Top Free Agents by Position: Offensive Lineman Edition
Top Free Agents by Position: Offensive Lineman Edition
Offensive Line
Bryan Bulaga
Anthony Castonzo
Brandon Scherff
JC Tretter
Rodney Hudson
Honorable Mention
Trent Williams
Jason Peters
Andrew Whitworth
Connor McGovern
Jack Conklin
Joe Thuney
DJ Humphries
Graham Glasgow
Kelvin Beachum
Anthony Castonza
One of the most productive players for the last few years, Anthony Castonza has been a rock on the left side for the Indianapolis Colts. He is good against the pass going against some of the top pass rushers in the league. Not only that, but he has been shown to be a mauler in the running game when he gets going downhill. He was one of the reasons the Colts line has been as efficient as it been in the last few seasons. Castonza, Nelson, and Kelly all have helped solidify the left side of the line and make it so that running backs have huge holes to run through, while pass rushers find no gaps to penetrate. If the Colts let him go on the market, Castonza is in for a big deal, he is one of the rare left tackle that can make it to market in his prime years where he should be just as good as he is now for the next three to five seasons. He can help a few rebuilding teams get a blindside protector for the next few years. Not only is he good at his job but Castonza doesn’t miss much time, if any at all. He has played in 132 out of 144 career games and started in all games played. While last season he posted his best in terms of overall performance. He logged only 8 combined sacks and pressures (3 sacks and 5 pressures) on the year and played all 1,077 snaps. Any team looking for a future left tackle is going to be happy with this pickup.
Brandon Scherff
Brandon has been a dominant player since he entered the league back in 2015. He was highly touted out of Iowa for good reason. He was an ox of a man and it showed in both the pass and running game. He would clear holes for many running games including Adrian Peterson who had a career resurgence with the Redskins in 2018 when he rushed for over 1,000 years at age 33. He also is a perennial Pro Bowl selection for his play on the field. The only issue with Scherff is his availability these last two seasons. He has ended both years on injury reserve playing in only 17 out of 32 possible games. That isn’t good for a guy hitting free agency, yet it helps when you still get two Pro Bowl nods though years. If Scherff can stay healthy, every team in the league looking for a new guard or just want an upgrade at the position will be giving him a call. The Redskins will be the first to call as they probably know the most of his situation and how healthy he can be coming back again from injury.
Trent Williams
Lastly, we have Trent Williams. This guy has been an enigma for the past year. He wasn’t fully healthy to play until about midway through the year, but when he was healthy, he refused/chose not to play for the Redskins. Now if a perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro left tackle does this, you got to ask why. When the truth came out though, it was a bit more shocking than most cared to believe. He had stated that a few years back, the Redskins saw growth on his head near his brain and said it wasn’t serious. Yet later when his personal doctor saw it, he stated that it was DFSP, a type of cancer. He had a surgical procedure to remove the growth and demanded a trade from the Redskins after that. They didn’t end up trading him and placed him on the non-football injury list due to discomfort from his helmet because of his scalp still healing from the procedure that happened recently. Most people think that Williams is undoubtedly done with the Redskins. The Redskins still say that Trent is their guy at left tackle and would like to resign him. He has seven consecutive Pro Bowls and an All-Pro nod in between all that, so we can all understand that he is one of the best tackles in the league. The only real question is will he sign elsewhere or stay with the Redskins. My money is on signing elsewhere that has a young quarterback but a very promising team and future ahead of them. I would love to see him play for the Rams with Goff and Gurley, but I don’t believe they will have the funds to pay the man. My next option for him is the Cardinals. They have an exciting young quarterback in Kyler Murray, and he has shown to have a few promising weapons. If they can get him and another piece or two the offense can be a real threat and help them battle for the NFC West crown against the reigning NFC champion 49ers.
