How did we get to the point where Andrew Norwell is the highest-paid guard in the league? Four years ago, no NFL team was willing to even draft him.
It’s not as is Norwell was hidden away at an obscure school. He was a three-year starter at Ohio State and he was on the Outland Trophy watch list his final year. He’s 6-foot-6 and 325 pounds. He completed only 22 reps on the bench press the year he was coming out which is lower than what you expect from the elite prospects, but strange that no scout was willing to go to the mat for him, arguing that he should be one of the 256 players selected in the draft.
The weirdness continues at the pro level. Norwell won a starting job during his rookie season in Carolina. In both his second and third seasons, he played well enough that Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s top 10 guards. Yet when Norwell reached restricted free agency a year ago, the Panthers dinkered around with him and couldn’t get him signed to a long-term deal. They put a second-round tender on him, and Norwell ended up going the Kirk Cousins route, playing on a one-year deal.
He won in a big way. Multiple teams were hot for him, with the Jaguars and Giants leading the way. Jacksonville ended up winning out with a five-year deal worth $66.5 million. If they’ve got him scouted properly, he’ll be a nice upgrade for them at guard, helping them better pound people inside with their running game.
Other key offensive linemen who’ve switched teams:
Nate Solder: He signed a four-year deal worth $62 million with the Giants, but I’m not sure that it will be that big of a deal. Solder is not an elite left tackle; he might not be one of the 10 best in the game. It’s just that he was definitely the best and only viable left tackle on the market. I’m not sure how much the Patriots will miss him, with Tom Brady’s ability to get rid of the ball quickly. When Solder injured a biceps in 2015, New England hardly missed a beat. The offense allowed only 28 sacks in the 12 games Solder missed. They allowed 11 sacks in the three and half games he played. The Giants have been plagued by poor left tackle play for years, and he’ll help there, but New York lost two other linemen who have been the best players on that unit in recent years. Key will be what they get out of Patrick Omameh at guard. He became obsolete for the Jaguars after they signed Norwell, but the Giants have enough confidence in him that they signed him to a deal worth $5 million per year. Omameh is the same size as Norwell, and has a similar background – undrafted out of Michigan in 2013. But Omameh has played for four different teams in five years, which isn’t a good sign.
Cordy Glenn: I think the Bengals made a really nice trade here. They were plagued by lousy offensive line play last year, particularly at left tackle. Andrew Whitworth signed with the Rams, and they didn’t have anyone who could fill that spot. Rather than joining the crowd trying to bid on Solder, Cincinnati traded down nine spots in the first round, picking up Glenn. He was hurt pretty much all of last year, but he’s been very good in the past. The Bills thought enough of him two years ago to give him a five-year contract worth $65 million. This is a nice step for Cincinnati to getting better production out of Joe Mixon and Andy Dalton.
Weston Richburg: Kyle Shanahan believes in having a really good center. When he was in Atlanta, they signed Alex Mack to a big contract. So the 49ers went hard after Richburg, signing him to a five-year deal worth $47.5 million. That was odd, with the team having given Daniel Kilgore a new three-year contract worth $12 million a month ago to stop him from reaching free agency. But it’s clear now that Kilgore was just a placeholder – he would have started had they not landed Richburg. But once the upgrade was in place, they shipped Kilgore off to Miami. Smart move. Richburg missed 12 games last year; he was placed on injured reserve when he was slow to recover from a concussion. But the 49ers obviously don’t feel that’s a big concern.
Justin Pugh: Arizona needs blocking help. Sam Bradford won’t stay healthy for long if the line is anywhere near as bad as last year. Pugh looks like a step in the right direction. He was very solid with the Giants until a back injury caused him to miss half of last year. He’ll start at guard, and he also has some ability to fill in at right tackle, if necessary. Contract is $45 million for five years, so if you’re scoring at home, the two blockers the Giants lost (Pugh, Richburg) are getting paid almost as much as the two they brought in (Solder, Omameh). Pugh doesn’t fix Arizona’s line – they need to add another big-time player.
Josh Sitton: He’s now been released by two teams in the last three years (Packers, Bears). He’s only 31, so maybe there’s something about him that rubs teams the wrong way. The Dolphins need help at the position and were willing to sign him to a two-year deal averaging $9 million – about the same as what Richburg and Pugh are making.
Mike Pouncey: Chargers signed him to a two-year deal worth $15 million, and if he can stay healthy that will be a steal. He’s 28 and has been a Pro Bowler at both center and guard. They’ll use him at center, and he potentially could be a top-5 player at that position. Suffered labrum and hip injuries a few years back but stayed relatively healthy last year.
—Ian Allan