Pro Football Focus continues their preview of the fast approaching Free Agent period by turning their attention to the big fellas earning their money in the heart of the Offensive Line; the Guards & Centers. Ben Stockwell ranks the interior Offensive Linemen to see which guys could help out some teams in 2010.
The impact of the final year of the Collective Bargaining Agreement has blunted the unrestricted free agent market in almost every position, taking what could have been one of the richer free agent markets in some time and turning it into a mediocre class, possibly as poor as there has been for some time. The interior offensive line is no different in this regard with 2 of the top guards in the league (Jahri Evans and Logan Mankins) becoming restricted free agents, rather than unrestricted free agents. Now these two are good enough that even at the devalued guard position they might get some looks from teams but it is unlikely that the Saints or Patriots will tender these 2 players so low that they become an attractive proposition for another team. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at who else is on the market amongst the Guards and Center’s of the league who may draw some attention from teams in the coming months.
1. Bobbie Williams
How Bobbie Williams has avoided the Pro Bowl in the last couple of years is beyond all of the team here at Pro Football Focus. All he does is consistently put in strong seasons as both a run and pass blocker where even this year (as the best player on an improved team and offensive line) he didn’t receive credit for his borderline All-Pro calibre season, leading us to conclude that some players are destined to never receive the kudos their performance merits. In the last 2 seasons (by our grading system) Williams has only put in 2 truly poor games (W14 this season at Minnesota and W5 of 2008 at Dallas), a quite remarkable achievement for any player, especially given the lack of continuity on the Bengals line these past two years. Even though he is getting on in years, he should still have some good years left in the tank and would be an asset and upgrade to most teams in the league if the Bengals don’t give him the contract he deserves. Williams is the marquee unrestricted free agent on the offensive line this year.
2. Stephen Neal
Neal has had issues staying on the field occasionally (missing nine games in the last two seasons is a cause for concern) but when he’s been lined up at Right Guard for the Patriots he has performed far better than the “solid performer” that most give him credit for. Since 2 poor games returning from injury in 2008 (W9 at Indianapolis & W12 at Miami) Neal hasn’t put in a poor all-round performance in the last two seasons, and his opening five game stretch this season was as good a stretch as you’re likely to see from a guard. His run blocking struggled after week 10 this season (likely due to some niggling injuries) but dominant performances such as his showing against Atlanta in week 3 this season show his quality in the run game which combined with 6 games of perfect pass protection this season leave the end result a truly top line guard. With retirement now off the table Neal is better than his second ranking would suggest (blame the continued brilliance and durability of Williams) and is one of the best free agents available at any position.
3. Wade Smith
Versatility is still as valuable as ever in the NFL today and with Wade Smith having started at three different spots on the O-line for the Chiefs this season (Left Tackle, Center & Right Guard) that’ll be a plus for GMs looking at him on the open market this off-season. Both of the last 2 seasons Smith has finished the season strong starting at right guard for the Chiefs; last season 5 of his 7 starts at Right Guard saw him put up perfect pass protection (alongside some inconsistent but generally solid run blocking – very poor at home to San Diego but strong at Denver, games that were just a week apart). Strangely this wasn’t enough for him to retain his starting spot going into 2009 though he did eventually get back in to the starting line up at Right Guard (he started at Left Tackle but his performances weren’t to his credit in place of Branden Albert). Here he again showed that he is a starting calibre Right Guard even if his pass protection wasn’t up to the same standard of his 7 starts in 2008 (though still solid). His run blocking was much improved as he played a role in allowing Jamaal Charles the space to emerge as one of the better running backs in the 2nd half of 2009. In the last 2 years Smith has only been truly limited by the opportunities the Chiefs have afforded him as they have continued to mess around with their O-line looking for the right combinations. It will be interesting to see whether Smith can put together his 2 half seasons from 2008 & 2009 and turn them into a strong full season as a starter at Right Guard in 2010. At the absolute worst, someone has a strong back up and spot starter if they sign Smith, but his performances warrant a chance to start somewhere in the NFL.
4. Casey Rabach
Rabach had a terrible start to the 2009 season with a frankly useless showing against the Giants on his final visit to Giants Stadium. That was the low point of his season and his performances got better (slowly & gradually) as the season went along, with four strong showings in the final 2 months of the season. By the end of the season Rabach showed he still has some left in the tank and can continue to contribute in a starting role, the question is whether he can replicate the final 8 weeks of the season into a full 16 week season next term. Widening the picture to include his terrible 2008 campaign Rabach may find suitors hard to come by. However with Center being a veteran’s position for the most part and a complete lack of high calibre (or even solid starters) options available on the open market, Rabach is a safe bet to hold the fort for a season for someone looking for a new Center.
5. Kevin Mawae
It’s a mark of how poor the free agent market is at Center this year that Mawae is the biggest name that could hit the open market this season. Mawae backed up an inconsistent 2008 with a very poor season in 2009. It’s tough to believe that such a poor run blocker could play on a line that blocked for a 2000 yard runner, but in the same way that one player doesn’t not make an offensive line (see Joe Thomas and the Browns) one player doesn’t break an offensive line either. Mawae showed with performances against Houston (W2), Indianapolis (W13) and Seattle (W17) that he is still capable of good performances as a blocker but by and large he was poor all season, with particularly bad games coming against Pittsburgh (W1), the Jets (W3) and St Louis (W14). Clearly Mawae retains value as a leader on an O-line and his smarts making the line calls but at 39 his physical ability as a blocker is rapidly falling away and Mawae has very little left to offer.
Diamond in the Rough – Chester Pitts
Pitts’ 2009 season was cut extremely short by a knee injury in week 2 after 33 plays against the Titans (this brought Kasey Studdard into the starting line up for the Texans and that wasn’t a good thing). In 57 pass protections (of his 83 total plays this season) prior to his injury Pitts conceded no pressure, Studdard on the other hand was very much subpar in the subsequent 14 and a bit games that he started as a pass protector. Pitts’ run blocking was symptomatic of the Texans’ entire running game both this year & last, inconsistent. He is capable of solid run blocking but those performances are more than outweighed by games where he struggles to seal his blocks and create running lanes, though he’s not solely responsible for the failings of the Texans running game (but he is symptomatic of the problems). Pass pro is Pitts’ great strength and should he return fully fit from this knee injury his start to the 2009 season and his strong 2008 season (2 sacks, 2 hits, 8 pressures) suggest that someone (Houston or otherwise) with a pass balanced offense can get a solid contributor in the shape of Pitts.
Wildcard – Rex Hadnot
The Browns’ offensive line improved down the stretch last season, it still had its weak points (Eric Steinbach and John St Clair) but Hadnot’s presence in the last half of the season combined with the excellent Joe Thomas & promising Alex Mack gave hope for improvement in Cleveland. Hadnot now hits the open market and his last half of the season could see him as the one to watch of this free agent class amongst the interior O-linemen. On 289 pass protection plays last season Hadnot gave up a mere 2 pressures (1 at home to Green Bay, 1 at Cincinnati) and his run blocking was strong in more than half his starts. Hadnot had a poor performance on 9 snaps against the Steelers in week 6 but whenever he started a game his play was to a far higher level than what Cleveland were getting. The Browns grabbed headlines with Jerome Harrisons 280+ yard performance against the Chiefs, but Hadnot was putting in strong performances throughout the second half of the season, with this being the occasion that the entire running game clicked. There’s not much rough to hunt around in with this reduced free agent class, but Hadnot is a player on the fringes who could get the chance to show his quality with increased playing time next season.
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