The NFL’s 12 best interior offensive linemen

From Wyatt Teller to Jason Kelce, here are the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

Of all the players who factor heavily into a football team’s success, guards and centers are often the most overlooked. Unless you’re working with advanced metrics, there are no statistics to speak of, and unless you have access to overhead and (especially) end zone footage, it’s hard to discern what these guys are doing that is so important.

But those in the know, know better. Centers control the entire offense — they make protection calls, they align with their quarterbacks both intellectually and literally on every snap, and they have to take the brunt of the opponent’s decisions to point one or more large angry men in their exact directions.

Guards are often the athletes of their offensive lines as much as tackles are — it’s just a different kind of athleticism. Whether on the left or right side, these big guys had better be able to execute inside and outside zone, man-based snaps in which it’s mano a mano, and all kinds of combinations in which it’s important to coordinate with others.

So, in the spirit of giving these fine gentlemen more play in the court of public opinion. we continue our position lists for the 2023 season with the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

In a recent version of “The Xs and Os” with Greg Cosell, Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug Farrar (of Touchdown Wire) got into the attributes for guards and centers at the elite level.

Centers:

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Guards:

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In addition to this list, you can read all of our position rankings for the 2023 NFL season, on the way to our late August list of the 101 best players in the league today.

The NFL’s top 11 offensive tackles
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

And now, the 12 best interior offensive linemen in the NFL today.

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

Browns land 6 players on Pro Football Network’s top 100 list entering 2023 season

The Browns received a ton of recognition from Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller

The Cleveland Browns have officially kicked off training camp with rookies and quarterbacks already in the building. They will begin practicing on July 22 in Greenbriar, West Virginia. This also means the rankings pieces and others will take a back seat as actual football content will be returning for our consumption.

However, in an NFL top-100 piece completed by Pro Football Network’s Dalton Miller (before we move off of rankings pieces), the Browns saw six of their players make an appearance. Here are the six players, and here is what Miller had to say about them.

Who are the Bills’ biggest draft steals of the past decade?

ESPN didn’t think the #Bills had massive ones, but here’s five we named:

The Buffalo Bills are one of the top teams in the NFL. A lot of that has to do with drafting a developing their own players.

The Bills have certainly done that since head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane joined the organization in 2017. However, ESPN doesn’t think Buffalo has hit it that big in terms of draft “steals.”

The former world-wide leader named the 50 biggest steals in the draft over the past decade. None of Buffalo’s selections made the cut. Only one made the ranking as a honorable mention. But did they get it wrong?

Here are five of the Bills’ biggest draft steals from that past decade (excluding the 2023 draft) that were overlooked:

Browns given credit for two draft steals of the last decade

Both Nick Chubb and Wyatt Teller were named as some of the biggest draft steals of the past decade.

The Cleveland Browns went through a dry spell of drafting talent from 2012 through 2016. This means they have not had a ton of draft steals throughout that time. However, in ESPN’s top draft steals of the last decade, the Browns were given credit for two players. Both running back Nick Chubb and offensive guard Wyatt Teller were added to the list.

Technically, the Browns only drafted Chubb as Teller was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills for table scraps. Here is what ESPN’s Matt Miller had to say about the selections of both Chubb and Teller.

Looking ahead at 3 potential 2024 cap casualties

The Browns will face some tough decisions next offseason.

In 2024, the Cleveland Browns will be nearly $60 million over the salary cap. That is before they factor in the rollover cap, which the Browns always do, and before any restructures that could take place. That likely means it will be time for general manager Andrew Berry to make some tough decisions on older players with large salary cap numbers like wide receiver Amari Cooper.

Fans likely won’t like some of the changes that could be on the way as fan-favorite players could be casualties to the NFL salary cap. All three of these players could agree to contract extensions or restructures to spread the money out and lower the cap hit but if that doesn’t happen they could be looking for new teams in 2024.

All cap figures and numbers in this article are provided by Over the Cap.

PFF shares their 10 highest-graded Browns since they began in 2006

Of the Browns top 10 highest graded players since 2006, four still play for the team.

PFF began grading players back in 2006 and has now released the top 10 highest-graded  Cleveland Browns players in that time. The top of the list should be no surprise as Joe Thomas will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame later this summer as one of the best to ever do it.

Of the top 10, there are four current Browns players on the team and a total of five players that are offensive linemen. During all the struggles they always seemed to have some decent offensive linemen. The list ends with a player that had all the talent in the world but couldn’t stay on the field in Josh Gordon.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 ranked players since 2006 according to PFF.

Browns Mailbag: Jedrick Wills, Perrion Winfrey, and dark horse roster candidates

What are the futures of Wills, Winfrey, and others heading into next month’s training camp?

The Browns wrapped up offseason workouts after last week’s mandatory minicamp. You aren’t winning any games in June but it was a productive minicamp for the offense that looks better than last year. Quarterback Deshaun Watson talked about having fun on the football field and how much better he feels this offseason than last. Questions remain about the overall future of the roster, will Perrion Winfrey make the roster after an offseason arrest that ended with the charges being dropped? What should the team expect from Jedrick Wills and what dark horse candidates could make the roster?

Let’s examine these questions and more in this edition of the Browns mailbag. Questions for future mailbags can be emailed to brownsmailbag@gmail.com.

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PFF’s Sam Monson lists the Browns offensive line as league’s best

The Browns continue to have one of the strongest offensive lines in the NFL.

After releasing veteran center JC Tretter, the Cleveland Browns were looking at replacing a pro bowler on a great offensive line. However, Ethan Pocic stepped in and played at a high level in by far the best season of his young career. Now returning all five starters, with some intriguing depth, PFF’s Sam Monson lists the Browns line as the best in the NFL.

The biggest question mark will be if Pocic can continue his high level of play or if last year was an anomaly. Adding Dawand Jones is an intriguing pick as a player with tremendous upside that could be the long-term answer when Jack Conklin is no longer in Cleveland. With Bill Callahan coaching the squad you can bet on one thing, the unit will always be prepared.

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Wyatt Teller is heading to the Pro Bowl

The guard was added to the roster on Monday.

For the second consecutive season, right guard Wyatt Teller is once again heading to the Pro Bowl for the Cleveland Browns. It was an up-and-down season for Teller especially after the injury so the announcement comes as a bit of a surprise. According to PFF Teller allowed 26 pressures and four sacks in 2022.

Teller just wasn’t the same dominant player in the run game this year and some must wonder if it was the injury never fully healing. Overall he graded in the low 70s with PFF so it wasn’t a terrible season just one that wasn’t up to the high standards fans have for Teller.

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Browns Injury Report: Jadeveon Clowney back, Jedrick Wills misses practice with back injury

The Browns saw one player return while a new starter missed practice with an injury.

The Cleveland Browns are looking to rebound after a disappointing performance against the New Orleans Saints on Christmas Eve. Now as they prepare for Carson Wentz and the Washington Commanders, the Browns have some injuries to work through after Wednesday’s injury report was quite steep. While defensive end Jadeveon Clowney returned to practice, the Browns now may be without left tackle Jedrick Wills as he missed practice.

All-in-all, ten players appeared on Wednesday’s report for the Browns. Here is the full list of players who appeared on Wednesday’s injury report as the Browns get set to take on the Commanders.

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