The NFL’s 11 best offensive guards

Guards are no longer the anonymous guys who toil away without recognition, and here are the best in the NFL to do it right now.

9. Brandon Scherff, Washington

(Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports)

One could legitimately question why Scherff ranks ninth on this list when he has every attribute you’d want in a top-three NFL guard. No question, but there is one ability Scherff has been a bit short on over the last three seasons, and that’s viability. The Iowa alum hasn’t seen a full 16-game season since 2016, and he missed five games in 2019 after missing half the 2018 campaign. Scherff still made the Pro Bowl last season despite his abbreviated reps, and he gave up one sack, no quarterback hits, and nine quarterback hurries in 394 pass-blocking snaps. When healthy, Scherff is as good as any guard in the league if you need a mobile technician who can still get evil in the run game, but health is a serious question at this point. Scherff has a contract-year situation with Washington in 2020 — the team gave him the franchise tag and he’ll make $15.03 million on that, but there’s some hesitation to ink him to a longer-term deal at this point. This will be a crucial campaign for one of the best in the business.