2021 NFL Offensive Line Awards

In this post, I will give out individual awards for offensive line play and name the OLS All-Pro teams for the 2021 NFL season. 

Awards 
MVO ( Most Valuable Offensive Lineman) 
Trent Williams - 49ers ​

The best offensive lineman in the NFL in 2021 was Trent Williams. For most of the season, he and Tyron Smith were neck-and-neck for this honor, but Smith missed five games, and his play tailed off slightly down the stretch after returning from injury. Williams has been the NFL's best run-blocker and finished top 10 in PA% among tackles. He also only allowed one sack and one TFL all season. The runner-ups for this award were Bitonio and Martin. Martin may have been the best guard in the NFL this season but Joel Bitonio was called on to start two games for the Browns at LT and played well in those games. His versatility, consistency, and the fact that he didn't miss a game all season made his season more valuable than Martin's. 
Runner-Ups
1. Joel Bitonio - Browns
2. Zach Martin - Cowboys 
​
Best Run-Blocker
Trent Williams - 49ers ​
Williams has been the most impressive run-blocker all season. It's harder to quantify run-blocking than pass-blocking because there are fewer metrics available to measure it. It's more of an eye test evaluation and his film has been the best in this aspect. He also had a 98.5 run block grade which essentially means he was a perfect run blocker this season. He probably leads the league in most devastating run-blocks as there are numerous video clips of him de-cleating defenders on run plays.  
Runner-UPs 
1. Joel Bitonio - Browns 
2. Zach Martin - Cowboys 
​
Best Pass-Blocker
Tristan Wirfs - Buccaneers

This was a tough award to pick. One could make a case that guys like Lane Johnson, Joe Thuney, Tyron Smith, or Andrew Whitworth were better on the eye test, but I can't ignore the numbers. Wirfs is the only non-center that has allowed pressure at a rate of less than 2% of pass snaps. His PA% of 1.76% led all tackles, and when you factor in that the Bucs had the second highest pass percentage of any team in the NFL, it makes what Wirfs has done this season highly impressive. He also played in all the games. Lane Johnson might've had a legit shot at this award if he played the entire year. He didn't allow any sacks all season, and he finished third in PA% and first in pass block win rate among tackles. Joe Thuney was the best pass-blocking interior lineman this season. He was first among guards in PA% and pass-block win rate. He also only allowed one sack.  
Runner-Ups
1. Lane Johnson - Eagles 
2. Joe Thuney - Chiefs 

ROY (Rookie of the Year) 
Creed Humphrey - Chiefs ​

There may be some clamoring for Slater to be recognized as the top rookie offensive lineman over Humphrey because he plays a more important position. However, I don't believe rookie of the year should work that way. Mac Jones shouldn't win rookie of the year over Jamar Chase because he plays QB, and Slater shouldn't win this award over Humphrey. This isn't a most valuable award, it's simply which rookie played the best, and that was Humphrey. Humphrey finished third in PA%, first in pass-block win rate, and 8th in run-block win rate among centers this season. Slater is a close second. He had a terrific season and was the best tackle in the AFC. Sewell had some ups and downs in pass pro in his first season, but overall he was solid in that aspect, and he was an elite run-blocker. 
Runner-Ups
1. Rashawn Slater - Chargers
2. Penei Sewell - Lions 

MIO (Most Improved Offensive Lineman) 
Andrew Thomas - Giants ​

This was a very tough award to decide on. Andrew Thomas and Jordan Mailata both have very strong cases. I ultimately decided to choose Thomas over Mailata because I think he improved more. Mailata actually played well last season, but he took it up to a pro-bowl level this season. Thomas was flat-out awful a year ago. He had a PA% of 9.3% last season which would've ranked 75th among tackles this season. This year Thomas was one of the better pass-blocking tackles in the NFL with a PA% of 3.76%. George Fant has also been one of the better turnaround stories this season. He's been a mediocre tackle his entire career before 2021. However, this season he finished top five in PA% at 3.03%, which was higher than guys like Trent Williams, Brian O'Neill, Dion Dawkins, etc.  
Runner-Ups 
1. Jordan Mailata - Eagles 
2. George Fant - Jets 

COY (Comeback Offensive Lineman of the Year)
Tyron Smith - Cowboys ​

Tyron Smith only played in two games last season. This year he dealt with an ankle injury that caused him to miss five games, but he played over 700 snaps and started 12 games, and when he played he played at an all-pro level. Some questioned whether or not Smith could ever play at an elite level again. He hadn't made it through a season without getting injured since 2015 and hadn't played at an all-pro level since 2016. However, Smith bounced back from a season-ending injury a year ago to have his best overall season since 2015. At his best, he may have been the best offensive lineman snap for snap in 2021. Trai Turner deserves mention in this award race as well. He had an awful injury-plagued year in 2020 in which he only played in nine games, and in many of those games he played hurt. He had a career-low PA% of 5.5% in 2020, but in 2021 he finished top 10 in PA% among guards at 2.85%. Lewan also came off an injury-shortened season in 2020. He's been dealing with his share of injuries this season as well but they've been less severe and while he hasn't played at the level he's played in previous seasons, outside of week one, Lewan has been solid when on the field for the Titans. ​​
Runner-Ups 
1. Trai Turner - Steelers 
2. Taylor Lewan - Titans 

Offensive Line Coach of the Year 
Adam Stenavich - Packers

This award was a close race between Stenavich of the Packers and Stoutland of the Eagles. Ultimately I gave the nod to Stenavich because he's done so much with less. They were without their best offensive lineman in David Baktiari all season until he was finally ready to play in a meaningless week 18 game in which the Packers had already clinched the one seed. Josh Myers, the team's second-round pick and starting center, was in the midst of a solid rookie campaign before being lost for most of the year after week six. Their second-best offensive lineman, Elgton Jenkins, was lost for the year after only eight games, oh and by the way, they moved Jenkins from LG to LT, and he played it at a pro-bowl level when he was out there. They lost a fourth starter for the season in RT Dennis Kelly, who went down in week 14. This unit had to make adjustments all season. In their final four games, they had to play with four guys that during training camp were projected back-ups by the time December rolled around, and yet in the month of December, the Packers were one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. 
What Stoutland did with the Eagles was also incredible. They lost Brandon Brooks, their best guard, for the season after just two games and then lost their second-best guard, Issac Seumalo, the very next week. The revolving door of guards was forced to keep turning as the team lost another guard in Jack Driskoll to a season-ending injury in week 12. They also played without Lane Johnson, their best lineman, for three games due to personal issues, and Jordan Mailata missed two games early in the year. Yet despite all the injuries, the Eagles were arguably a top-five offensive line in 2021 and were the primary reason the Eagles were the NFL's number one rushing attack and made the playoffs. His work developing Mailata, who has no college football experience, is also highly impressive. 
Andy Heck's work with the Chiefs is also commendable. The Chiefs had five new starters across the board including three rookies, managed having to start three different RTs throughout the season due to injury, and they finished as a top 10 offensive line despite all the change. 
Runner-Ups 
1. Jeff Stoutland - Eagles 
2. Andy Heck - Chiefs 
​
OLS All-Pro Teams
1st Team
T. Trent Williams (49ers) 
G. Joel Bitonio (Browns) 
C. Corey Linsley (Chargers) 
G. Zach Martin (Cowboys)
T. Tyron Smith (Cowboys) 
​

2nd Team 
T. Andrew Whitworth (Rams)
G. Joe Thuney (Chiefs) ​ 
C. Creed Humphrey (Chiefs) 
G. Shaq Mason (Patriots)
T. Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers) 


Pass Pro Team
T. Tristan Wirfs (Buccaneers)
G. Joe Thuney (Chiefs)
C. Corey Linsley (Chargers)
G. Joel Bitonio (Browns) 
T. Lane Johnson (Eagles) 


Run-Block Team
T. Trent Williams (49ers)
G. Joel Bitonio (Browns)
C. Jason Kelce (Eagles)
G. Zach Martin (Cowboys)
T. Jordan Mailata (Eagles) 


All-Rookie 
T. Rashawn Slater (Chargers) 
G. Trey Smith (Chiefs)
C. Creed Humphrey (Chiefs) 
G.  Alijah Vera-Tucker (Jets)
T. Penei Sewell (Lions)