If you spent the 2025 NFL season watching the box scores, you probably think you know which teams dominated the trenches. But honestly, if you actually sat through the Sunday afternoon slogs and watched the tape, the reality was a lot messier. We saw some absolute titans of the industry crumble under the weight of "continuity," while a few bottom-feeders basically rebuilt their entire identity on the fly.
Let's be real: offensive line play is the hardest thing to quantify in modern football. You've got PFF grades saying one thing, and the eye test saying the quarterback is running for his life every third snap.
The 2025 NFL offensive line rankings tell a story of a league in transition. We’re officially out of the "Jason Kelce Era" in Philly, and the power vacuum has been filled by some surprising names in the Mountain Time Zone.
The Top Tier: Denver’s Masterclass and Philly’s "Mediocre" Defense
It’s kind of wild to say, but the Denver Broncos finished the 2025 regular season with the undisputed best offensive line in football. They allowed a league-low six sacks. Think about that for a second. Six. That’s seven fewer than the next closest team. Sean Payton has basically built a brick wall in front of Bo Nix.
The core of Garett Bolles, Quinn Meinerz, and Mike McGlinchey stayed remarkably healthy for most of the stretch, and Meinerz specifically has turned into an absolute road grader. If you're looking for why Denver was even relevant this year, start with the guys who had a 73.3% clean pocket rate.
Then you have the Philadelphia Eagles. If you ask Jason Kelce, he’ll tell you they were "mediocre." He actually went on a bit of a tear recently, blaming the players for not making plays despite being the highest-paid unit in the league. On paper, they should be #1. You have Jordan Mailata (who finished with a monstrous 96.9 PFF grade at one point) and Lane Johnson, who is still a human cheat code at 35 years old.
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But the interior? It was a revolving door of "sorta okay." Tyler Steen and Landon Dickerson battled the injury bug, and the chemistry just wasn't there like it used to be. They ended up being a top-5 unit, sure, but they didn't feel like the Eagles of old.
The 2025 Rankings: Who Actually Showed Up?
I’m not going to give you a perfect 1-32 list because, frankly, the gap between #18 and #24 is usually just one bad ankle sprain. Instead, let's look at how the power settled after the regular season dust cleared.
1. Denver Broncos
The gold standard for 2025. They were the only team that felt like they were playing a different game. Pass blocking efficiency was off the charts.
2. Indianapolis Colts
Bernhard Raimann and Quenton Nelson are probably the best LT/LG duo in the league right now. They finished with the second-highest rushing DVOA. When Anthony Richardson (or whoever was back there) had time, it was because Nelson was busy deleting defensive tackles from the earth.
3. Atlanta Falcons
Talk about overachieving. They lost Kaleb McGary early on, but Elijah Wilkinson stepped in and was... honestly, fine? They allowed the lowest pressure rate in the league (21.8%) for a massive chunk of the season.
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4. Buffalo Bills
Consistency is boring, but it works. They returned all five starters. Dion Dawkins and Spencer Brown are a top-tier tackle duo, and they benefited heavily from Josh Allen’s ability to turn a "sure-fire sack" into a 15-yard scrambler.
5. Philadelphia Eagles
Despite the locker room drama and the "mediocre" tag from their former captain, the talent is just too high to drop them further. Jordan Mailata is arguably the best tackle in the world right now.
The Detroit Lions Disappointment
What happened in Detroit? This was supposed to be the year they took over. Instead, PFF ranked them 12th. For a unit coached by Hank Fraley, that feels like a failure.
Penei Sewell was his usual self—which is to say, he was a 95.2-grade monster and a First-Team All-Pro. He's probably the most vocal leader in the league right now, and he was the first to admit that "this year alone, it wasn't my best ball."
The real issue was the interior. Integrating rookies like Tate Ratledge and Christian Mahogany is tough. Ratledge was actually a bright spot in the run game, but the unit used 13 different linemen throughout the year. You can’t build a "swagger" when the guy next to you changes every three weeks.
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The Breakout Stars You Need to Know
While the big names get the headlines, a few guys basically made themselves generational wealth this season.
- Peter Skoronski (Tennessee Titans): This kid is the real deal. He ranked second among all guards in pass-blocking grade. He allowed a knockdown on just 0.4% of pass plays. That’s insane.
- Will Campbell (New England Patriots): Rookie left tackles usually get eaten alive. Campbell didn't. He posted a 69.1 PFF grade and only gave up one sack on over 230 pass-blocking snaps. New England finally has a cornerstone.
- Cole Van Lanen (Jacksonville Jaguars): He wasn't even supposed to be the guy, but he held onto the LT spot and earned a three-year extension.
Why the "Continuity" Myth Died in 2025
For years, we've been told that "returning all five starters" is the holy grail of offensive line play. 2025 proved that's not always true. The San Francisco 49ers returned almost everyone and still looked shaky at times when Trent Williams wasn't on the field.
The Cleveland Browns? Total disaster. They couldn't keep anyone healthy.
The teams that succeeded this year were the ones with "functional depth." Look at the Carolina Panthers. They only had one player (Damien Lewis) play every single game, yet they stayed in the top 10 of most rankings because their backups were actually prepared.
Actionable Insights for the 2026 Offseason
If you’re a fan or a front-office junkie, here’s what we learned from the 2025 campaign that carries over into next year:
- Draft the Interior Early: The days of waiting until the 4th round for a guard are over. Look at how much Tate Ratledge and Peter Skoronski changed their teams' identities.
- The "Stoutland University" Effect is Real: Coaching matters more than draft pedigree. The Eagles struggled, but they didn't collapse because Jeff Stoutland is a wizard. If your team has a bad OL coach, the talent won't matter.
- Pressure Rate > Sacks: Don't just look at sack numbers. Denver’s low sack count was a result of an elite pressure rate. If your QB is getting hit 10 times a game but only sacked once, your O-line is still failing.
The 2025 season showed us that the gap between the elite and the average is widening. If you don't have a top-10 unit, you're basically playing with one hand tied behind your back in today's NFL.