Offensive line play decides more games than it gets credit for. On the flip side, they can also receive a lion’s share of the blame when the offense underperforms.
The goal is straightforward: Ranking all 32 units for 2026 using the criteria of returning starters, individual talent, depth and coaching. Continuity carried weight here, because linemen perform better by building chemistry year after year.
Camp injuries and unsettled jobs pushed several teams down the list. The projected starters below come from training camp reports and team depth charts, so a few spots could still change before Week 1. Here is how the league stacks up.
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32. Tennessee Titans
Projected starters: LT Dan Moore Jr., LG Peter Skoronski, C Austin Schlottmann, RG Cordell Volson, RT JC Latham
Tennessee allowed 56 sacks in 2025, sixth-most in the league, and Cam Ward was sacked 55 times, tied for the most of any quarterback. Skoronski is the one clear strength, but right guard is still open among Volson, Jackson Slater and fifth-round pick Fernando Carmona.
31. Las Vegas Raiders
Projected starters: LT Kolton Miller, LG Spencer Burford, C Tyler Linderbaum, RG Jackson Powers-Johnson, RT DJ Glaze
Signing Linderbaum gives Las Vegas an anchor in the middle. Still, Glaze allowed 70 pressures and 16 sacks on 598 pass-blocking snaps last season, and the team added no competition for him. New line coach Rick Dennison has to fix that side quickly.
30. Cleveland Browns
Projected starters: LT Spencer Fano, LG Zion Johnson, C Elgton Jenkins, RG Teven Jenkins, RT Tytus Howard
Every Week 1 starter is new, so there is no carryover from last season. Elgton Jenkins signed to play guard but is now listed at center because nobody else claimed the job. The tackles should hold up, but the interior needs weeks to settle.
29. Jacksonville Jaguars
Projected starters: LT Anton Harrison, LG Ezra Cleveland, C Robert Hainsey, RG Patrick Mekari, RT Walker Little
Five linemen missed practice time in camp, including three projected starters. Harrison is also switching to left tackle after three seasons on the right side. Jacksonville has real talent here, but the group has barely practiced together.
28. Arizona Cardinals
Projected starters: LT Paris Johnson Jr., LG Isaac Seumalo, C Hjalte Froholdt, RG Isaiah Adams, RT Elijah Wilkinson
Johnson gives Arizona a settled blind side, and Froholdt is steady at center. Right guard is the one open job, with second-round pick Chase Bisontis pushing Adams. Right tackle is the bigger problem, because Wilkinson is a one-year answer.
27. Carolina Panthers
Projected starters: LT Rasheed Walker, LG Damien Lewis, C Luke Fortner, RG Robert Hunt, RT Taylor Moton
Carolina opened camp without both starting tackles. LT Ikem Ekwonu is recovering from a ruptured patellar tendon, and Moton was placed on the non-football injury list. Walker, signed away from Green Bay, is competing with rookie Monroe Freeling on the left side.
26. Pittsburgh Steelers
Projected starters: LT Troy Fautanu, LG Mason McCormick, C Zach Frazier, RG Spencer Anderson, RT Dylan Cook
Frazier is a building block at center, and McCormick shifts from right guard to left. But two spots go to first-time full-time starters in Anderson and Cook. Mike McCarthy hired veteran line coach James Campen, which should speed up the transition.
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25. New York Giants
Projected starters: LT Andrew Thomas, LG Jon Runyan Jr., C John Michael Schmitz, RG Francis Mauigoa, RT Jermaine Eluemunor
Four starters return, and Thomas enters camp healthy after missing 22 games over three seasons. Mauigoa moves inside to guard as a rookie after playing tackle at Miami. Giants quarterbacks were sacked 48 times last season, so the bar for improvement is low.
24. Houston Texans
Projected starters: LT Aireontae Ersery, LG Wyatt Teller, C Keylan Rutledge, RG Ed Ingram, RT Braden Smith
Houston reworked the front by adding Teller and Smith and trading Tytus Howard. Rutledge is competing at center with Jake Andrews, who started all 17 games there in 2025. The tackles are set, so the middle decides how much this group improves.
23. Washington Commanders
Projected starters: LT Brandon Coleman, LG Chris Paul, C Nick Allegretti, RG Sam Cosmi, RT Josh Conerly Jr.
LT Laremy Tunsil tore his triceps in camp and needs surgery. He is expected to miss most of the season, and Dan Quinn said Washington will not look outside the building. Coleman moves from a left guard competition back to left tackle, where he started 12 games as a rookie.
22. Baltimore Ravens
Projected starters: LT Ronnie Stanley, LG John Simpson, C Ethan Pocic, RG Vega Ioane, RT Roger Rosengarten
Three new starters is a heavy turnover for a team with Super Bowl expectations. Pocic signed days before camp and is coming back from a torn Achilles in December. Ioane, the 14th overall pick, adds power at right guard next to Rosengarten.
21. Detroit Lions
Projected starters: LT Penei Sewell, LG Christian Mahogany, C Cade Mays, RG Tate Ratledge, RT Blake Miller
Detroit ranked 31st in pass block win rate last season and 20th in run block win rate. Sewell moved from right tackle to left tackle, which opened a job that Miller and Larry Borom are splitting. Mays will miss significant time with a wrist injury, so center is unsettled again with Juice Scruggs in the lead.
20. Green Bay Packers
Projected starters: LT Jordan Morgan, LG Aaron Banks, C Sean Rhyan, RG Anthony Belton, RT Zach Bako-Bewele
Jordan Love was pressured on 38.6 percent of his dropbacks last season. Green Bay lost Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins, then moved Morgan to left tackle and Rhyan to center. Banks has not taken team drills because of a knee issue, so the preferred five has barely worked together.
19. Cincinnati Bengals
Projected starters: LT Orlando Brown Jr., LG Dylan Fairchild, C Ted Karras, RG Dalton Risner, RT Amarius Mims
All five starters return for the first time since Joe Burrow arrived. Fairchild posted the fourth-highest PFF offensive grade among rookie linemen with at least 100 snaps. Mims played all 17 games in year two and logged the 11th-most pass-blocking snaps in the league.
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18. New Orleans Saints
Projected starters: LT Kelvin Banks Jr., LG David Edwards, C Erik McCoy, RG Cesar Ruiz, RT Taliese Fuaga
Two top-15 picks bookend this line in Banks and Fuaga. Edwards arrived from Buffalo after a 95 percent pass-block win rate. Health is the catch, because McCoy has played seven games in each of the last two seasons.
17. Miami Dolphins
Projected starters: LT Patrick Paul, LG Kadyn Proctor, C Aaron Brewer, RG Jonah Savaiinaea, RT Austin Jackson
Miami used the 12th pick on Proctor, a consensus All-American at Alabama, and started him at guard. Paul started 17 games last season, and Jackson is healthy after a toe injury limited him to six. Depth behind the starting five is the concern.
16. Minnesota Vikings
Projected starters: LT Christian Darrisaw, LG Donovan Jackson, C Blake Brandel, RG Will Fries, RT Brian O’Neill
PFF ranked this unit 18th last season and charged it with 173 pressures and 26 sacks on 578 pass plays. O’Neill graded sixth among right tackles, and Darrisaw enters camp without workload limits. Ryan Kelly retired, so Brandel gets the first look at center.
15. Los Angeles Chargers
Projected starters: LT Rashawn Slater, LG Kayode Awosika, C Tyler Biadasz, RG Cole Strange, RT Joe Alt
Slater missed all of 2025 with a torn patellar tendon, and Alt played six games before an ankle injury ended his year. Both are back, which changes this front entirely. Left guard is the last open job, with Awosika leading Trevor Penning, Branson Taylor, Jake Slaughter and Trey Pipkins III.
14. Indianapolis Colts
Projected starters: LT Bernhard Raimann, LG Quenton Nelson, C Tanor Bortolini, RG Matt Goncalves, RT Jalen Travis
Four starters return, and Nelson is still one of the best guards in football. Travis takes over at right tackle for Braden Smith after filling in for four and a half games as a rookie. Line coach Tony Sparano Jr. has a track record of developing this room.
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13. Kansas City Chiefs
Projected starters: LT Josh Simmons, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jaylon Moore
Humphrey and Smith form the best interior pairing in the AFC. Right tackle is the open spot between Moore and Esa Pole, and the former has never started more than six games in a season. Smith missed practice time with a hip injury and was sent to a specialist.
12. New England Patriots
Projected starters: LT Will Campbell, LG Alijah Vera-Tucker, C Jared Wilson, RG Mike Onwenu, RT Morgan Moses
New England used four line combinations last season, down from 11 in 2024. Vera-Tucker is the only new starter, and Wilson slides to center after Garrett Bradbury was traded to Chicago. The postseason exposed the group, since the Patriots allowed 21 sacks in the playoffs.
11. San Francisco 49ers
Projected starters: LT Trent Williams, LG Robert Jones, C Jake Brendel, RG Dominick Puni, RT Colton McKivitz
Williams and Puni are two of the better players at their positions. Left guard is the only unsettled job, with Connor Colby, Jones and rookie Carver Willis rotating through camp. Chris Foerster has coached this group for years, and that continuity shows up in the run game.
10. New York Jets
Projected starters: LT Olu Fashanu, LG Dylan Parham, C Josh Myers, RG Joe Tippmann, RT Armand Membou
The Jets used the same line combination in every game last season for the first time since 2012. Fashanu started all 17 games and allowed six sacks with three penalties. Parham replaces John Simpson at left guard, and backup depth is the only real question.
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9. Dallas Cowboys
Projected starters: LT Tyler Guyton, LG Tyler Smith, C Cooper Beebe, RG Tyler Booker, RT Terence Steele
Dallas returns all 11 offensive starters from an attack that led the NFL in total yards. Guyton won the left tackle job in a short camp competition with Nate Thomas and Tyler Smith. Smith stays at left guard, where he has been one of the top players at the position.
8. Atlanta Falcons
Projected starters: LT Jake Matthews, LG Matthew Bergeron, C Ryan Neuzil, RG Chris Lindstrom, RT Jawaan Taylor
Atlanta’s starting five played 80.4 percent of the team’s offensive snaps last season, second-highest in the league. The Georgia Tech product Lindstrom has been among the most consistent guards in football since 2019. Taylor signed the afternoon Kaleb McGary retired, but he is not yet cleared to practice after an elbow issue.
7. Chicago Bears
Projected starters: LT Braxton Jones, LG Joe Thuney, C Garrett Bradbury, RG Jonah Jackson, RT Darnell Wright
Thuney won the inaugural Protector of the Year award and was first-team All-Pro for a third straight season. Wright made second-team All-Pro at right tackle in his third year. Drew Dalman retired, so Bradbury and second-round rookie Logan Jones are competing at center.
6. Los Angeles Rams
Projected starters: LT Alaric Jackson, LG Steve Avila, C Coleman Shelton, RG Kevin Dotson, RT Warren McClendon Jr.
Los Angeles was the league’s best-performing line last season and ranked second in pressure rate. The former Georgia tackle McClendon has climbed into the top 10 at his position on the strength of his run blocking. Jackson could face discipline under the personal conduct policy, and third-round pick Keagen Trost is the fallback at left tackle.
5. Buffalo Bills
Projected starters: LT Dion Dawkins, LG Alec Anderson, C Connor McGovern, RG O’Cyrus Torrence, RT Spencer Brown
Four starters return, with David Edwards the only departure. Dawkins is entering his 10th season and Brown his sixth straight as the starting right tackle. Buffalo running backs were hit at or behind the line on 38 percent of carries last season, the third-lowest rate in the league. LG is a bit unsettled with Anderson and Austin Corbett competing to start.
4. Seattle Seahawks
Projected starters: LT Charles Cross, LG Grey Zabel, C Jalen Sundell, RG Anthony Bradford, RT Abraham Lucas
Seattle returns all five starters from a Super Bowl winner plus most of its depth. Cross, Zabel, Bradford and Lucas started every game last season, including the playoffs. New coordinator Brian Fleury runs a similar scheme, so the group keeps the same calls and techniques.
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Projected starters: LT Tristan Wirfs, LG Ben Bredeson, C Graham Barton, RG Cody Mauch, RT Luke Goedeke
Wirfs earned a career-high 92.7 PFF grade in 2025 while allowing two sacks and 23 pressures. Goedeke did not surrender a sack or a hit across 416 pass-blocking snaps. Mauch missed all of last season with a knee injury, and Wirfs is working back from a hamstring injury suffered in conditioning tests.
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2. Philadelphia Eagles
Projected starters: LT Jordan Mailata, LG Landon Dickerson, C Cam Jurgens, RG Tyler Steen, RT Lane Johnson
All five starters return after Johnson and Dickerson both weighed retirement this offseason. Johnson has posted a PFF pass-blocking grade above 80 in six consecutive seasons. Jeff Stoutland stepped down and Chris Kuper takes over the room, which is the one variable in Philadelphia.
1. Denver Broncos
Projected starters: LT Garett Bolles, LG Ben Powers, C Luke Wattenberg, RG Quinn Meinerz, RT Mike McGlinchey
Denver runs out the same five starters for a third straight season. Bolles and Meinerz were both first-team All-Pro, the first Broncos linemen to earn that together. The group allowed 23 sacks last season, tied for fewest in the NFL. Wattenberg has missed camp time, and Michael Deiter is out for the year with a thigh injury.
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