O-Line Previews: NFC North

Chicago Bears
 
Notable Additions: T. Elijah Wilkinson (Free Agency), T. Jason Peters (Free Agency) 
Notable Losses: T. Charles Leno Jr. (Free Agency), T. Bobby Massie (Free Agency)
Projected Starters: LT. Elijah Wilkinson/Jason Peters LG. Cody Whitehair C. Sam Mustipher RG. James Daniels RT. Germain Ifedi  
 
Last Year: 2020 PFF Grades – Wilkinson (52.5), Peters (67.6), Whitehair (76.3), Mustipher (58.9), Daniels (65.8), Ifedi (65)
2020 was a tumultuous season for the Bears upfront as they played 8 O-lineman more than 200 snaps. The few players that were able to play most of the season had to switch positions. The results were a group that finished towards the bottom of the middle of the pack as an O-line. There was good and bad with this group last season so let’s start with the good. Cody Whitehair was the best of the group a year ago and saw time at both C and LG. He played a lot better at LG, which was surprising since he has been a pro-bowl center in the past. He fell off a cliff in pass pro, especially at center, where most of his pressures allowed came from. However, he was a very good run blocker which he has been most of his career. Chicago had a decent tackle pairing in Leno Jr. and Massie before Massie was ultimately lost for the season eight games in and Ifedi was forced to move from RG to RT. Overall, Ifedi had the best season of his career in 2020, and though he was playing ok at RG, he seemed to play a little better at RT. Daniels only lasted five games at LG, and while he was serviceable there, the position became a disaster for the majority of 2020 until Whitehair was moved there. Rashaad Coward, Alex Bards, and Arlington Hambright all got snaps at LG after Daniels went down, and they all struggled. Whitehair missed two games with injury in which Mustipher was called on to play Center. While he struggled in his own right, he was better than what the Bears had at LG after the Daniels injury, which is what probably led Chicago to leave him there and play Whitehair at LG. The Bears ultimately were a bottom third of the league offense finishing 22nd in passing (228.4), 25th in rushing (102.9), and 26th in total yards (331.4). The Bears were a respectable pass-blocking unit finishing 13th in pressure rate and 17th in sacks.
 
2021 Outlook:
On paper, the Bears offensive line could be a little worse in 2021 even without all the injuries and moving parts. Let’s start at LT, where the status of the position is currently unclear. Because Wilkinson is a backup level player, one would expect Peters to be the starter. However, he played for the first time since week 13 of 2020 in the third and final preseason game for the Bears. Chicago’s GM Ryan Pace says the team is taking a conservative approach with Peters and will not rush him so Wilkinson might get the start early in the season but expect Peters to take over once he is ready. But even if he does start, he is 39 and coming off an injury, so it is hard to know what to expect from him this season. The other four positions should be set. Whitehair looked good down the stretch at LG and will start the season there. If he continues his strong play as a run blocker and picks it up in pass pro, he could be in the pro-bowl conversation. Daniels is expected to ready to go for week 1 and is moving over from LG to RG this year. The 2018 second-round pick is coming off injury and in a contract season so he should be extra motivated to perform. So far, he has been a decent starter for the first three years of his career that has provided versatility by also being able to play some center. Ifedi started last season at RG and will begin 2021 at RT. There was not a significant difference in his level of play last season from RG to RT. The important thing was simply that he was a decent player for the first time in his career at either position and the Bears are hoping that he continues to be productive. The biggest question mark for this group in 2021 is Mustipher at the C position. Barring injury he will probably have to be the guy all season because Whitehair is listed as his backup, and he starts at LG. The Bears certainly do not want to move him back to C and have to play Bars at LG. There is enough here if they can stay healthy to be a middle of the pack unit again in 2021 if the group stays healthy but there is also a scenario where they fall into the bottom tier as they lack depth or high-end talent outside of Whitehair.
 
Detroit Lions
 
Notable Additions: T. Penei Sewell (1st Round Pick)
Notable Losses: T. Tyrell Crosby (released), G. Oday Aboushi (Free Agency)
Projected Starters: LT. Taylor Decker LG. Jonah Jackson C. Frank Ragnow RG. Halapoulivaati Vaitai RT. Penei Sewell  
 
Last Year: 2020 PFF Grades – Decker (82), Jackson (57), Ragnow (80), Vaitai (59.7), Sewell (N/A)
The Lions have quietly put together back-to-back quality seasons as an O-line with the play of Decker and Ragnow being at the forefront. Ragnow made his first pro-bowl and was an all-pro selection being named to the second team in 2020. He has established himself as one of the top centers in the NFL with his dominant run blocking and quality pass protection as he allowed no sacks and very little pressure all season. He has been their best lineman for two years now and appears to be the driving force of this group. Decker is not far behind. It will be harder for him to garner the same recognition as Ragnow because there are just more good tackles than centers, but he has established himself as one of the better LTs in the league. He has been good to very good four out his five seasons in the NFL and does his best work in pass pro. Production at the RT position was not as favorable, but Crosby was a serviceable pass blocker for a good chunk of the season before being lost to injury in week 13. Things went downhill after that as Vaitai was better suited at guard and Matt Nelson better suited for the bench. Vaitai was signed to be the team’s starting RT last offseason, but Crosby out played him, and he ultimately ended up being used more at guard out of necessity due to Joe Dahl getting injured. He looked better playing guard where his ability as a run blocker and flaws in pass pro are a more natural fit. Aboushi was not the week 1 starter, but he would eventually gain a firm grasp of the RG job after he started to play well during the second half of the season. Jackson, their third-round pick in 2020, played all 16 games at the LG position with mixed results. Rookies picked in the middle rounds of the draft are expected to struggle and Jackson did. He shows promise as he had some flash games where he played well but he must get more consistent. Statistically, it was not a good year for the Lions rushing attack as they finished 30th in rushing YPG (93.7) and 26th in YPC (4.1). However, that had more to do with Detroit having one of the worst stables of RBs in the league because they also finished tied for seventh in YBC (2.7). The passing game thrived more due to Stafford and an explosive group of WRs more so than the pass protection as the Lions were only 15 in pressure rate (21.6%) and allowed the 10th most sacks (42).
 
2021 Outlook:
The Lions O-line has the potential to be one of the best units in the NFL in 2021. I expect Ragnow to continue his excellent level of play at center. The tackle duo could be one of the best in the NFL with the addition of Sewell at RT. Sewell was the first lineman selected in the 2021 draft and was touted as one of the best tackle prospects in a long time. The 2020 NFL draft was a gold mine for tackles and many scouts believed that if Sewell could have entered that draft, he would have been drafted before any of those tackles. Concerns about him struggling in the preseason are overblown as he missed the entire 2020 season after deciding to opt out due to covid 19. Even if he struggles out the gate, expect Sewell to be a factor on this line by year’s end. Decker will be back at LT and simply needs to continue doing what he has been doing. The guard positions will be the difference in the Lions O-line being just good or being great. Vaitai is slated to start at RG and should be able to put together a quality season there but there is only so much they should expect from him as he was overpaid to begin with. Jackson is the key for this group. They need him to take a step in 2021 and be their best guard because if he does that, it will give the Lions potentially four high level players up front.
 
Green Bay Packers
 
Notable Additions: C. Josh Myers (2nd Round Pick)
Notable Losses: C. Corey Linsley (Free Agency), G. Lane Taylor (Free Agency), T. Rick Wagner (released)
Projected Starters: LT. David Bakhtiari LG. Elgton Jenkins C. Corey Linsley RG. Patrick Lucas RT. Billy Turner  
 
Last Year: 2020 PFF Grades – Bakhtiari (91.8), Jenkins (67.7), Linsley (89.9), Lucas (64.8), Turner (68.4)
Of all the O-lines hit by the injury bug in 2020, no unit weathered the storm better than the Packers. Only two of their week one starters played all 16 games, their best lineman Bakhtiari only played in 12 games, and RG Lane Taylor was gone after week one. Despite the obstacles, Green Bay was still one of the best O-lines in 2020. Bakhtiari might not have been able to stay healthy the entire season, but he was elite when he was out there as always. Linesley has been a good center since he entered the league in 2014 but he took it to another level in 2020 and was the best player at the position. It was a crime that he did not make the pro bowl in favor of Jason Kelce because it is a dumb popularity contest, but his efforts were rewarded with a first team all-pro selection. He might not have been this unit’s best player, but Jenkins was its unsung hero in 2020. He played snaps at LT, LG, C, and RT and held his own regardless of where he had to line up. He was a key reason why the Packers were able to still function at a high level despite the injuries. Patrick Lucas was forced into action at RG for the rest of the season after Taylor was lost and played at a serviceable level which is all you can ask for from reserves.  Rick Wagner took most of the snaps at RT, and he was good when he was out there, but he too missed time with injury and even saw his play decline trying to play hurt later in the season. Turner was a bit of a Swiss army knife as well taking snaps at LT, RG, and RT when needed and providing decent play for the most part. The Packers were the best pass blocking team in the NFL finishing first in pressure rate (14.4%) and giving up the second fewest sacks (21). The Packers O-line has been significantly better in pass pro than run blocking for years but in 2020 they were a lot better in that area and the team finished top 10 in rushing YPG (132.4) for the first time since 2013.
 
2021 Outlook:
The Packers O-line is expected to be less productive in 2021 for several reasons. Number one, Bakhtiari will not be ready to go at the start of the season and it is still uncertain when he will play. He has only been the best pass blocker in the NFL regardless of position since 2016 so it really does not matter who replaces him there will be significant drop off at LT. When he comes back, Jenkins will be the LG but until then he is projected to slide over to LT and replace Bakhtiari. Jenkins only played at LT in one game in 2020 and while he was good, he is better at guard so losing Bakhtiari will weaken Green Bay at two positions. While Jenkins is holding down the LT spot, Lucas is expected to move from RG and start at LG. After spending his first three seasons playing sparingly as a backup, the 2016 undrafted free agent made the most of his opportunity to play and was serviceable. While he is playing LG fourth round pick Royce Newman is projected to fill in at RG. He projects to be the guy that goes back to the bench once Bakhtiari returns to the lineup but if he outplays Lucas, he could keep the job. Turner was all over the place last season but with Wagner gone he is now entrenched as the starting RT. After a disappointing first year in GB back in 2019, mostly at RG, he played better in 2020 platooning three different positions. Now GB needs him to bring consistency to the tackle position more than ever with Bakhtiari out. Josh Myers was Green Bay’s second round pick in this year’s draft and is slated to replace Linsley at center. It is a tall order for a rookie to have to replace the best player at a position, but the Packers will really need Meyers to hit the ground running, especially with two rookies projected to start on opening day. While the Packers O-line is far from bad, fans should expect a decline in performance compared to past seasons. Once Bakhtiari gets back they should be fine, but things could look a little different than past seasons, especially at the beginning of the year.
 
Minnesota Vikings
 
Notable Additions: T. Christian Darrisaw (1st Round Pick), G. Wyatt Davis (3rd Round Pick)
Notable Losses: T. Riley Reiff (Free Agency), G. Dakota Dozier (Released)
Projected Starters: LT. Christian Darrisaw/Rashod Hill LG. Ezra Cleveland C. Garrett Bradbury RG. Oli Udoh RT. Brian O’Neill
 
Last Year: 2020 PFF Grades – Darrisaw (N/A), Hill (72.4), Cleveland (66.2), Bradbury (61.4), Udoh (60.8), O’Neill (78)
The Vikings O-line was bad in 2020 and that is hard to do when both starting tackles play well and remain healthy for much of the season. Despite Reiff playing well and O’Neill being even better the Vikings were not able to overcome what may have been the worst interior group in the NFL. It is not the end of the world if your interior guys are better run blockers than in pass pro but when all three are near the bottom of the league as pass blockers that is a recipe for disaster. Bradbury, the team’s first round pick in 2019, is coming along as a run blocker showing improvement from year one to year two but he has been awful in pass pro in both seasons. The RG position was weird all season. Pat Elflein was the week one starter and had a horrible game allowing one sack and five pressures. He then got hurt in practice the following week and eventually was cut never appearing in another game for the Vikings. Their 2019 fourth round pick Dru Samia was up next, and he was the worst Vikings O-lineman to take significant snaps in 2020. Cleveland was the team’s 2020 second round pick and he began to start in week 6. While he too was one-dimensional, Cleveland was not as bad as the rest of the interior guys and shows promise of being a serviceable guard in the league. He missed a few games in which Brett Jones filled in and played well, but Jones inexplicitly was not used anymore after appearing in three games. The worst Vikings starter and worst starting guard in the NFL was Dozier, who somehow started all 16 games without getting benched. He picked right up where he left off in the 2021 preseason and was cut right before the season and moved to the practice squad. The Vikings finished last in pressure rate (30.2%) and 20th in sacks (39). Kirk Cousins gets a lot of bad press, but what he did leading the Vikings to the fourth best passing attack in the NFL last season with limited mobility was highly impressive. Having the most productive receiving duo in the league also helped. The Vikings were much better run blocking finishing 11th in YBC (2.6) but Dalvin Cook deserves the most credit for the Vikings fifth ranked rushing attack.
 
2021 Outlook:
The Vikings O-Line was not very good in 2020 and things do not seem like they will be much better in 2021. The one and only position without question marks is RT. O’Neill has started there every year since being drafted in the second round in 2018 and has played well enough over three season to earn a long-term extension and be a permanent fixture there. He has been solid too good in pass pro each season and in 2020 he was one of the best run blocking tackles in the NFL. There is a lot less certainty at the LT position. Darrisaw has a lot of potential, but he practically missed the entire offseason due to a groin surgery and though he is expected to return and enter the lineup soon, it is hard to believe in year one with limited practice time he will be very good. Also, while they wait for him to enter the lineup Rashod Hill will be the starter. Hill has been with the Vikings since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and has come in sparingly over the years in a reserve role. He does not have the talent to be the 16-game answer at LT or the Vikings never would have used a first round pick on a LT in the first place, but he was not bad in the few snaps he has gotten in the past two seasons and has proven he can hold his own in pass pro. Whether or not the Vikings can improve in pass pro on the interior will be their biggest concern in 2021. Two of the three guys that played most of the snaps are back this season in Bradbury and Cleveland. Cleveland looks like he can be a solid guard with his ability to run block, but he needs to continue to grow in pass pro. Bradbury on the other hand may be on the verge of being a bust. A first round pick cannot be as bad as he is in pass pro. He allowed the second most sacks and fourth most pressures of any C in the NFL last season. Udoh is an unknown at this point. He was a sixth-round pick of the Vikings in 2019 and so far in two seasons has only played 31 snaps total. Expect Minnesota’s third round pick Davis to be in the mix for snaps at RG if Udoh struggles. With only one player that has a proven track record of success, things look bleak up front in Minnesota and the Vikings appear to be in for another bad year on the O-line.