The NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles

Offensive tackles have generally been the rock stars of every offensive line through time, and that’s no different in 2023, though the requirements for the positions (right and left tackle) have changed in recent years.

We are no longer in the era of football where quarterbacks are taking seven-step drops, slinging it downfield no matter what, and going to the Pro Bowl with 50% completion rates, and more interceptions than touchdowns. Efficiency matters, and so does quick passing — especially as the run-pass option has become a schematic staple at the NFL level.

Modern tackles have to do a lot of things well to be great, and with the advent of multiple fronts, the difference between right and left tackle has blurred to a large degree. No longer is your left tackle automatically the perfect athlete, while the guy on the right is just good enough to get by. Not in an ideal offensive line, by any means.

So, to make this year’s list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles, you’d best meet the following criteria:

• Expert pass-blocking in every kind of set — from the quick set to the full vertical dropback.

• A nearly-full array of techniques to keep defensive linemen at bay.

• The ability to stone those defensive linemen in the run game; and

• The acumen to pick up stunts and overload fronts.

In a recent episode of “The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” we went deeper into the requirements for every offensive line position, including and especially those fine gentlemen who protect the edges.

Tape was a huge part of the deciding process here, as well as all kinds of advanced metrics. Along with sacks and pressures allowed, we also used Pro Football Focus’ “True Pass Sets” metric to further delineate offensive tackle performance. Per PFF, True Pass Sets exclude plays with less than four rushers, play-action, screen passes, short dropbacks and time-to-throws under two seconds.

Our list of the NFL’s 11 best offensive tackles is a continuation of our lists for every position, leading up to August’s list of the 101 best players in the NFL today.

The NFL’s top 11 interior defensive linemen
The NFL’s top 11 edge defenders
The NFL’s top 11 linebackers
The NFL’s top 11 slot defenders
The NFL’s top 11 cornerbacks
The NFL’s top 11 safeties

Without further ado, here are the 11 best offensive tackles in the NFL as we head into the 2023 season.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated). 

11. Christian Darrisaw, Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings took Darrisaw with the 23rd overall pick in the 2021 draft, had to wait the first four games of his rookie season for him to recover from a groin injury, and then sat back and got happy as Darrisaw had a very solid inaugural campaign. He allowed five sacks, but just six quarterback hits and 11 quarterback hurries in 398 total pass-blocking reps. In 165 True Pass Set reps, Darrisaw allowed four of those sacks, four hits, and eight hurries.

Last season, a healthy Darrisaw allowed the same number of sacks overall (five), with six hits and 12 hurries, in 312 pass-blocking snaps. All five of those sacks, as well as three hits and six hurries, came in 269 True Pass Sets.

Darrisaw would be higher on this list but for one thing — those sacks show a player in need of development in certain areas. It’s not just one thing. Darrisaw will be vulnerable at times to bull-rushes, pass-rushers beating him around the arc, and inside counters. There isn’t a tackle in the NFL who won’t give it up once in a while, but before Darrisaw can ascend in the league, he’ll have to button a few things up.

It says a lot about everything else Darrisaw does well that he’s in the Top 11 this year. When he’s off the snap quickly and can set right, he’s just a load to handle from a power and technique perspective. Green Bay’s Preston Smith found that out more than once in the Vikings’ Week 17 matchup with the Packers. That helped to facilitate Kirk Cousins’ 37-yard completion to receiver Jalen Nailor.

Darrisaw also has a nice knack for “switching shoulders” against defensive linemen in the run game and sealing them off. On this four-yard Dalvin Cook run against the Commanders in Week 9, defensive tackle John Ridgeway got the wrong end of that. Darrisaw still has some technique fixes to make in his game, but the arrow is pointing up.

10. David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers

A fully healthy David Bakhtiari would have likely landed much higher on this list. Unfortunately, that has been a caveat for three three-time Pro Bowler and two-time First-Team All-Pro over the last few seasons. Bakhtiari hasn’t played a full season since 2019, and he missed six games last season due to knee issues and an appendectomy.

Still in 339 pass-blocking reps last season, Bakhtiari allowed no sacks, no quarterback hits, and 10 quarterback hurries, with eight of those hurries in 127 True Pass Sets.

As a run-blocker, Bakhtiari is accurate and practiced to the second level when it’s time to nuke linebackers and safeties, and he can also dump defenders at the line of scrimmage, as he did to Milton Williams of the Eagles on this 10-yard A.J. Dillon run in Week 12.

On this boot play against the Bills in Week 8 resulting in a 37-yard completion to rookie receiver Samori Toure, Bakhtiari took veteran pass-rusher Shaq Lawson across the formation… and then, threw him out of the club.

9. Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers

Remember when Slater came out of Northwestern in the 2021 draft, and people thought he should move inside to guard? Us here at Touchdown Wire, not so much.

The Chargers agreed with that assessment, taking Slater with the 13th overall pick. The rookie seemed to experience little difficulty in adjusting to the NFL — he got baptized by Myles Garrett of the Browns in a Week 5 game, but after that, it was all good. And who among us hasn’t lost pass-blocking reps to Myles Garrett? Overall, Slater allowed four sacks (two in that Browns game), six quarterback hits and 16 quarterback hurries in 752 pass-blocking snaps. Three sacks, five hits, and 13 hurries came out of True Pass Set reps.

Sadly, Slater’s sophomore season was cut short by a biceps injury; he played in just three games, allowing one sack, one hit, and one hurry in 113 snaps. Still, there was enough good tape when Slater was healthy to merit inclusion on this year’s list. This 35-yard Justin Herbert completion to receiver DeAndre Carter against the Chiefs in Week 2 would not have happened without Slater keeping Kansas City pass-rushing behemoth Chris Jones at bay. Jones tried to hit Slater with an inside counter, and Slater was having none of it.

Back to the Chiefs game, where Slater showed that he checks all the boxes as a run-blocker, as well. Here, on a Joshua Kelley eight-yard run, Slater took linebacker Leo Chenal right out of the picture. Between Slater’s healthy return, and the replacement of former offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi with Kellen Moore, you might have to watch out for this Chargers offense in 2023.

8. Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions

Detroit took Sewell, the former Oregon left tackle, with the seventh overall pick in the 2021 draft, and flipped him to the right side in the second half of his rookie season. That raised some eyebrows, but Sewell allowed four sacks on the left side and one on the right in 2021, so perhaps there was something to it. Last season, as the Lions’ full-time right tackle, Sewell allowed two sacks, six quarterback hits, and 20 quarterback hurries in 663 pass-blocking snaps. One sack, three hits, and 15 hurries came in True Pass Sets.

Sewell was a big part of Detroit’s offensive development in 2022 — there were a lot of boots and rollouts to quarterback Jared Goff’s benefit, and Sewell generally had no trouble blocking those up. On this Goff 20-yard pass to receiver Khalif Raymond against the Patriots in Week 5, Sewell helped keep things clean against both Matthew Judon and blitzing linebacker Mack Wilson.

Speaking of blocks that test the concept of duration, there’s this run-blocking work against the Bears in Week 17, when Sewell went up to the third level and started in on safety Jaquan Brisker 20 yards downfield. That was the final piece of Jamaal Williams’ 40-yard run.

Add in Sewell’s value as a receiver (no, we’re not kidding), and there was no way he wasn’t going to be on this year’s list.

7. Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Big changes are coming to the Buccaneers’ offense. Tom Brady has officially retired (we think), leaving a quarterback battle between Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask. Former Seahawks passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach Dave Canales is the new offensive coordinator, and former right tackle Tristian Wirfs is moving to the left side after three NFL seasons in which the 2020 13th overall pick didn’t play a single snap over there.

May you live in interesting time, as they say. The transition from one offensive line position isn’t always automatic (it takes a lot more than people might think), so Wirfs’ place on this list is mostly about his time at right tackle in the 2022 season, with a bit of projection.

Last season, Wirfs allowed three sacks, one quarterback hit, and three quarterback hurries in 696 pass-blocking snaps, with two sacks and one hurry coming in True Pass Sets. The only real ding to Wirfs’ game at this point is that he’ll get beaten by edge-rushers crossing his face, and he may see more of that on the left side. We can but wait and see.

Wirfs is very good with in-game adjustments — if you get him once, you might not ever get him again. Micah Parsons of the Cowboys caused one of Wirfs’ three allowed sacks with a wicked spin move in the wild-card round, but when Parsons tried this inside counter in the same game, Wirfs had a ready answer — and Brady had a 30-yard touchdown pass to Julio Jones.

That leverage also shows up in the run game — Tampa Bay’s run game has been far from spectacular of late, but it’s tough to put that on Wirfs when he’s opening and sealing gaps at all levels.

6. Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore Ravens

Stanley is another tackle whose place on this list is dependent to a point on injuries — he missed 10 games in 2020, all but one game in 2021, and six in 2022. Ankle issues limited Stanley to 674 total snaps and 334 pass-blocking reps in 2022, but despite that, he was his usual strong self, allowing one sack, no quarterback hits, and 15 quarterback hurries. in 130 True Pass Sets, he allowed no sacks and 11 hurries.

When he’s healthy, Stanley is one of those rare blockers who just makes everything look easy. Even the NFL’s better edge defenders can get erased pretty easily. Alex Highsmith, one of the league’s most underrated pass-rushers, tried his best to get to quarterback Tyler Huntley on this rep in Week 14, but between Stanley’s work and Huntley’s mobility, a 25-yard completion to DeSean Jackson was the result.

And as much as the Ravens like to pull and bull in heavy personnel in the run game, you’d be right in assuming that Stanley has that covered with authority.

5. Andrew Thomas, New York Giants

There are times when patience is a virtue, and the Giants’ development of Thomas is one such example. Bug Blue selected Thomas with the fourth overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Georgia, and in his rookie season, Thomas led the entire NFL with 10 sacks allowed. No bueno, and given former GM Dave Gettleman’s knack for reach picks, it appeared that Thomas might be another bust at the hands of the capricious executive.

Not so fast! In his second season, despite the fact that he was in a garbage fire of an offense “designed” by the trio of Joe Judge, Jason Garrett, and Freddie Kitchens, Thomas cut his sacks allowed all the way down to two. Under the thermonuclear improvement presented by new head coach Brian Daboll and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka in 2022, Thomas continued the good work — he gave up four sacks, three quarterback hits, and 16 quarterback hurries. Only two of those sacks, along with three hits and 10 hurries, came in True Pass Sets.

Like a lot of younger tackles, Thomas has moments when he’s late out of his sets, or doesn’t get everything lined up in time for quick pass-rushers. When he’s aggressive and correct with his hands, as he was against Brandon Graham of the Eagles on this Week 14 rep, it’s very tough to get past him.

If Thomas is pulling in the run game, and you’re in the way, you’re probably not going to enjoy the experience.

4. Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans

Not much about the Texans’ 2022 offense was remarkable — the team finished 30th in DVOA, 30th in Weighted DVOA, 29th in passing DVOA, and dead last in rushing DVOA. Improvements are on the way, especially with new quarterback C.J. Stroud, and the Ohio State rookie will very much appreciate Laremy Tunsil protecting his blind side. Because no matter when mish-mash the Texans may have had at the position in the post-Deshaun Watson era, Tunsil has been a bastion of consistency.

Tunsil was limited to just five games in 2021, but returned strong last season, allowing just one sack, three quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback hurries in 562 pass-blocking reps. That sack, one hit, and 11 hurries came out of 259 True Pass Sets.

Tunsil is so good in pass protection because he present an ideal combination of kick-step precision, and fire-out aggression. He negated Jacksonville’s Josh Allen with just such a combination in Week 17.

Tunsil is also a live wire as a run-blocker; he’s quite happy to latch on to a defender through the rep, no matter how long it goes.

3. Terron Armstead, Miami Dolphins

Armstead benefited from one of the most amazing scouting combine performances in recent memory — after he ran a 4.79-second 40-yard dash with a 1.64-second 10-yard split at the 2013 event, it didn’t matter that he was from a smaller school (Arkansas-Pine Bluff), and the Saints took him in the third round of the 2013 draft. Unlike a lot of athletic marvels, Armstead’s tape has matched his tools throughout his career, and that carried forward to his first season with the Dolphins after he signed a five-year, $75 million free-agent contract.

Both in his last season with the Saints and his first with the Dolphins, Armstead allowed just one sack and two quarterback hits. He gave up 13 quarterback hurries for the Dolphins last season, and only two hits and seven hurries came out of True Pass Sets.

Armstead is another one of those blockers who just makes everything look easy, and it doesn’t matter what kind of pass-rusher he’s dealing with. On this 52-yard pass from Tua Tagovailoa to Tyreek Hill against the Packers in Week 16, Armstead took defensive tackle Kenny Clark from outside to inside, and right out of the play.

And when it’s time for Miami’s track team of an offense to turn to the run game… well, Armstead would like you to remember all that athleticism, along with the technique he’s picked up after a decade in the NFL.

2. Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles

Were it not for Trent Williams (justifiably) bogarting the top of everybody’s tackle lists over the last couple of seasons, Johnson might actually get his due as perhaps the finest right tackle of his era, and maybe one of the best at that position… well, ever. The Eagles and line coach Jeff Stoutland put out the best front five in the NFL last season, and that wouldn’t have happened without Johnson’s efforts. The fourth-overall pick in 2013 out of Oklahoma has done everything possible to not only validate that draft capital, but to put himself firmly on a Hall of Fame track.

Certainly, Johnson’s metrics over the last few seasons put him in rarefied air.

Johnson also hasn’t allowed a quarterback hit of any kind since Week 7 of the 2021 season, so in 651 pass-blocking reps in 2022, all Johnson gave up was 11 quarterback hurries, and eight of those came in 262 True Pass Sets. When you have a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who must be effectively mobile as the fulcrum of your run game, that’s even more impressive.

I loved this Johnson pass-blocking rep against linebacker Robert Spillane on a Steelers blitz in Week 8, because you don’t often see an offensive tackle match an opponent step-for-step as if he was a really big cornerback. The athleticism here is just nuts.

Finally, if you want proof that Johnson is a force multiplier in the Eagles’ dominant and multi-faceted run game, look no further than this 11-yard Hurts run against the Giants in Week 14, when Johnson worked tackle Dexter Lawrence up to the second level, and took care of linebacker Jaylon Smith when he got there.

That said, we all know who the NFL’s best offensive tackle is, so let’s get to it.

1. Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers

It takes a lot to get to the NFC Championship game with your third quarterback as the 49ers did last season with Brock “Mr. Irrelevant” Purdy, and who knows what might have happened had Purdy not suffered a torn UCL in that game. It all starts with the brilliance of Kyle Shanahan, of course, but getting the playbook on the field requires some serious hoss energy, and nobody brings more of that than Williams.

Over the last two seasons, the future Hall of Famer (book it right now) has allowed just two sacks, eight quarterback hits, and 32 quarterback hurries. Last season, with no clear winner in the QB Derby, and all kinds of question marks everywhere else on the line, Williams gave up one sack, two hits, and 16 hurries, with just two hits and three hurries coming in pass sets.

While Williams is dominant in-line, some of the funniest tape you’ll see is when he gets on the move, and second- and third-level defenders have to deal with the idea of No. 71 aiming his 320-pound frame right at them.

No thank you, please.

On the few occasions when San Francisco quarterbacks threw deep successfully last season (it was more a bug than a feature), Williams was always happy to help. In the divisional round, Cowboys edge assassin Micah Parsons threw every move he could at Williams, and the veteran took it in calmly with a polite rejection of Mr. Parsons’ efforts. That allowed Purdy to hit George Kittle for 31 yards.

As has been the case in each of the last two seasons, Trent Williams does more of what’s required at the tackle position at a higher level than anybody else, and that’s why he stands alone without peer.

Honorable mention

Kolton Miller, Las Vegas Raiders

Jordan Mailata, Philadelphia Eagles

Garrett Bolles, Denver Broncos

Jack Conklin, Cleveland Browns

Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints

Terence Steele, Dallas Cowboys

Story originally appeared on Touchdown Wire