How do the AFC West offensive lines compare to the K.C. Chiefs?
In this series comparing the offenses in the AFC West, we started by looking at the running back and quarterback rooms of the AFC West. For the third installment, we’ll be looking at five of the most underrated positions in the NFL—those that make up the offensive line.
The o-line is essential to the success of any team (unless they’re from Cincinnati) so these players deserve to be mentioned when discussing team offenses. In doing these comparisons, I will be looking at the 2021 PFF Player Rankings. These are the same player rankings the NFL uses. All stats are regular season.
Without further ado, let’s get right into the offensive line comparisons.
DENVER BRONCOS
Garrett Bolles (LT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 24/83
In 2021, Bolles was on the field for 870 snaps. He was called for 8 penalties and gave up 5 sacks. This was a regression from his 2020 season, in which he played 1015 snaps, was only called for 7 penalties, and did not give up a single sack.
Dalton Risner (LG)
PFF GUARD RANK: 28/82
In 2020, Risner played 999 snaps. He was called for 0 penalties and gave up 0 sacks. He regressed in 2021, only playing 832 snaps, being called for 2 penalties, and giving up 4 sacks. I wouldn’t call that a bad season, but it would be more impressive if he had played more snaps.
Lloyd Cushenberry (C)
PFF CENTER RANK: 21/39
Cushenberry is bad. There are no two ways around that. In 2020, he was called for 3 penalties and gave up 4 sacks on 1,076 snaps. In 2021, it got worse. He was called for 7 penalties and gave up 5 sacks on 1,039 snaps. On top of that, he’s also atrocious when it comes to run blocking. He is easily the worst center in the AFC West.
Graham Glasgow (RG)
PFF GUARD RANK: 47/82
Glasgow didn’t play a consistent amount on the line in 2021. The most snaps he played in a game last season was 81. He totaled 384 snaps on the season before getting injured on November 8. In 2021, he was only called for 2 penalties and gave up 2 sacks. In previous seasons, he played well. But, in 2021, he was inconsistent even before his injury.
Billy Turner (RT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 50/83
Turner has never been an exceptional tackle. Since being drafted in 2014, his highest PFF grade was 70.5 in 2020. In 2021, Turner played 810 snaps. He was called for 4 penalties and gave up 3 sacks. This was a regression from his 2020 season, in which Turner played 881 snaps, was called for 3 penalties and gave up 2 sacks.
The Broncos have an exceptionally average offensive line. None of them are very good and the only one I would call bad is their center, Cushenberry. There’s a lot of room for improvement on this line, but it could also be a lot worse. This is why I have them ranked third in the AFC West.
LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Rashawn Slater (LT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 8/83
Rashawn Slater was a standout rookie in 2021. He was easily the best rookie tackle and one of the top two best rookie offensive linemen. Last season, Slater was on the field for 1,116 snaps. In that time, he was called for 6 penalties and gave up 4 sacks.
Matt Feiler (LG)
PFF GUARD RANK: 12/82
Feiler is one of the best linemen on the Chargers. He does have a bit of a sack problem, but he’s very good when it comes to run blocking. In 2021, he gave up 5 sacks and was called for 6 penalties on 1,119 snaps.
Corey Linsley (C)
PFF CENTER RANK: 2/39
Corey Linsley is one of the two best centers in the league. If I wasn’t such a “Creed is Good” guy, I may actually say Linsley is the best. In 2020, Linsley came into his own. He was called for 0 penalties and only gave up 1 sack. In 2021, he doubled down and proved he’s good. He gave up no sacks last season.
Zion Johnson (RG)
NCAA PFF GUARD RANK: 13/427
Being a rookie, there’s not much to be said in the way of analysis for League-level play for Johnson.
Storm Norton (RT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 69/83
Storm Norton has been mediocre since taking his first snaps in 2020. In 2020, he took 309 snaps. In that, he gave up 1 sack and was called for a single penalty. In 2021, it got worse. He took 1,078 snaps, was called for 6 penalties, and gave up 9 sacks.
The Chargers have a very good center and left side o-line. I might actually argue that they have the best blindside o-line in the league. However, what knocks them into second place in the AFC West is their right side. Zion Johnson is an unknown. His backup, Brenden Jaimes, only played in five o-line snaps in 2021. And then, there’s Storm Norton. He’s just really not good. The Chargers’ o-line is good where it counts, but it isn’t good all-around.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
Kolton Miller (LT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 5/83
Miller is the only excellent part of the Raiders’ offensive line. He has steadily improved every year in both his pass and run blocking. However, he regressed in terms of penalties and sacks allowed. In 2020, Miller played 961 snaps. He was called for 4 penalties and gave up only 2 sacks. In 2021, he played 1,139 snaps, was called for 5 penalties, and gave up 4 sacks.
Denzelle Good (LG)
PFF GUARD RANK: N/A (NOT RANKED)
In 2021, Good only played 17 snaps before suffering a torn ACL. This deprived the Raiders of one of their starting offensive linemen. However, Good hasn’t been much to write home about in the time he’s been in the League.
Andre James (C)
PFF CENTER RANK: 20/39
Prior to 2021, James played 117 snaps. And he was atrocious. He wasn’t called for any penalties, nor did he give up any snaps. But, on 62 run-blocking snaps in 2019, he graded 1.9/100. He improved in 2021, being called for 7 penalties and giving up 2 sacks in 1,139 snaps.
Alex Leatherwood (RG)
PFF GUARD RANK: 80/82
Think back to Round 1, Pick 17 of the 2021 NFL Draft. Remember how shocked you were when the Raiders took Leatherwood here? Yeah, me too. And our reactions were justified. In 1,104 snaps, Leatherwood was called for 14 penalties and gave up 8 sacks.
Brandon Parker (RT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 76/83
On the opposite side of the ball from Kolton Miller, there’s a much worse player: Brandon Parker. In Parker’s career, he’s given up 22 sacks. 8 of those came just last season. Also, in 2021, he was called for 9 penalties. All of that in only 881 snaps.
The Raiders easily have the worst offensive line in the AFC West, and may even have one of the worst in the league. Kolton Miller is the only good player on the line, and he isn’t even in the interior. Good hasn’t played a significant amount since 2020, and even then, he didn’t live up to his name. Leatherwood absolutely didn’t live up to his 2021 selection status, and Parker’s PFF rank speaks for itself. Overall, they were an easy selection for last place here.
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
Orlando Brown Jr. (LT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 28/83
Orlando Brown is, in my opinion, much better than his PFF ranking gives him credit for. He has a bit of a penalty problem, having 7 called on him in the 1,127 snaps he played in 2021. Other than that, he’s a very solid LT, giving up only 4 sacks in his first season with the Chiefs.
Joe Thuney (LG)
PFF GUARD RANK: 8/82
Thuney has been good since he was drafted back in 2016. He had a bit of a penalty problem when he first came into the league and brought that problem back in 2021. However, aside from that, he’s very good at protecting the quarterback. Last season, he was called for 8 penalties, but only gave up 1 sack.
Creed Humphrey (C)
PFF CENTER RANK: 1/39
In his rookie season, Creed gave up 1 sack and was only called for 6 penalties. His run blocking grade was the best of all centers and second-best of all offensive linemen (behind Trent Williams). Basically, what I’m saying is… Creed is good.
Trey Smith (RG)
PFF GUARD RANK: 15/82
Trey Smith was drafted in 2021 and made an immediate impact on the line. He’s a run-blocking monster. Though, he did have issues with penalties and sacks, being called for 9 penalties and giving up 4 sacks in 1,194 snaps. I believe these issues will resolve themselves with time.
Lucas Niang (RT)
PFF TACKLE RANK: 55/83
I’m not sure why so many Chiefs fans dislike Niang so much. His low PFF grade mostly comes from his low snap count (524). In that time, he was only called for 3 penalties and gave up 2 sacks. We’ll see how the 2022 season goes, but right now, he is the weakest part of the line, though he isn’t as bad as people claim.
While the Chiefs’ o-line isn’t easily the best in the AFC West, they are the most well-rounded. The interior is very good, with both guards being top 15 and Creed being the best center in the NFL. Brown is arguably much better than his ranking gives him credit for. The only issue with the line is Niang. And even then, he isn’t bad, he just isn’t great.
The Best: Chiefs
To be honest, this is a tight race between the Chargers and Chiefs for best in the AFC West. However, when it comes down to it, the Chiefs are more balanced overall than the Chargers.
We have now finished three of our position evaluations: Running back, quarterback, and offensive line. How do the standings look after these? They are as follows:
- Chiefs (10)
- Chargers (9)
- Raiders (6)
- Broncos (5)