Tag: Trent Williams

The NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles

From Christian Darrisaw to Trent Williams, here’s Doug Farrar’s list of the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL today.

Offensive tackles have generally been the rock stars of every offensive line through time, and that’s no different in 2023, though the requirements for the positions (right and left tackle) have changed in recent years.

We are no longer in the era of football where quarterbacks are taking seven-step drops, slinging it downfield no matter what, and going to the Pro Bowl with 50% completion rates, and more interceptions than touchdowns. Efficiency matters, and so does quick passing — especially as the run-pass option has become a schematic staple at the NFL level.

Modern tackles have to do a lot of things well to be great, and with the advent of multiple fronts, the difference between right and left tackle has blurred to a large degree. No longer is your left tackle automatically the perfect athlete, while the guy on the right is just good enough to get by. Not in an ideal offensive line, by any means.

So, to make this year’s list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles, you’d best meet the following criteria:

  • Expert pass-blocking in every kind of set — from the quick set to the full vertical dropback.
  • A nearly-full array of techniques to keep defensive linemen at bay.
  • The ability to stone those defensive linemen in the run game; and
  • The acumen to pick up stunts and overload fronts.

In a recent episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” we went deeper into the requirements for every offensive line position, including and especially those fine gentlemen who protect the edges.

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Tape was a huge part of the deciding process here, as well as all kinds of advanced metrics. Along with sacks and pressures allowed, we also used Pro Football Focus’ “True Pass Sets” metric to further delineate offensive tackle performance. Per PFF, True Pass Sets exclude plays with less than four rushers, play-action, screen passes, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under two seconds.

Our list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles is a continuation of our lists for every position, leading up to August’s list of the 101 best players in the NFL today.

The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

Without further ado, here are the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL as we head into the 2023 season.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

Ranking the NFC West left tackles entering 2023

Trent Williams leads the away again.

The NFC West underwent significant changes at left tackle last season as the Seattle Seahawks let Duane Brown go and the Los Angeles Rams’ Andrew Whitworth retired after their Super Bowl win.

Entering 2023, the expected starters are the same. How do they rank?

Check them out below.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

Ranking the offensive tackles on the Eagles’ 2023 schedule by PFF grade

The Philadelphia Eagles will face five of the top seven highest graded offensive tackles in 2023

The Eagles have a loaded 2023 schedule and face 7+ playoff teams as they work towards making the postseason every season in each season, Nick Sirianni has been head coach.

Philadelphia will face some high-powered offenses with MVP candidates at quarterback and elite talent at the wide receiver position.

The mainstay of any explosive offense is talented offensive tackles, and the Eagles will face five of the top seven highest-graded players at the position.

Philadelphia for their part has two of the top 8 highest graded tackles in Lane Johnson (5) and Jordan Mailata (8).

The Birds will face Trent Williams, Christian Darrisaw, Andrew Thomas, Tristan Wirfs, and Brian O’Neill.

With training camp fast approaching, we’re ranking the offensive tackles on the schedule by PFF grades.

The tackles are listed below in order of their PFF grades and finish among all players at the position listed.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Building the perfect offensive line

In this week’s Xs and Os video and podcast, Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar endeavor to build the perfect offensive line.

In the last two episodes of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s MFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and USA Today’s Sports Media Group) endeavored to build the perfect secondary, and the perfect defensive line by specifying the traits and attributes required for every position in those positional groups.

Now, in this week’s “Xs and Os,” Greg and Doug turn their attention to the offensive line. What do offensive tackles, offensive guards, and centers need to do to become among the best in the NFL today? From vertical sets to switching your hands to picking up stunts, this is some seriously nerdy football devoted to the front five.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here.

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You can also subscribe to “The Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Commanders season opener in 71 days: Washington’s best No. 71?

Charles Mann or Trent Williams? Who is your favorite No. 71?

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Commanders Wire continues a countdown to the Commanders season opener for 2023 in 71 days. Who was Washington’s best player wearing number 71?

Karl Lorch (1976-81) came to Washington in 1976 after being drafted 234th overall by the Miami Dolphins in the 1973 draft. In his six seasons with Washington, Lorch played in 90 games, starting 52. In those six seasons, Lorch managed to recover 6 fumbles while also accumulating 25.5 quarterback sacks. He played his college football at USC, was primarily the left defensive mind for Washington, and retired following the 1981 season.

Charles Mann (1983-93) was a third-round draft choice (84th overall) out of Nevada in 1983. He became the full-time defensive end by his second season, starting opposite of Dexter Manley, forming perhaps the best pass-rushing ends in the NFL in the 1980s. Mann was a four-time pro bowler, starting at defensive end in 3 Washington Super Bowls (XVIII, XXII, XXVI). Four times Mann achieved double-digit sacks in a season: 14.5 (1985), 10.0 (1986), 10.0 (1989) and 11.5 (1991).

Trent Williams (2010-19) was the 4th overall selection out of Oklahoma in the 2012 NFL draft. For seven consecutive seasons Williams was named a Pro Bowler (2012-18). Williams was one of the better, more mobile athletes at offensive tackle. He was traded to San Francisco after sitting out the 2019 season and has back-to-back All-Pro seasons (2021-22). He will most certainly be voted into the Hall of Fame one day.

30 Most Important Bears of 2023: No. 27 Dominique Robinson

Our next player in our Most Important Bears series is Dominique Robinson, who could be a sneaky candidate to have a breakout season.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2023 NFL season, which features plenty of new and returning faces within the organization. There are a number of players, coaches and front office members that are crucial to the team’s success this season.

Every day from now until the start of training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2023 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season, look ahead to 2023 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

Coming in at No. 27 is defensive end Dominique Robinson, who has a golden opportunity to take a big step in his second season.

PFF dings 49ers OL for 2 offseason changes, 1 of which didn’t happen

The #49ers dropped 11 spots in PFF’s OL rankings thanks in part to something that didn’t happen.

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The 49ers were aiming for continuity on their offensive line this offseason, and they got it outside of Mike McGlinchey’s exit in free agency. Despite the largely similar OL they’ll roll into 2023 with, Pro Football Focus dropped the club 11 spots in its OL rankings to No. 18 overall.

While it’s not entirely unfair to have some concerns about the 49ers’ offensive line, part of the reason they fell so far was because of a move that didn’t actually happen.

Here’s PFF’s Sam Monson on the 49ers’ OL:

If it wasn’t for Trent Williams, this line would be a concerning group on paper. It still may need to lean on Kyle Shanahan’s offense to put some gloss on its performances.

San Francisco’s line ranked fifth in PFF pass-blocking efficiency over the 2022 season but lost two starters in the offseason.

That first point is mostly fine. Shanahan is very good at working around adversity on the offensive line, and all four players along the front who aren’t Williams have to take a step forward in 2023.

The second point is wrong. PFF has Jon Feliciano listed as the 49ers’ starting center, indicating that last year’s starting center, Jake Brendel, is no longer with the team.

Brendel is very much with the team. He signed a four-year, $16.5 million deal with $5 million fully guaranteed. That’s not a contract for a backup center. He’s going to start again and Feliciano will likely be the do-everything reserve along the interior.

This isn’t to say that Brendel is an All-Pro caliber center who would dramatically change the team’s ranking, but it would surely help since PFF graded Brendel as about average overall and as a run blocker, while marking him as an above average pass blocker. Brendel in his first season as a full-time starter allowed 14 pressures and one sack in 680 pass blocking snaps.

Feliciano in 649 pass blocking snaps last year with the Giants allowed 25 pressures and four sacks, while grading out below average overall and in the run game.

Ultimately the 49ers have something to prove up front. Brendel, Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford all have to make strides forward after up-and-down 2022 campaigns from each. Burford will also assume a full-time role after rotating some with Daniel Brunskill last season. Then there’s Colton McKivitz at right tackle who figures to be a full-time starter for the first time in his career. He’s a significant question mark replacing McGlinchey who was San Francisco’s second-best OL last season.

It’s fair to rank this 49ers group in the middle of the pack given some of the question marks about the long-term viability of some of their starters, but to dock them for losing two starters is to dock them for something that didn’t actually happen.

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Eagles news: 49ers are ecstatic to have Javon Hargrave on their side in 2023

Philadelphia and San Francisco will meet in Week 13 and the 49ers are “ecstatic” about having former Eagles DT Javon Hargrave on their side ahead of the 2023 regular season

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Javon Hargrave switched sides, so to speak, departing Philadelphia but staying in the NFC after inking a four-year, $84 million deal with San Francisco.

A game-wrecking defensive tackle, Hargrave will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Week 13 as a member of the 49ers, and All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is “ecstatic” about the former South Carolina State sleeper being on “his side.”

“We know what he can do,” Williams said Wednesday. “I was ecstatic that we don’t have to see him on the other sideline again Williams told USA Today. That guy’s a heck of a playmaker. It sometimes seems unreal that we got a player like that to add to the type of defense we have. But I said it before, I’ll say it again, those guys up in the front office, they work magic. So we add another playmaker, another great player to the defense. I’m just eager to see him this season.”

Hargrave will bolster a defensive front featuring Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, Drake Jackson, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Ferrell, and other talented pass rushers.

According to PFF, Hargrave logged a career-high 11 sacks in 2022 while helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl and ranked fourth among all interior pass rushers with 57 quarterback pressures last season.

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Nick Bosa attends, sits out 49ers’ mandatory minicamp

Nick Bosa showed up, but didn’t practice at 49ers mandatory minicamp with his contract extension still in the works.

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Three of the 49ers’ stars who were absent for voluntary OTAs are on hand for the opening of minicamp. Nick Bosa, Trent Williams and Javon Hargrave on Tuesday were all present for the team’s first day of the three-day mandatory session. It appears Bosa won’t participate in practice per Matt Barrows of the Athletic.

It’s not a huge surprise to see Bosa sit out this portion of the offseason program. First, the team trusts him to stay in shape during the offseason. Second, he’s in the midst of a contract negotiation as he enters the fifth and final year of his rookie deal. Taking part in minicamp to risk injury and potentially millions of dollars on his extension doesn’t make much sense for Bosa.

While he’s not participating, it is a good sign he’s in attendance. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel was in a similar spot to Bosa last offseason when minicamp started. Samuel also attended before hammering out a three-year contract extension. Bosa showing up isn’t surprising, and it’s a signal that he and the team are on track for now to come to an agreement on an extension sometime before the season starts.

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Trio of former Sooners OL among the highest graded in the NFL over the last two seasons

Over the last two seasons, three former Sooners offensive linemen have been the highest graded players in the NFL according to PFF.

The Oklahoma Sooners have had an incredible run putting offensive linemen in the NFL over the last two decades.

Over the last two years, three Sooners have been the highest-graded at their position. Trent Williams (LT), Creed Humphrey (C), and Lane Johnson (RT) are the highest-graded players at their positions, according to Pro Football Focus.

Oklahoma’s run of success at the position has helped it become a destination for offensive line prospects from high school and the transfer portal.

Anton Harrison is the latest to be selected in the first round. Harrison was one of three Bill Bedenbaugh offensive linemen to be selected in the 2023 NFL draft along with Wanya Morris and Chris Murray.

Here’s a look at Williams, Humphrey, and Johnson.