2012 NFL Free Agents: Carl Nicks and Other Offensive Lineman Who Need Contracts

Building a franchise in the NFL for consistent, long-term success begins and ends with a quarterback.

However, it's what's done along the line of scrimmage that's most vital to dictating how well the teams performs.

Which brings us to the offensive line—the most important unit of players to any team.

No matter how great a quarterback, running back or a receiver may be, none have opportunities without the hogs up front.

Chemistry must be developed and then comes confidence. But, without maintaining the line, then rebuilding becomes imperative.

Here are expected free-agent offensive linemen who must get re-signed to keep the synergy in the trenches.

Carl Nicks, Saints

If the Saints aren't able to retain Carl Nicks, expect Drew Brees to get sacked a lot more and the rushing offense to slow down considerably.

Last season, Brees was only sacked 24 times during the regular season and the offense averaged 133 rushing yards per game. This is, in large part, due to the complete ability of Nicks to quickly explode off the line and chip-block to the second level.

In addition, sitting back and popping any pass-rusher while helping out the center and tackle, when needed, always help. Perhaps another incentive for the Saints to fork over some dough is the possibility of Nicks signing elsewhere.

New Orleans has in front of it arguably the best and most complete offensive lineman in pro football right now.

Allowing him to even test the market is quite a risk.

Despite the salary cap issues and "bounty-gate," losing a two-time All-Pro lineman (2010, 2011) would set the Saints back two or three more years in the trenches.

Chris Myers, Texans

There's no doubt that Arian Foster and Ben Tate form one of the league's best, if not the best, running back tandems around.

In 2011, the Houston Texans finished ranked No. 2 in rushing offense by averaging 153 rush yards per game and tied for No. 7 (Oakland) in gaining 4.5 yards per carry.

Also, the Texans offensive line only allowed 33 sacks throughout the regular season, which ranked tied for No. 12 (in order from least to most).

And the majority of that success can be contributed to center Chris Myers.

One thing to remember: Houston played the regular season with four different quarterbacks.

Obviously, rookie T.J. Yates and Matt Schaub accounted for the majority of the snap, however, having a center like Myers who can adjust on the fly to a number of quarterbacks goes beyond coaching and intangibles.

This is a guy who is a proven leader on the franchise and has started 80 consecutive games.

With Myers' influence along the line, intangibles and football IQ, losing him to free agency is more detrimental than losing any of their quarterbacks, or losing wide receiver Andre Johnson.

Evan Mathis, Eagles

One of the more underrated offensive linemen in the game, Philadelphia's Evan Mathis helped pave the way for running back LeSean McCoy and the Eagles to average over 140 rushing yards per game.

In doing so, the Eagles ranked No. 5 in rush offense, No. 9 in pass offense and fourth in total offense (averaged almost 400 total yards per game).

A seasoned veteran who, before joining the Eagles in 2011, played for three different franchises (Carolina, Miami, Cincinnati), Mathis had his best and most productive season last fall.

He matched his career-best with 15 starts and the Eagles offensive line allowed just 32 sacks all year. Despite being undersized at 6'5" 305 pounds for a guard, Mathis is extremely quick when moving laterally and accelerates forward and backward as good as anyone in the league.

Because of his experience and ability to read defenses, Mathis has developed into a reliable, one-on-one blocker and has the athleticism to take out defenders downfield for the ball carrier.

Then again, with a mobile quarterback like Michael Vick and dual-threat back like McCoy, Mathis has no choice but to be nimble.

Samson Satele, Raiders

If anyone wants to really know how the Oakland Raiders kept bowling over opposing defenses on the ground without Darren McFadden in 2011, look no further than center Samson Satele.

Michael Bush no doubt stepped in and performed very well by reading the lanes and being patient.  

However, Satele didn't mind who was carrying the rock, just as long as the line of scrimmage moved forward, because the ball carrier would then follow suit.

Long story short: Oakland finished the season ranked No. 9 in total offense (averaged 380 total yards per game) and No. 7 in rushing offense (averaged 132 rush yards per game).

In addition, Satele and the Raiders allowed just 25 sacks all season long, which ranked tied for No. 4 (Cincinnati).

Starting 74 of 78 career games, Satele has arguably been the most consistent lineman for Oakland since joining the Raiders in 2009 (2007 and 2008 were in Miami).

At age 27, Satele has a lot of room to grow and develop based on his current production.

If the Oakland Raiders want to remain one of the elite rushing offenses and pass-protecting teams, retaining the stud center must happen.

John Rozum on Twitter.