Tag: offensive line

RGIII sees common thread in both of Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl losses

Ex-NFL star Robert Griffin III saw a common thread in both of #Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’ Super Bowl losses.

The Kansas City Chiefs fell short in their quest to complete the NFL’s first-ever championship three-peat when they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX.

Though the reasons for the Chiefs’ loss were many, former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III took to Twitter to share his thoughts on what made the game go sideways for Kansas City.

In Griffin’s assessment, the Chiefs’ offensive line was to blame for Kansas City’s latest Super Bowl defeat, continuing a concerning trend from the team’s loss to Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

Take a look at what RGIII said about the Chiefs’ loss on Twitter:

Star quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t do Kansas City any favors by throwing two early interceptions, but the abysmal performance of the Chiefs’ offensive line certainly didn’t help the veteran signal-caller play well.

Fans can expect Kansas City to make moves to fix its offensive line in the offseason as the Chiefs look to the future.

What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need along interior Oline

What kind of shape the Raiders are in at center and guard heading into the offseason.

With free agency a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ interior offensive line positions to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starters: Jackson Powers-Johnson, Andre James, Jordan Meredith

Backups: Dylan Parham, Will Putnam

Free agents: Cody Whitehair

The offensive line was in flux all last season. With the starters cycling in and out in part to injury and in part to try and find the best combination. Rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson was injured early on, then started at left guard before moving to center for the injured Andre James and then shifting back to left guard due to other injuries and James being healthy again. Parham struggled in his 14 starts while Meredith appeared to show himself to be a better option.

Condition: Unstable

They could probably run it back with JPJ at left guard, James at center, and Meredith at right guard with Parham as a utility reserve. But JPJ is the best center on this team, and if he is to play there, they would have to figure out what to do with James and would also need to upgrade the guard position so as to not have a letdown overall on the interior.

New Cowboys’ OL coach among best in CFB, making way to pros

Bringing aboard one of the better OL coaches in CFB may go a long way to correcting the Cowboys’ issues up front. | From @ArmyChiefW3

The Dallas Cowboys have completed the majority of their coaching hires, but the vacant offensive line coach position has remained a mystery. That is until now as a leading candidate has now been hired.

Conor Riley has been the offensive line coach at Kansas State University for the past six seasons and is regarded as one of the best assets in the country. ESPN’s Bruce Feldman was first to identify Riley is who Brian Schottenheimer identified to be in charge of the big uglies, and now the deal has been made.

The Cowboys have made it a point to improve their running game and Riley, along with new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams, certainly fit the criteria.

Under Riley, the Wildcats recorded three consecutive seasons in which they averaged 200 rushing yards per game.

Before his time in Manhattan, Riley coached for six seasons at North Dakota State, where he helped the Bison to five straight National Championships. The team averaged an astounding 235 rush yards per game during his tenure including the 2018 season where the team averaged 286.2 yards a contest.

Riley will get to coach his former K-State pupil Cooper Beebe, who the Cowboys drafted last season in the third round. He also gets to reunite with running back Deuce Vaughn, who played three seasons with the Wildcats, all under Riley leading the big boys up front.

This will be a big jump for the 22-year college veteran as Riley has never coached in the NFL before. Those concerns may be put to rest as Riley has spent the majority of his coaching career leading the offensive line which began as a graduate assistant in 2003.

He also played on the offensive line for Omaha from 1999 through the 2002 season.

Dallas still has a few open positions to round out their staff, including receivers coach, but the expected arrival of Riley will go a long way to curing what ailed Dallas in 2024.

Hugh Millen identifies Seahawks’ No. 1 priority for offseason

Hugh Millen identifies Seahawks’ No. 1 priority for offseason

The Seattle Seahawks enter into an offseason filled with several challenges they must address and overcome if they want to return to the playoffs. On a recent appearance on Seattle’s 933 KJR, former Washington Husky quarterback Hugh Millen spoke on some of these challenges. According to Millen, Seattle’s No. 1 priority for this offseason is finding a way to overhaul this offensive line.

I think Millen is going to get a lot of 12’s out there to agree with him on this one.

The offense line was the clear cut glaring Achilles Heel for the Seahawks in 2024, and has been for several years. The inability to adequately protect quarterback Geno Smith wasn’t the only issue Seattle had. Their offensive line also struggled at times to open up rushing lanes for running backs, severely limiting balance on offense.

It won’t be easy for the Seahawks to accomplish this, but it is not unthinkable of doing. Even if Seattle can have an average line, it will open things up tremendously for this offense. The Seahawks may have to consider all options in order to find a way to get better up front.

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Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles wants to play until age 38 or 39

“I have so many more years to prove myself … I want to play as long as I can,” Broncos left tackle Garett Bolles said.

After serving on a LDS Church mission right out of high school, left tackle Garett Bolles’ pro football career got a later start than a typical rookie’s.

Following his two-year mission, Bolles spent two seasons at the junior college level before one season at Utah. He then entered the NFL as a 25-year-old rookie in 2017.

Eight years later, Bolles is now set to turn 33 in May ahead of his ninth season in the NFL. Despite his age, Bolles recently received a four-year contract extension that will keep him with the Denver Broncos through the 2028 season.

Bolles will be 36 in the final year of his extension, but at the rate he’s going, the left tackle could very well still be playing at a high level in four years from now.

“I take really good care of my body,” Bolles said after signing an extension in December. “I thrive on that. I make sure that I’m doing everything I can to make sure that I can play on Sundays. I feel like I’ve been one of the most reliable offensive linemen in the league. I don’t miss games and I think it just speaks for how I eat and how I train. Not only that but the team that I put together outside this building to put me in the best positions to come in this building with the mindset of dominating. That’s just my mindset of doing whatever I can just to dominate and to put myself in positions to help this team win.

“I love this team more than anyone. You can probably ask anyone. The Denver Broncos, to put on that uniform and to play in front of our amazing fans and to be here for so long, it’s just amazing. To do that at a high level with my age — I have so many more years to prove myself, to be better and to continue to stack seasons after seasons. I want to play as long as I can.

“I’m here for 12 years and hopefully I have two or three more years after that. I’m just going to enjoy this time of having an amazing time. I’ve been through a lot. You know how it is. The last eight years haven’t been great. This year it just puts a different pep to my step of just winning. [I just] want to win and bring this state what it deserves, [which is] a championship.”

If Bolles does play two or three years beyond his extension, that would put him at 38 or 39. It’s certainly been done before — Jason Peters played in the NFL just last fall and he turned 43 in January.

Outside of a broken leg that prematurely ended his 2022 season five games into the year, Bolles has had great health with the Broncos. He started 59-straight games before missing a game for the first time in his career with an illness during the 2020 season. Since recovering from his broken leg, Bolles has started 17 games in each of the last two seasons.

Yes, he’s turning 33 this spring, but Bolles still has plenty of gas left in the tank to remain Denver’s left tackle going forward.

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Where did the Commanders’ offensive line rank for the 2024 season?

The Commanders’ offensive line overachieved in 2024.

When Dan Quinn hired Bobby Johnson as Washington’s offensive line coach last offseason, fans of the Bills and Giants laughed. New York fans blamed Johnson for the Giants’ poor offensive line play in 2023 despite having a group of underachieving players.

Johnson had the last laugh. He led an offensive line with three new starters, including a rookie left tackle, to one of the NFL’s top rushing teams.

Pro Football Focus did power rankings for offensive lines and recently revealed its 2024 season rankings, with the Commanders coming in at No. 10.

Selecting Brandon Coleman out of TCU in the third round of last year’s draft paid dividends in 2024 for the Commanders. Washington initially rotated at left tackle until Coleman steadily improved and eventually won the starting job for the second half of the season.

Washington’s offensive line ranked 25th in PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating in 2023 and finished eighth in 2024 with an 86.8 rating. The unit allowed 155 pressures — including 18 sacks —  on 654 snaps.

Best player: Sam Cosmi

Even though Cosmi had a slightly down season following his contract extension, his 74.3 PFF pass-blocking grade still ranked 14th among guards this season.

Washington struggled with some teams, especially Philadelphia’s big, athletic offensive line. The Commanders, outside of quarterback Jayden Daniels, struggled to run in multiple games during the second half of the season. Considering the shape of Washington’s offensive line one year ago, the unit made tremendous progress in 2024.

As it turns out, Johnson can catch after all.

The starting offensive line will look different next season. General manager Adam Peters understands that he must continue to build the trenches after the previous regime ignored it for years. Washington will likely be without Cosmi early in the season after he tore his ACL in the NFC divisional round win over the Lions.

Center Tyler Biadasz, signed as a free agent last March, was Washington’s MVP along the offensive line. He brought stability to a position with multiple starters for the previous three seasons.

If Kellen Moore is going to coach the Saints, he must bring this assistant with him

If Kellen Moore is going to coach the Saints, he must bring this Eagles assistant with him. There isn’t a better offensive line coach in the league than Jeff Stoutland:

Kellen Moore shouldn’t be the only Philadelphia Eagles coach on the New Orleans Saints’ radar. If they’re serious about hiring him as their head coach, the Saints must make a strong effort to recruit Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland into becoming his top assistant.

There isn’t a better offensive line coach in the league than Stoutland, who has held that job since 2013. That’s through multiple regime changes and head coach firings, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a team which has done a better job drafting and developing offensive linemen than the Eagles over the last decade-plus. He was given the run-game coordinator title back in 2018 and has been a vital part of one of the league’s most consistent rushing attacks.

Stoutland has demonstrated a unique ability to scout talent and teach his players the techniques they need to win on Sundays. The Eagles reached a deal on a new contract extension for him in 2023 to ward off interest from other teams interested in hiring Stoutland as an offensive coordinator. Whatever number he needs to move from Philly, the Saints must match it.

Much of Moore’s success calling plays has come because of the work Stoutland does getting his linemen ready to block well and fight in the trenches; the best-designed plays fall apart without good protection, and Stoutland has done an excellent job making sure that blocking is great, not just good.

So pay him what he wants to wear the offensive coordinator title. Maybe draft an explosive running back who can take advantage of the lanes his blockers open up, and take some pressure off Alvin Kamara’s shoulders in the final stretch of his career. Let Stoutland take in young pros like Cesar Ruiz and Trevor Penning (both 25 years old) and Taliese Fuaga (22) and see if they can hit their ceilings under his tutelage.

The Saints have gone through three offensive line coaches in the last four years; Brendan Nugent in 2021, Doug Marrone in 2022 and 2023, then John Benton in 2024. If they’re going to bet big on Moore succeeding as a first-time head coach, it’s only right for them to back him up by spending big on his support cast. You can bet the Eagles want to keep Stoutland around until he’s done coaching football. But there’s no salary cap on paying coaches. If they can’t get the most out of their investments along the offensive line, it won’t matter who’s throwing the football or running with it, or even calling plays. And Stoutland has the resume that makes gambling on Moore worthwhile, as long as they’re a package deal.

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Broncos guard Quinn Meinerz declines being added to Pro Bowl

Broncos first-alternate guard Quinn Meinerz has declined being added to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster as a replacement.

The Belly isn’t going to Orlando, of his own choice.

Quinn Meinerz, the Denver Broncos‘ first-alternate guard, was set to be added to the AFC’s Pro Bowl roster this week as a replacement player, but he “respectfully declined,” according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. This will presumably still count as a Pro Bowl nod on Mienerz’s resume even though he is not set to participate in the all-star festivities.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game on Sunday, so guards Joe Thuney and Trey Smith have dropped out of the all-star game to focus on preparing for Super Bowl LIX. Meinerz was first in line to be added to the Pro Bowl as a first-alternate guard, but he turned it down.

Meinerz (6-3, 320 pounds) received the third-best grade (87.8) among guards from Pro Football Focus in 2024. He was also named a first-team All-Pro.

Meinerz would have joined cornerback Pat Surtain, pass rusher Nik Bonitto and returner Marvin Mims as Denver’s four representatives at the Pro Bowl. The AFC squad will be coached by Peyton Manning in skills competitions on Thursday, Jan. 30 and a flag football game on Sunday, Feb. 2.

The skills competitions will be televised on ESPN and the flag football game will be televised on both ESPN and ABC.

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Ex-Broncos offensive lineman gets another chance with Lions

Netane Muti’s injury-riddled career will continue after the Lions re-signed him this week.

Netane Muti’s injury-riddled career will continue.

After spending the 2024 season on injured reserve, the 25-year-old guard re-signed with the Detroit Lions earlier this week, the team announced.

Muti (6-3, 315 pounds) fell to the sixth round of the 2020 NFL draft due in large part to injury concerns. The Denver Broncos picked the Fresno State product in the second-to-last round of the draft, betting on his high upside.

He spent the first three years of his career with the Broncos, starting four games. Denver cut him ahead of the 2022 season and Muti went on to spend the next two years with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Muti signed a reserve/future contract with the Lions after the 2023 season and he was competing for a 2024 starting role before suffering a shoulder injury that landed him on IR.

Muti’s football career has been hindered by injuries including a torn knee ligament, a torn Achilles, a Lisfranc injury and the aforementioned shoulder injury. He will now aim to stay healthy and bounce back in Detroit next season.

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Sean Payton gives positive outlook on Quinn Meinerz’s Pro Bowl snub

Quinn Meinerz was snubbed by Pro Bowl voters this season, but Broncos coach Sean Payton believes they will make up for it down the road.

Despite being one of the best guards in football and earning first-team All-Pro recognition from the Associated Press in 2024, Denver Broncos lineman Quinn Meinerz was not voted to the Pro Bowl.

Earlier this month, Broncos coach Sean Payton suggested there would be a positive long-term outlook for Meinerz after the Pro Bowl snub.

“Here’s what happens: I’ve told Quinn this,” Payton said on Jan. 3. “I said the same thing to Jahri Evans. Jahri’s up for the Hall of Fame this year, he’s a finalist. [He was] an elite guard — elite — and he didn’t make it Year 2 — I’m not sure what year it was.

“I called him in, and I said, ‘You’re going to get slighted a year or two in the early part of your career, and then you’re going to have two that you really shouldn’t have gotten in that you get on the back end.’ The same thing will happen with Quinn.”

Evans went on to earn five All-Pro nods and six Pro Bowl selections during his time with the New Orleans Saints. A Super Bowl champion and a member of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, Evans is now a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Meinerz is a first-alternate for this year’s Pro Bowl, and he’s still only 26 years old. Payton believes the guard will have a long career ahead of him with many Pro Bowl selections in the future.

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