Football games are won in the trenches.
It’s a cliche, but it’s also true. I challenge you to think of a great team that didn’t have good offensive line play. Hard, isn’t it? It’s practically a requirement to make a deep playoff run.
We’re in peak “list season”, with ESPN releasing their annual positional top 10s over the past few weeks. But I wanted to do something a little different and show some love to big guys up front. Who’s got the best offensive line in the NFL? Where do the premier units, like the Lions and Eagles, stack up with the rest of the league? Are there any teams primed to see a big improvement up front this season?
We’re going to dive into all of that, and more, counting down what I think are the 10 best offensive lines in the NFL for the 2025 season. Let’s do this!
10. Minnesota Vikings
Admittedly, putting the Vikings’ offensive line in the top 10 is a bit of a projection, because this unit certainly did not play at a top 10 level last season. But an offseason makeover and a clean bill of health for Christian Darrisaw make this a very talented group on paper, and enough to sneak in at 10.
After getting pummeled by the Rams in the playoffs, Minnesota opted to shore up the offensive interior, signing center Ryan Kelley and guard Will Fries in free agency and drafting guard Donovan Jackson with their 1st round pick. Kelly and Fries are both coming off injuries suffered in the 2024 season, but are both great players when healthy and have plenty of experience working together, playing 4 seasons together in Indianapolis. Jackson was a standout guard for the reigning National Champions, and even showed off a little positional versatility, filling in at tackle for a few games and holding up pretty well.
This interior trio should be a massive upgrade over last year’s starters, who surrendered a combined 16 sacks and 118 pressures and struggled to make a serious impact in the run game. Built-in continuity between Kelly and Fries is icing on the cake and should help get this line up to speed as quickly as possible.
The interior will have a lot of help out at tackle too, where Minnesota boasts two of the best in the game in Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Neill. It’s only a matter of health for those two, as they’re dominant when on the field but have dealt with various injuries throughout career. Darrisaw suffering a season-ending injury halfway through last year was a brutal blow, and a full recovery will be necessary to really put this Vikings line over the top.
Going from Sam Darnold to JJ McCarthy is the obvious change in this Vikings offense, and will certainly be one of the biggest X-factors in Minnesota’s season. But I think the changes made on the offensive line will be just as, if not more important. More than anything else, poor play up front is what sunk the Vikings’ season. 2025 should be a different story.
9. Los Angeles Chargers
“Offensive lineman, we look at as weapons. When we talk about attacking on offense, the offensive line is the tip of the spear.”
-Jim Harbaugh, 2024.
Harbaugh and the Chargers caught some flak for choosing to draft tackle Joe Alt in the 1st round of the 2024 NFL Draft, passing on a weapon for the passing game such as Malik Nabers or Rome Odunze. While Nabers has been nothing short of incredible and I still think Odunze will have a good NFL career, I can’t help but think the Chargers made the right call.
Alt was as good as advertised in his rookie season, playing at an elite level despite making the switch from left tackle to right tackle and battling through some injuries. If this is the floor for Alt, he’s going to be a really good player for a really long time.
And of course, the reason Alt switched sides in the first place is because the Chargers already have a franchise left tackle in Rashawn Slater. Slater has yet to allow more than 4 sacks in a season on his career and also allowed a career low 22 pressures in 2024.
LA also made a big move this offseason, signing guard Mekhi Becton in free agency. As great as the Chargers’ tackles were last season, there were some serious issues on the interior, but Becton should be a nice upgrade at guard. With his massive and powerful frame, I think he’ll be a great fit in Greg Roman’s offense, and I have faith that Harbaugh and the rest of the staff will build off what was a career-saving year for Becton in 2024.
Another move to watch is the Chargers potentially kicking Zion Johnson inside to guard to center. Johnson, a 1st round pick in 2022 has been a big disappointment so far in his career, but could benefit from a position change. It’s certainly not a given, but there’s at least a possibility that we’ll see improved play from him in 2025.
While the lasting image of this Chargers line is getting obliterated by the Texans in the playoffs, I don’t think that’s a fair representation of how good this unit actually is. For the vast majority of last season, this was a pretty good offensive line, and I could see some of the younger players continue to improve in year 2 under this coaching staff.
It’s hard to bet against Harbaugh when it comes to offensive line play. So, I won’t.
8. Carolina Panthers
What a difference a year makes.
In 2023, the Panthers’ line was a disaster. Bryce Young was running for his life on nearly every dropback, and their running game consisted of Chubba Hubbard blindly ramming his head into a cloud of dust. Enter Dan Morgan and Dave Canales.
The Panthers’ new General Manager and Head Coach opened up the pocketbook and spent big on the line, signing Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis in free agency. While both moves were seen as overpays a year ago, they’ve paid off in a big way. This is now one of the best run blocking offensive lines in football, and the strength of what could be a very fun offense in 2025.
Hunt was a good starter during his 4 seasons in Miami, but took his game to a new level with the Panthers last season. You may remember him best as the guy that nearly scored a touchdown on Thursday Night Football a few years ago but he’s much more than just a fun memory. Hunt had the 2nd-highest run block win rate of any interior lineman in the NFL last season, and deserves recognition as one of the best blockers in the league.
Lewis also turned in a nice season at left guard, looking a lot more like the player he was during his impressive rookie season than the following few years in Seattle. Together, those two played a big role in the Panthers finishing the 2024 season ranked 10th in run block win rate, 12th in EPA per rush and 10th in yards per carry.
Another positive development for Carolina was the improved play from 2022 1st round pick Ikem Ekwonu. Ekwonu has had a roller coaster start to his career, with some very low lows in his first couple of seasons, but seemed to turn a corner in year 3. I think he’s shed the “bust” label and is at the very least a solid starter with upside. Ekwonu and right tackle Taylor Moton make up a sneaky-good duo on the outside, and helped the Panthers take a step forward in pass protection last season.
I will grant you, this is probably the “worst” pass protecting unit of any line in the top 10, but I have faith that it can take another step forward in 2025. I think this is a really well-coached group under offensive line coach Joe Gilbert, who came with Canales to Carolina after 5 seasons with the Buccaneers (whose line we’ll get to in a little bit). And they’re just so impressive in the run game, I couldn’t help myself. I think this is one of the 10 best lines in the NFL.
7. Baltimore Ravens
Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry is already about as good as it gets for a rushing attack. Putting them behind a good offensive line makes things downright unfair, as evidenced by the insane production from those two last season.
Baltimore’s offensive line got off to a rough start in last season’s kickoff game vs the Chiefs, but quickly put itself together and played up to its immense talent level, finishing 3rd in both pass block win rate and run block win rate in 2024. Even with a little bit of offseason turnover, this should still be a great group in 2025.
Incredibly, Ronnie Stanley was able to put together the first fully-healthy season of his career at age 30, and played some of his best football yet. The Ravens rewarded him with a 3 year, $60 million contract in March, keeping the franchise left tackle around for a few more years. Stanley has consistently been a top-end pass protector when he’s been on the field, and allowed only 2 sacks in 2024 despite playing in the same division as Myles Garrett, TJ Watt and Trey Hendrickson.
As great as Stanley is, he’s probably not even the best player on the Ravens’ line. My pick for that would be Tyler Linderbaum, who has lived up to every bit of hype he got coming out of college. In 2024, Linderbaum took a leap into the elite tier of interior lineman, going the entire season without allowing a sack and having the 4th highest pass block win rate of any interior lineman.
Those two instantly raise the floor of the Ravens’ line, but there are good pieces around them as well. Roger Rosengarten had a nice rookie season at right tackle, and will be able to stick there instead of moving to left tackle after the Ravens brought back Stanley. I also thought right guard Daniel Faalele improved a lot as the season went on. 2024 was Faalele’s 1st year as a full-time starter, and I think he could turn into a pretty solid player. And just for fun, I’m going to count fullback Pat Ricard as an honorary lineman, since he gets plenty of playing time and is often attached to the line as an extra blocker.
Baltimore’s offense ranked near the top in any sort of stat or metric that you can think of, and having two future Hall of Famers at quarterback and running back certainly plays a big role. But make no mistake, the Ravens’ offensive line is legit. It’s a good enough unit to win in January, and might be what helps finally get the Ravens over the hump.
6. Detroit Lions
Surprise! After years of being seen as the premier offensive line in the NFL, the Lions now find themselves out of the top 5, and are not even the highest-ranked line in their own division. But it’s not for nothing.
Detroit’s interior suffered a couple of massive losses this offseason, headlined by the shocking retirement of Frank Ragnow. While Pennei Sewell may get a little more shine, Ragnow was the true heart and soul of this unit, and is perhaps challenged only by Jason Kelce as the best center of the 2020s.
If you really want to see what Ragnow meant to this team, just take a look at the Lions’ offensive stats with Ragnow on the field vs without for the past 3 years.
Replacing this type of player is incredibly difficult. From the looks of it, 2nd-round rookie Tate Ratledge and Graham Glasgow will battle it out in camp for the center job. To make matters even worse, the Lions lost another starter on the interior to free agency, guard Kevin Zeitler.
While I’ve probably painted a pretty sad picture here, make no mistake, there’s a reason this line is still comfortably in the top 10.
Sewell is about as big of a star as an offensive lineman can be, an unbelievable athlete and a true weapon in the run game. Taylor Decker is rock-solid opposite Sewell, a steady pass-protector at left tackle. Additionally, second-year guard Christian Mahogany is a breakout candidate. Mahogany played well in limited action last season, and was seen by many as a late-round steal in the 2024 Draft.
Even with their losses, the Lions still managing to come in at 6th is pretty darn good, and a testament to how well-coached and talented the line is. And while losing Ragnow and Zeitler were huge blows, keeping offensive line coach Hank Fraley around was a big win this offseason. Very few lines could lose a player of Ragnow’s caliber and still be good, but Detroit looks to be an exception.
5. Green Bay Packers
Outside of the Eagles, I don’t think there’s a single organization in the NFL that has a better track record of developing offensive linemen than the Packers. All 5 projected starters for Green Bay were picked outside of the 1st round of the NFL Draft, but they’ve been able to turn that group of players into a very good unit.
The Packers’ line is one of the best pass protecting units in the league, ranking 6th in pass block win rate and 10th in QB pressure rate. They also shined in the run game, especially in the two weeks that Malik Willis was the Packers’ starting QB.
Leading the way are two of the most underrated players in the league, Elgton Jenkins and Zach Tom. Jenkins is a Swiss Army knife of a blocker, filling in wherever the Packers have needed him. He’s spent seasons as Green Bay’s starting left tackle, left guard, center and right tackle, playing excellent football in all of those spots. This season, he’ll step in as the Packers’ full-time center (provided his contract dispute with the team gets resolved).
Meanwhile, Tom just inked a 4-year, $88 million extension with the Packers, and earned every penny of it. I’d go as far to say that the only right tackles I’d take over Tom are Lane Johnson and Pennei Sewell, he’s that good. Tom is elite in pass protection and had one of the most impressive performance of the season in Week 1 against the Eagles, where he didn’t allow a single sack or pressure in 43 pass block snaps against the eventual Super Bowl champs.
Rounding out the line is left tackle Rasheed Walker, a 7th round pick who’s blossomed into a good starter, right guard Sean Rhyan and free agent signing Aaron Banks at left guard. Banks is massive, coming in at 6’5” and 325 lbs and should fit in well with Green Bay’s power run game built around Josh Jacobs.
Another name to watch is Jordan Morgan, who was the Packers’ 1st round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Morgan played tackle in college but made the switch to guard in the pros, getting a few starts at left and right guard before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 9. He’ll get a chance to earn a starting spot in year 2, with Packers GM Brian Gutekunst saying Morgan will get to compete with Walker for the starting left tackle role and Rhyan for the starting right guard role in camp. Should Morgan seize this opportunity and take a step forward in 2025, Green Bay’s line could be even better.
4. Buffalo Bills
The Bills’ offense has two superpowers. One is Josh Allen, the obvious answer, but the other is their offensive line. This is one of the meanest and most physical groups in the NFL, and the secret sauce for one of the league’s elite offenses.
I like to think of Buffalo’s line like a well-rounded NBA team. They’ve got two stars in tackles Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown, a young up-and-comer in O’Cyrus Torrence and steady vets David Edwards and Connor McGovern. That’s a great, balanced starting 5, and shoot, they’ve even got a 6th man, Alec Anderson.
Under OC Joe Brady, the Bills really embraced heavy formations, often running plays with 6 offensive lineman on the field. Per PFF, Anderson lined up as an extra lineman on 190 snaps last season. In November, Dan Orlovsky did a nice, simple breakdown of this wrinkle on NFL Live.
Orlovsky emphasized how much of an advantage this is in the run game, and it’s true. In 2024, the Bills offense ranked 3rd in EPA per rush, 9th in rushing yards and 11th in yards per carry. This has turned into one of the best ground games in all of football, and it’s not just because of Josh Allen. It all starts up front.
The line also does a great job of keeping Allen clean. The Bills came in at 4th in the NFL in pass block win rate in 2024, and was a big reason why Allen was sacked only 14 times all season, 35th in the league.
Even with the loss of Stefon Diggs last season, the Bills’ offense just kept chugging, and while Allen gets all of the credit, the Bills’ offensive line deserves some love too. Buffalo just might have the best QB-offensive line combo in the NFL, and that alone can account for a handful of wins.
3. Denver Broncos
Sean Payton may have a reputation primarily as a quarterback whisperer and passing game guru, but make no mistake, he builds through the trenches. His Saints teams consistently had elite-level offensive line play, and he’s quickly gotten the Broncos there too.
Get this: in 2024, the Broncos finished number 1 in the NFL in both pass block and run block win rate. They gave Bo Nix some of the cleanest pockets in the league, with Nix being pressured on only 28% of his dropbacks, 6th lowest amongst starting QBs. They also finished in the top half in EPA per rush at 14th, despite having what I thought was a fairly underwhelming group of running backs. Give Denver props, they’ve quickly rebuilt their line from being a middling group to a real strength, and deserves a lot of credit for the Broncos’ offensive turnaround.
The line is led by Quinn Meinerz, first-team All-Pro and for my money, the best guard in the NFL. Meinerz is as good as it gets, both as a pass protector and a run blocker, allowing only 12 pressures last season, fewest of any starting guard. In the run game, few blockers win with as much dominance as Meinerz, who specializes in moving defenders completely out of the play.
But Meinerz is far from the only great player on this line. Left tackle Garrett Bolles has consistently been a high level player since coming into the league, and had perhaps his best season yet in 2024, allowing a career low 20 pressures and 2 sacks. There aren’t a lot of teams that can say they have a true, top-tier star player at both guard and tackle, but the Broncos can.
Mike McGlinchey, Ben Powers and Luke Wattenberg round out a starting lineup that returns all 5 players from the previous season. Wattenberg is a particularly interesting name to watch for 2025, with the 4th-year center coming off his first season as a starter and offering a lot in pass protection. I could see him developing into one of the better starting centers in the league.
When Sean Payton came to Denver a few years ago, this was his goal. He wanted a dominant line to build around, signing McGlinchey and Powers in free agency in 2023 and giving out huge extensions to Bolles and Meinerz in 2024. This is the fruit of his labor, and should raise Denver’s floor for years to come.
2. Philadelphia Eagles
There are 3 certainties in life: death, taxes and the Eagles kicking tail at the line of scrimmage. As long as offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is in Philly, the Eagles will rank very highly on this list.
This line is absolutely loaded with star power. Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata make up what is unquestionably the best tackle duo in the NFL.
Johnson, now in his mid-30s, has somehow continued to get even better, turning in arguably the best season of his career in 2024. Last season, Johnson didn’t allow a single sack and allowed only 10 QB pressures, the lowest of any tackle with at least 500 snaps. Oh, and he did all of that with a league-leading 75% “island rate”, meaning he spent about ¾ of his pass protection reps without help from any other blocker. Mailata is Stoutland’s Magnum Opus, a former rugby player and 7th-round draft pick turned All-Pro left tackle. Mailata is nearly as good as Johnson in pass protection and an absolute mauler in the run game.
Led by those two tackles and Pro Bowl guard Landon Dickerson, the Eagles’ line was dominant as usual in 2024, finishing top 10 in pass block win rate and run block win rate. And of course, they helped pave the way for Saquon Barkley’s 2,000 yard, Offensive Player of the Year season.
Even after the retirement of Jason Kelce a few years ago and the loss of Mekhi Becton in free agency this offseason, the Eagles have still gotten some of the best offensive line play in all of football. There isn’t a single organization that develops talent on the line quite like Philly. Cam Jurgens has quickly become a good starter in place of Kelce, and I’m confident that they’ll have Tyler Steen ready to go this season as their new right guard.
If you want to put Philly at number 1 on this list, I certainly don’t blame you. They’ve got a great case. But there is one team that I think just beats them out…
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Typically, I prefer a solid, well-rounded offensive line to one with a single star player holding down the fort. Well, the Buccaneers have both.
Tristan Wirfs is a perennial All-Pro, Hall of Fame-level talent. You can make a very convincing case that he is the best lineman in the entire NFL. On top of that, he also mans the most important position on the line at left tackle. In 2024, Wirfs had the highest pass block win rate of any tackle in the NFL and allowed only 12 pressures all season. He alone gives the Bucs a big edge up front, but Wirfs is far from the only impact player here.
This Buccaneers offensive line is phenomenal across the board. I don’t think there’s a more balanced or talented line in the NFL. Luke Goedeke forms a fantastic tackle duo alongside Wirfs, and Ben Bredeson, Graham Barton and Cody Mauch make up a terrific interior.
This is a versatile line that excels in both pass protection and run blocking. In 2024, Baker Mayfield was pressured on only 24.2% of his dropbacks, by far the lowest rate of any full-time starter. The line also produced the 5th highest pass block win rate in the league. While Mayfield is certainly a good quarterback in his own right, I do think a lot of credit should go to the offensive line for consistently giving him clean pockets to work from.
The line also deserves a lot of credit for helping revitalize Tampa’s running game. The Bucs ranked 6th in both EPA per rush and rushing success rate, thanks to a nice backfield of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White, but just as importantly, a line that ranked 6th in run block win rate. Shoot, even when Irving or White wasn’t out there, they still ran the ball well. In Week 6 last season, the Bucs plugged Sean Tucker into the backfield and saw him go for 136 yards on 14 carries.
Tampa has one of the most diverse running games in the league, with a healthy mix of both zone and gap scheme runs, and it’s all thanks to the flexibility of their line. All 5 linemen are comfortable in both moving laterally out in space on zone runs or getting downhill on gap runs, which opens up a lot for the offense.
While having the Bucs over the Eagles may be a slightly hot take, I’m going to give Tampa the edge because of their youth, continuity and depth. The Bucs are bringing back all 5 starters from the previous season, and this core should be together for a while. All 5 starting linemen are under contract for at least the next 3 seasons, not a single starter is older than 27 years old and the average age of this line is 25.6 years old. Tampa could find itself perched atop this list for years to come.
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