Offensive Line Value Continues to Evolve in Pass-Happy NFL

The NFL is an ever-growing colossus constantly evolving to suit the needs of its owners, players and fans. The most drastic changes over the last four decades occurred along the offensive line. The way the game is played today is not the same as it once was for the men in the trenches. 

Nuanced changes and the overall direction of the game are trending toward different values being placed on the individual pieces among the team's starting five. This has been the case since the start of the free-agency era, but where the money is being spent is different today than before.

Traditional thinking became outdated as the league trended toward pass-first offenses. 

Left tackle developed into a premium position and a cornerstone piece to a franchise over 30 years ago as a response to former New York Giants linebacker and Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor's dominance. However, adequate right tackles and interior blockers are more important than ever due to the amount of stress opposing defenses place on blocking schemes. 

In order to obtain a better understanding of the decreasing disparity between left and right tackle, former NFL offensive line coach Howard Mudd—who spent 38 seasons in the league with the San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles—provided context.

"For the tackle position, space and time are its enemy," Mudd told Bleacher Report. "Tackles have speed-rushers and all of that space they have to defend in order to protect the quarterback. It's imperative they manage that space and time for the ball to be thrown." 

"When you look at the Denver Broncos, they used Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware from right to left depending upon who the protector was. The NFL is about matchups. When you get a more favorable matchup with the great rusher on a mediocre tackle, you put him over the lesser tackle to pressure the quarterback."

Mudd never emphasized playing better athletes at left tackle compared to the right side during his coaching career. Why? Historically, right tackles have been challenged by some of the league's best pass-rushers. A weak link can't be hidden. 

"In Philadelphia, the left tackle, Jason Peters, could block Ware during his Dallas years so the Cowboys put him over the right tackle to get pressure," the retired coach said. "Defensive coaches create matchups favorable to their personnel. This has been going on for many years."

Perceptions continue to change around the league. Teams throw the ball more often and far more effectively than any point in NFL history, as Pro Football Journal noted: 

As a result, teams must have a right tackle capable of blocking the league's best pass-rushers. 

Said Mudd, "It was said the right tackle could be less athletic than the left tackle because: 

• "The better rushers were on the right side of the defense—the quarterback's blind side—which isn't true historically (Deacon Jones, Jack Youngblood, Jacob Green, Robert Mathis, Elvis Dumervil, Claude Humphrey, Reggie White and Michael Strahan are examples.) 
• "The tight end is on the offense's right side and slows down the rush of the left defensive end. Myth. There are a lot of open formations with no tight end. It's hard to block a guy in space whether it's right or left tackle. 

"General managers and personnel people claim 'He can play right tackle tackle but not left tackle.' Don't let facts get in the way of their opinion. You'd better be able to manage space and time on either side, because defensive people will find you if you can't manage it to pressure the quarterback."

Today, elite pass-rushers such as Miller, J.J. Watt, Justin Houston, Carlos Dunlap, Michael Bennett, Ryan Kerrigan, Charles Johnson and Cameron Wake primarily line up to the offense's strong side. This means that an inferior right tackle is in for a long day against any of them. 

Historically, the biggest change to line play occurred in 1978 when the NFL allowed linemen to extend their arms and use their hands while pass blocking.

Size disparities then developed into the most obvious example of how different line play is today compared to the first 60 to 70 years of the league's existence. Of the 44 modern-era offensive linemen found in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, only seven played over 300 pounds. Only one of those stepped onto an NFL field before 1993. Now, 23 years later, it's nearly impossible to imagine any sub-300-pound lineman being good enough to warrant Hall of Fame consideration. 

Weight increases and drastic rule changes aside, a shift in philosophy is needed to keep up with current trends.

Specialization became the norm in the 1980's to counter dominant pass-rushers. Teams required bigger, longer and more athletic left tackles. 

As Michael Lewis detailed in The Blind Side, the Washington Redskins' Joe Jacoby essentially became the first modern left tackle to counter Taylor's dominance. 

"We put him at left tackle for one reason," former Redskins offensive line coach Joe Bugel said in the book, "to match up against Lawrence Taylor." 

As a result, left tackle experienced a massive increase in importance and financial compensation, which still exists today. 

The market still doesn't adequately reflect the growing importance of the other line positions. Some residuals continue to linger. It was once thought a team can pick up a guard or center late in the draft or off the street to fill holes, but the organization couldn't overlook the all-important left tackle. 

George Gojkovich/Getty Images

In Mudd's last stop with the Eagles during the 2012 campaign, he experienced the damage that results from an unbalanced line. 

Peters suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon during an offseason workout. The injury forced the team's projected starter at right tackle, King Dunlap, to the blind side. With Dunlap at left tackle, rookie Dennis Kelly took over at right tackle and started 10 games. 

The Eagles finished fifth worst in sacks given up with 48.

"Those who espouse right and left tackle being different should ask a quarterback if it makes a difference where the pressure comes from," the former coach said. "Ask the quarterbacks if they can tolerate an average teammate on either side." 

Four months after the team fired head coach Andy Reid and released the rest of the coaching staff after the 2012 season, the Eagles spent the fourth overall pick of the 2013 draft on a right tackle, Oklahoma Sooners' Lane Johnson. 

Generally, an individual's worth is determined on the open market during free agency. When a position remains undervalued despite its overall worth, a market inefficiency is created. 

Johnson and Kansas City Chiefs tackle Mitchell Schwartz presented different sides of the current right tackle market. 

Eventually, the Eagles blocker is expected to move to left tackle once Peters retires. The move could possibly come sooner, according to the Delaware County Daily Times' Bob Grotz: 

Until that point is reached, Johnson is the NFL's highest-paid right tackle after he agreed to a five-year, $56.26 million contract extension in January, via Spotrac. 

For Schwartz, the market wasn't nearly as robust. The former second-round pick of the Browns performed as well as any right tackle in the league last year. He became one of the few who actually shut down Miller. 

The question became: Would he surpass Bryan Bulaga's 2015 contract? Bulaga re-signed with the Green Bay Packers for five years and $33.75 million. Schwartz came in just under that number on a five-year deal with a maximum value of $33 million. The guaranteed money the Cal product received—$20.7 million—more than doubled Bulaga's ($8 million), though. 

Three years earlier, the Tennessee Titans' David Stewart held the league's highest cap hit for a right tackle at $7 million, whereas the Eagles owe Johnson $8.128 million—or a 16 percent increase—this fall. 

Year	Left Tackle	Cap Hit	Right Tackle	Cap Hit
2013	Ryan Clady	$12.6M	David Stewart	$7.0 M
2014	Joe Thomas	$12.3M	Anthony Davis	$7.532M
2015	D'Brickashaw Ferguson	$11.698M	Jermey Parnell	$8.0M
2016	Matt Kalil	$11.096M	Lane Johnson	$8.128M
2017	Tyron Smith	$15.8M	Lane Johnson	$10M

The left tackle market didn't exhibit the same upward trend.

Ryan Clady held the highest cap hit in 2013 at $12.6 million. The Minnesota Vikings' Matt Kalil claims the highest cap hit in 2016 at $11.096 million. This number will increase next year with Tyron Smith's projected $15.8 million cap hit—which equates to a 25.4 percent growth over four years. When compared to Johnson's deal, the highest-paid right tackle will experience a 42.9 percent increase. 

A wage gap still exists between the two positions, but the disparity isn't as great. Overall, the game's top left tackle held a $5.6 million higher cap hit in 2013 compared to $2.967 million difference this fall. 

The handling of the position is also different. 

Today's incoming offensive tackles aren't being shoehorned into playing the left side. Five teams spent first-round picks in this year's draft on offensive tackles; four of them may not play left tackle as rookies. 

As the first offensive lineman off the board and the sixth overall pick, Ronnie Stanley should be expected to take over at left tackle after the Baltimore Ravens released Eugene Monroe. The pressure is certainly on the highest-drafted blocker. 

"I was talking to some people saying this is probably the first time ever that I’ve felt this kind of pressure," Stanley said after Monroe's release, per the team's official site.

"It’s something I know that I can handle and it's just part of the transition to the NFL. It's a production business and that’s the way it’s always going to be."

Two picks later, the Tennessee Titans traded back into the top 10 to acquire Michigan State Spartans' Jack Conklin. 

Conklin won't experience the same pressure as Stanley since Taylor Lewan—another former top pick—will remain at left tackle. As such, the rookie will start his career at right tackle. 

"It's gone pretty smoothly with Jack," Titans head coach Mike Mularkey said, per the Tennessean's John Glennon. "You don't say a lot to Jack. You're not hearing his name called out a lot. He's just very steady. He knows he's got some time, not a lot, but I think he's made the move over there pretty good."

Furthermore, the plans for Conklin don't currently involve an eventual move to the blind side despite being the eighth overall pick. 

At least, Lewan doesn't plan on switching positions any time soon, per the Titaninsider.com's Terry McCormick: 

"

At times, I was asked to be vocal, to take a head on role like that, as far as being a leader goes, but in my opinion, being a leader is just doing what you’re supposed to do, and for me, that’s playing left tackle. Not any other position, not moving. I wanted that to be very clear going into it. And for me to keep my position and my job and do the things that I want, I had to do a lot of growing as a person this off-season. It’s continuing to do those things, continuing to be who you’re supposed to be on and off the field.

"

Lewan is scheduled to be a free agent after the 2017 campaign—unless Tennessee picks up his fifth-year option—which might open the door for Conklin to switch sides. 

Outside of Stanley, Taylor Decker might be the only other rookie starter at left tackle, but his position isn't entirely settled. Although, this year's 16th overall pick got as many reps as possible on the blind side during OTAs and minicamp, according to MLive.com's Kyle Meinke. 

"What you've seen out there on the field is he still works both (left and right tackle) a little bit," Lions head coach Jim Caldwell told Meinke. "He's playing more left tackle than anything else at this point. Pads go on when we come back, so we'll see."

Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins' Laremy Tunsil and Seattle Seahawks' Germain Ifedi immediately moved to guard. Moving inside is often mistaken as an easy transition for athletic tackles. It's not. 

Space and time are no longer the enemy. Instead, things occur at an accelerated pace. Tackles who grow accustomed to working in space no longer have the same room for error. Instead, they're being asked to build the depth of the pocket and be stronger at the point of attack. 

"I've got to learn a new position," Tunsil said, per the Miami Herald's Barry Jackson. "I've got to learn the playbook. All types of things I've got to learn."

If it was as simple as putting the best athletes on the field, all five starting linemen would be collegiate left tackles. This type of move would be a reactionary and oversimplified. 

Different skill sets are necessary to play different positions despite the fact an offensive line must work in cohesion on a down-by-down basis. This is where specialization now helps other positions

Of course, the salary cap continues to rise and the current collective bargaining agreement creates cash flow for the league's veterans. Follow the money trail to see how views continue to change regarding the big boys up front. 

In the last three years, four guards signed contracts with a maximum value at or exceeding $40 million. Only one right tackle can currently claim the same distinction. Although, five centers can. 

Kelechi Osemele became the league's highest-paid guard this offseason when he signed five-year, $58.5 million deal with the Oakland Raiders. Five years ago, the New York Jets' Nick Mangold agreed to a seven-year, $54.075 million extension. His average compensation per year has since been passed by five different centers. 

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Some teams—like the New Orleans Saints over the last decade—place a higher emphasis on building an offensive line from the inside. Certain contract realities reflect those preferences. 

In the end, it all comes down to one simple credo: Place the best five linemen on the field. Nowhere in this approach does it suggest a team's best and highest-paid lineman must be the left tackle. 

The game's best left tackle, the Cleveland Browns' Joe Thomas, continues to dominate while the team around him struggles. On the other hand, the Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks put together track records of success without a premium left tackle. 

Football continues to change. Traditional biases toward certain offensive line positions no longer apply, and it shows in how teams are spending their free agent dollars and allocating cap space. A great left tackle remains a valuable commodity, but it should no longer be viewed as a necessity. The growing importance of successfully building a strong unit across the entire front supersedes positional value. 

All salary cap figures courtesy of spotrac.com or overthecap.com.

All quotes obtained firsthand by Brent Sobleski, who covers the NFL for Bleacher Report, unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.