The biggest offensive line news of the week is in Carolina. The Panthers lost Andrew Norwell in free agency and seemed to lose right tackle Daryl Williams to injury in the offseason. But evidently it was only a flesh wound. On to the news.
Daryl Williams suffered a torn MCL and dislocated kneecap in July, which kind of sounds pretty bad. But he's back practicing this week, so he might not miss much time at all. Left tackle Matt Kalil (pictured) will definitely miss at least the first 8 weeks after a knee scope, since he was placed on IR. They'll use Taylor Moton in that spot. But having Williams back is an overall positive; he's one of the league's top right tackles (the drop from Kalil to Moton is less significant).
The Saints -- who had only recently claimed our top OL spot -- are a little banged-up on the line. They waived Boston Scott to make sure they had enough linemen for Week 1; Andrus Peat (quad) is banged-up. We're leaving them at No. 1, but Peat's grade falls a little based on his uncertain status.
Titans right tackle Jack Conklin avoided the PUP list to start the season. But that only teams the team thinks he won't miss the first six games; he's still expected to miss multiple games while coming back from an ACL injury. We're leaving Conklin as the starter, but lowering his grade due to the missed time (causing the line to slip in the rankings).
There's some uncertainty with the Browns line. The plan was to move Joel Bitonio from left guard to left tackle, and start second-rounder Austin Corbett at guard. But a dark horse entered the race in undrafted free agent Desmond Harrison, who the team is considering using at left tackle. The depth chart at the team website lists it as Bitonio-Corbett, but we'll know for sure in a few days.
The Colts expect to have Anthony Castonzo (hamstring) available for Week 1.
Rankings are below; colorful table posted on our Facebook page showing our evaluation of each player.
| OFFENSIVE LINE RANKINGS | |
|---|---|
| Rk | Team |
| 1. | New Orleans |
| 2. | Philadelphia |
| 3. | Pittsburgh |
| 4. | Atlanta |
| 5. | LA Rams |
| 6. | Dallas |
| 7. | LA Chargers |
| 8. | Oakland |
| 9. | Green Bay |
| 10. | Tennessee |
| 11. | Jacksonville |
| 12. | New England |
| 13. | Carolina |
| 14. | Washington |
| 15. | Kansas City |
| 16. | Baltimore |
| 17. | San Francisco |
| 18. | Tampa Bay |
| 19. | Detroit |
| 20. | Cleveland |
| 21. | Chicago |
| 22. | Seattle |
| 23. | Indianapolis |
| 24. | Minnesota |
| 25. | NY Jets |
| 26. | Denver |
| 27. | NY Giants |
| 28. | Cincinnati |
| 29. | Miami |
| 30. | Houston |
| 31. | Arizona |
| 32. | Buffalo |
--Andy Richardson