but we still don’t really know just who will land Lamar Miller, for instance.

Now once we do know all the new landing destinations, we get to go nuts with analysis and discussion. What will happen with Marvin Jones in Detroit? Does Matt Forte have any magic left for his new digs in Gotham? Are you a Coby Fleener truther, or do you stand on the side of sanity? We talk and talk about all the skill position players and their new homes, argue about how many spots it should bump them up in our rankings and get into Twitter fistfights about whether people are over- or under-valuing each and every player. But that furious and deep-reaching analysis starts and ends with the position players – quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end. So here’s the rub: football is arguably the most team-dependent sport out there, and we spend the vast majority of our time talking about free agents at the skill positions almost none talking about free agents on the offensive line. Think about all the discussions last year about the running back for the Cowboys. Owners reached left and right for every guy they picked up, from Darren McFadden to Lache Seastrunk. We all knew that the Dallas offensive line was the best in the game, and any running back receiving extensive carries in that backfield would produce. Chasing the Dallas backfield perhaps went too far, but the philosophy behind it is sound. We should think more about the offensive line and how it relates to the success of skill position players. With that in mind, let’s spend some time looking at some of the free agency moves in this area, and what kind of impact they might have.

The Winners

Dallas Cowboys

Now you might say this is cheating, but it’s also the truth. We all know how good this line was last year, as all those sad Joseph Randle owners can attest. ProFootballFocus.com gives Dallas a top 5 player at center, guard and tackle. It is true that they may have not made any splashy moves to make the line better, but success in free agency is often just as much about how much you lose as how much you gain. Dallas lost nothing, and its line still has to be considered a top 3 offensive line at worst, and most still rank them at the very top of the heap. So don’t be surprised if this is another year of owners chasing this backfield, whether that is McFadden or someone else. One thing is for sure, if Dallas should draft a running back, that player will rise in the rankings significantly.

Oakland Raiders

Oakland, on the other hand, is not a usual suspect. The longtime laughingstock of the NFL, the Oakland Raiders are finally (hopefully) moving in the right direction. And though you may not classically think much about their offensive line, I’m here to tell you to start. Their line was already a strong unit last year, protecting Derek Carr to the tune of 573 passing attempts. The Raiders turned around and made the reeled in the biggest offensive line fish in free agency, Kelechi Osemele (kah-LETCH-ee oh-SEM-uh-lee, in case you want to look smart and cultured in front of your friends and family.) Osemele was forced into left tackle duties with the beaten-up Ravens offensive line last year, but his real home is at guard. And he will be back to his natural position in Oakland as they also made a point to re-sign Donald Penn at left tackle. ProFootballFocus rated Penn the 8th best left tackle in 2015. ProFootballFocus rated Oakland the 6th best line last year, and they added the best guard on the market. The Raiders haven’t exactly lined up behind Latavius Murray to support him, however, so look to the possibility they add a running back via the draft – and be ready to be the smart owner that scoops him up.

Philadelphia Eagles

Once a highly touted offensive line, the Eagles had themselves a bit of a hiccup last season. Newly empowered GM/Coach Chip Kelly hacked away at his roster in a number of unfortunate ways. He spent like a drunken sailor on running backs Ryan Mathews and Demarco Murray, but watched both of his starting guards walk. That was one of many mistakes, but if you think about it, poor guard play may have been a key factor in the demise of Chip Kelly in Philly. I don’t care if you sign Adrian Peterson, if your guards are two wet pieces of paper, he’s not going anywhere. So Philadelphia had their work cut out for them, but they most certainly got the job done. They stole away guard Brandon Brooks from Houston, and also swiped center Steve Wisniewski from Jacksonville. Wisnewski will play at guard for the Eagles, which he has not done since his rookie season. Still, both should be significant upgrades over the guards from last season, and will likely vault the Eagles back into the top half of the league in terms of offensive line play. They may have loved and lost, but they can love again. So consider sending some offers for Mathews.

Minnesota Vikings

Speaking of Peterson, Minnesota was another team looking for some help on the offensive line. Minnesota had problems last season due to injuries, when they lost their starting center John Sullivan and right tackle Austin Wentworth, who was actually forced to retire at 25 due to medical issues. They shored up there issues in free agency, however. They signed veteran guard Alex Boone away from San Francisco, and also picked up a new old right tackle in Andre Smith. Neither of these players are all-pros, but whenever you can shore up two positions of need with veterans, you are doing a pretty good job. They also re-signed Michael Harris, who had a solid 2015 season. Their moves were not flashy, but they shored up their deficiencies and should still be a good line for a back like Peterson to run behind. If Boone and Smith could have resurgent years and they avoid further injuries, they should be able to perform.

Honorable mentions: Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals

The Losers

Cleveland Browns

It seems cruel to start this section with the Browns, but I have to call’em as I see’em. Cleveland’s line had been regarded as a pretty good group for the past couple of years. Strong play from both tackles and a veteran center held this group together. Well, free agency just hit this crew over the head with something heavy. They lost both their starting center (Alex Mack) and right tackle (Mitchell Schwartz.) Mack might not be the center he once was, but he’s still a reliable player in the middle (and his move to Atlanta almost made me add Hotlanta to the “winners” list.) Schwartz had a great year and now has “taken his talents” to Kansas City. It’s hard to lose one top rated linemen, and downright nasty to lose two of them. They do still have all-pro left tackle Joe Thomas, but it takes more than one lineman to succeed.

Seattle Seahawks

Here’s another not-so-fine example of subtraction by subtraction. They even managed to lose three key players in free agency. Left tackle Russell Okung headed to Denver, guard JR Sweezy took a one way trip to Tampa Bay and guard Alvin Bailey is now a Brown. Here’s the real problem in Emerald City, their offensive line was pretty bad last year already. The best player on the bad 2015 line was Okung, and their primary add thus far was…wait for it…J’Marcus Webb. It is possible that they still get better, and that they find just the right combination of guys to drive this offense, but I wouldn’t want to put any money on it. So though Thomas Rawls is an exciting prospect, he may have issues finding running lanes.

San Diego Chargers

This one’s a bit different. The Chargers managed to lose by not winning. You see they had an abysmally bad offensive line group last season, and they haven’t added a soul so far in free agency. That’s not to say that you have to add free agents to fix the offensive line, but when you are as bad as San Diego was in 2015 I’m surprised they didn’t try something. They were ravaged by injuries sure, but even the guys that stayed healthy didn’t do anything to impress. It should be their top priority in the draft, so we will have to see if they can get any better. If not, the Melvin Gordon crowd is likely to be disappointed again.

Dishonorable mentions: Pittsburgh Steelers

So there you have it, everything you wanted to know about free agency and offensive linemen but were afraid to ask. This is not a definitive breakdown of every move, but this should help you understand what kind of situations you might want to target and avoid. And heck, maybe someday you’ll join a crazy league that starts an offensive line—I’m in one, and it actually adds some interesting flavor.