I know what you're saying: It's April! The NFL draft hasn't even happened yet! And no one will play an actual football game for more than four months. All of this is true, so these rankings, of lines which will still change plenty between now and the start of the season, should be taken with a grain of salt.
But the bulk of free agency is over with. The big-money, big-ticket linemen have settled onto their new teams (or old teams, in some cases). There's no telling if the top rookie will start immediately or need a season to get up to speed or push veterans out the door. So we can look at the current rosters around the league and make some predictions about starters and which lines will be best, and worst, in 2018.
Some of the major developments over the past month:
Andrew Norwell was free agency's top guard, figured by many to be lured to the Giants by Carolina's former GM. But instead he signed with Jacksonville, a huge boost to their line. Probably a top-10 group now. (And Carolina's line looks weaker.)
The Chargers scooped up Mike Pouncey when the Dolphins released him, and they'll get last year's top incoming guard Forrest Lamp back from injury. If those guys are healthy, should be an above-average line.
The Browns look very solid in the interior, but tackle is a question mark after Joe Thomas retired. Former Steeler Chris Hubbard will be one starter, but the other spot is uncertain.
New England lost a pair of offensive tackles, unwilling to pay Nate Solder and letting Cameron Fleming go, as well. They've got Marcus Cannon for one spot, but recently signed LaAdrian Waddle may not be the answer. With two first-round picks, the Patriots will be in the market for one of the draft's top tackles (though it's more exciting for the media to write about them eyeing a quarterback).
Houston's line will be better, after adding three players in free agency, all of whom will likely start. But left tackle remains a question.
The Giants added the market's best tackle (Nate Solder) and upgraded at guard (Patrick Omameh). But they were starting at a very low point, and still have questions in the interior and at the other tackle spot. The line had nowhere to go but up, but it's not there yet.
The Cardinals added two new starters in Justin Pugh and Andre Smith. They're paying Pugh a lot of money, too. But neither has played particularly well the last couple of years, and Arizona still looks questionable at the other spots. This line is a bad combination with Sam Bradford.
Current rankings below; a colorful chart is posted at our Facebook page.
| OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| Rk | Team |
| 1. | Philadelphia |
| 2. | Dallas |
| 3. | New Orleans |
| 4. | Atlanta |
| 5. | Tennessee |
| 6. | Pittsburgh |
| 7. | Jacksonville |
| 8. | LA Chargers |
| 9. | San Francisco |
| 10. | LA Rams |
| 11. | Oakland |
| 12. | Cleveland |
| 13. | Carolina |
| 14. | Green Bay |
| 15. | New England |
| 16. | Kansas City |
| 17. | Minnesota |
| 18. | Washington |
| 19. | Buffalo |
| 20. | Seattle |
| 21. | Detroit |
| 22. | Denver |
| 23. | NY Jets |
| 24. | Houston |
| 25. | Cincinnati |
| 26. | Chicago |
| 27. | NY Giants |
| 28. | Tampa Bay |
| 29. | Baltimore |
| 30. | Miami |
| 31. | Indianapolis |
| 32. | Arizona |