Ranking the NFC North's Offensive Lines
In this story:
Having the proper protection lined up in front of your quarterback and an adequate amount of holes opened for the running game are two often overlooked elements of a successful offense.
Comfort is always conducive to the success of a QB, but it’s the gentlemen on the offensive line that don’t always get their due praise.
Let’s examine the NFC North’s O-line units heading into 2020:
4.) Minnesota
Vikings’ fans will be the first to tell you that uncertainty along their offensive line has been one of the more frustrating elements of this team in recent years.
2020 presents more of the same questions.
The release of guard Josh Klein was an unexpected one, leaving the left guard spot potentially in the hands of Pat Elflein -- who has struggled to find any semblance of comfort in his career to this point.
The younger an offensive line is, the more challenging it becomes to attach any hope of consistency to the group.
Minnesota is looking at potentially starting Dru Samia, who played just 31 snaps as a rookie in 2019 at right guard, and Garrett Bradbury, another player who’s still getting a feel for center heading into his second year.
One of the positives for the Vikings’ O-line comes in the form of right tackle Brian O’Neil, who could open up some room for Dalvin Cook to run in 2020.
O’Neil, a 6-foot-7, 24-year-old RT, also displayed his pass protection abilities in a breakout 2019 campaign, and could be a pillar for the unit.
Speaking of youth, 2020 second-round draft pick Ezra Cleveland could certainly find himself in the mix for a starting role at left tackle, should he beat out Riley Reiff.
It bears repeating that inexperience and uncertainty are two common themes here.
But, Vikings fans do have the right to be hopeful that their talented offensive players can alleviate some of the offensive line issues.
3.) Chicago
Improvement out of the Bears' offensive line is a must in 2020, if they hope to return to the 12-4 form that we saw in 2018.
During his end-of-the-year press conference, Bears GM Ryan Pace said, “We struggled in that area this year,” in reference to the offensive line.
The 2020 offseason has been one of positivity for the Bears, most notably bringing in Nick Foles at quarterback to compete with Mitchell Trubisky and naming Juan Castillo their new offensive line coach.
The 60-year-old coach with 24 years of experience has preached consistency -- something the Bears' O-line lacked a season ago.
Chicago can be hopeful that 2019’s lackluster performance was perhaps a by-product of some of the injuries that the team faced.
Kyle Long and Bobby Massie both dealt with lingering issues, while the Bears experimented with switching up the look of their line by switching James Daniels and Cody Whitehair.
Long has retired, potentially opening up an opportunity for competition at right guard.
Opposite of Massie is Charles Leno Jr., who the Bears are hopeful will have a resurgence this fall at left tackle.
Consistency and cohesiveness are certainly words that the Bears hope they can apply to their offensive line's performance in 2020.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press
2.) Detroit
Detroit is in an interesting predicament heading into 2020, as it navigates the prospect of having to rebuild the right side of its O-line.
While there may be some uncertainty, there’s also some promise that this unit could perform well in front of a healthy Matthew Stafford.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai slots in at right tackle after coming over from Philadelphia, and he could potentially line up alongside Jonah Jackson at right guard.
The left side feels a bit more secure, with veteran Taylor Decker protecting Stafford’s blind side at left tackle and Joe Dahl coming off a season in which he allowed just three sacks at left guard.
Vaitai has had his fair share of ups and downs, but his most successful moments in this league have come when consistently playing right tackle. And Detroit should be able to offer him that opportunity.
We’re fittingly writing this story a couple of days after Jonah Jackson signed his rookie deal with Detroit and a video emerged of him rather easily jumping out of a pool at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds.
His combination of athleticism and maturity has placed a twinkle in the eyes of Lions fans.
Speaking of young players that the Detroit faithful should believe in, center Frank Ragnow is certainly one of them.
A move from guard to center last season exemplified his talent.
The former first-round pick earned a 74.9 grade from Pro Football Focus -- good for sixth-best among 38 qualified centers.
1.) Green Bay
The Packers return four of their five starters on an offensive line that appears to be the clear-cut best in the NFC North.
David Bakhtiari has been the staple of this O-line for what feels like a number of years now, and is coming off a Pro Bowl selection in 2019.
Bakhtiari is one of the central figures in the enduring success of future Pro Football Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers.
The 28-year-old has been one of the best in the league when it comes to pass protection for a number of years now.
His fellow tackle Bryan Bulaga did depart in the offseason; thus, leaving a void to fill on the opposite side of the line. But, the Packers opted to stay in the division and acquire a viable replacement in the form of Lions right tackle Rick Wagner.
The offensive line, as a whole, put forth a concerted effort last season to keep Rodgers upright.
When you slide over to center, Corey Linsley ranked first among players at his position in pass-block win rate.
Elgton Jenkins is also a name to watch develop in the coming years, after a more than impressive rookie campaign at LG.
Related
Expectations for DE Austin Bryant in Year 2
