The rules of the Uncapped season requiring six seasons of service for a player to become an unrestricted free agent has neutered this free agent class to a large extent. That said there is still a free agent class to assess so Ben Stockwell continues PFF's free agency preview by turning his attention to the Offensive Tackles with some interesting results …
Top players, irrespective of position, tend not to hit the open market and Offensive Tackle is no different. If you’ve got a good one you do everything possible to keep hold of them so as per usual the free agent class at OT is constructed largely of older veterans and journeyman players, with a couple of teams (Arizona & Green Bay) having two tackles hitting the open market at the same time. As with other positions in this free agent class the nature of the CBA and increased RFA takes away some strong players who otherwise might’ve seen some offers, but with compensation required the likes of Willie Colon and Tyson Clabo are unlikely to draw offer sheets. That’s not necessarily for all of the restricted free agent tackles in this class however as one leads the way in our Top 5 Ranked Offensive Tackles.
1. Jared Gaither (RFA)
Gaither is a RFA who should be considered good enough that at any tender level he may attract interest & offer sheets from a Left Tackle hungry team. Gaither had an injury affected 2009 season (most notably the neck injury he received in week 4 against the Patriots) but in the games he played in 2009 he showed the consistency that his 2008 season lacked. In 2008 (his first season as a starter) Gaither showed for long stretches his high quality as both a run & pass blocker and in 2009 he added consistency. Whilst his sacks given up increased (from 2 in 2008 to 4 in 2009), total pressures conceded greatly decreased (27 to 13. Gaither improved his consistency this season on both a game to game and play to play basis; if he can disprove the doubters with regards his work ethic he should soon enter the top tier of tackles in the NFL. The Ravens will doubtless give Gaither a very high tender but he could still draw offer sheets at even that tender so the question then becomes whether the Ravens trust Michael Oher to switch to Left Tackle (his starts at left tackle this season don’t offer much comfort on that front). With Gaither & Oher the Ravens have a fine pair of book ends they can build around for a decade however with the restrictions of the final 8 rules they may feel that a high pick in return for Gaither allows them to do more this off-season to fill other needs. It will be an interesting situation that plays out with Gaither.
2. Chad Clifton
The Packers had to do without the services of Clifton on 5 occasions last season and whilst Clifton’s performances themselves were nothing to write home about; those who deputised for him struggled all the more in his stead. Clifton’s best days are behind him and his ability as a run blocker in particular is in a marked decline. Performances such as his game at Chicago in week 14 where he put in a strong performance blocking for the run and a perfect day in pass protection shows he’s still capable of good performances, but they are few and far between. Clifton at this stage of his career is unlikely to see anything but short term contract offers but he is still someone to rely on to start and keep the QB relatively clean on his blind side. Poor performances against Tampa Bay (W9 – 1 sack, 2 hits, 2 pressures) and Seattle (W16 – 1 sack, 4 pressures) were rare and for that alone Clifton will still have value on the open market.
3. Mark Tauscher
The Packers tried desperately to replace Tauscher whilst he was unavailable with injury last season but as with their replacements for the injured Clifton at left tackle, none of them could play to a standard to keep Tauscher out of the starting line up. As with Clifton, the returning Tauscher’s standard of play was poor and similarly much like Clifton, Tauscher’s best days (principally as a run blocker again) are behind him. He was (by and large) a solid pass protector this season and can still offer something in that regard, but in his nine starts this season he had no games with perfect pass protection and he produced his worst game in pass protection in the playoff loss to the Cardinals (7 pressures conceded). There are many parallels to be drawn between Tauscher & Clifton (as this little segment suggests), and Tauscher would appear to hold similar value to Clifton on the open market, (though obviously slightly devalued by his presence at RT, compared to Clifton at LT). As a capable pass protector he will continue to find a home (even as a stop gap) for a couple more seasons yet until those injuries finally catch up with him.
4. Jeremy Bridges
Versatility is an overused word in the NFL these days, but Bridges versatility in being able to play at multiple positions is possibly his biggest strength. Unfortunately his play at those positions isn’t necessarily up to a great standard. In six starts at left tackle Bridges mustered only 1 game with perfect pass protection (week 15 at Detroit), coming up with particularly poor performances against St Louis in week 16 (1 sack, 2 hits, 3 pressures) and in the divisional playoff loss against the Saints (1 hit, 4 pressures). Clearly Bridges was not signed as a starting tackle last year and nothing he showed in six starts at left tackle will make him that this off-season. Bridges does bring that versatility though and his solid performances at Tackle and Guard for the Panthers previously will appeal to a team looking for someone to compete for a starting spot, but prepared to back up.
5. Mike Gandy
It’s stunning to think that the Cardinals can have had such an outstanding passing attack with the likes of Mike Gandy on the offensive line for the last few years, but it shows that there truly are no hard & fast rules when it comes to the NFL where a poor offensive line does not prevent a team from having a high powered offence. It’s also a mark of how weak the class is that Gandy receives a mention here with restricted free agents taking probably a dozen players off of the market if they are tendered. Gandy mustered 1 games with perfect pass protection (week 10 vs. Seattle, though 2 penalties in that game) but balance that with tremendously poor games such as week 3 vs. Indianapolis (2 sacks, 3 hits, 5 pressures), week 1 vs. the 49ers (1 hit, 5 pressures) and his final game at the 49ers (2 sacks, 1 hit, 1 pressure) amongst many others. Gandy is unlikely to get consideration as anything more than a backup at this stage of his career but stranger things have happened and teams can tend to cling to those that they know, so Gandy may yet return to start in Arizona. The Cardinals would well served upgrading at left tackle rather than welcoming Gandy back to invite more pressure off the left side.
Diamond in the Rough -Tony Pashos
Pashos is very much a one dimensional tackle. Ever since his arrival in Jacksonville (after one solid season starting in Baltimore in 2006) his pass blocking has never quite up to scratch but his run blocking has managed to make up for that. His last full season as a starter in 2008 for the Jaguars illustrated that perfectly with games such as his week 11 performance at home to Tennessee (1 sack, 3 hits, 5 pressures) balanced by dominant run blocking performances against Indianapolis (W3), Houston (W4), Cincinnati (W9) and Detroit (W10). His poor pass protection (and the Jaguars bringing in 3 new tackles) ultimately saw him shake loose and wind up in San Francisco. He was slowly eased into the line-up and was injured in his first start at Houston in week 7, but in those games he was a sizeable upgrade over Adam Snyder at right tackle. Should Pashos show he can fully recover from his shoulder injury he should wind up with another starting gig as a right tackle as though he is clearly limited as a pass protector his run blocking is strong enough that he’ll be an upgrade for a team out there.
Wildcards – Jammal Brown (RFA)/Marcus McNeill (RFA)
Brown & McNeill are two tackles who have reps as top line tackles but in our two full seasons (around half of their respective careers) watching and grading every play here at Pro Football Focus, we have never quite believed that these two players are worth the reputation they have acquired. For Brown we clearly have to go back to his performances in 2008 to see what he has to offer and it doesn’t paint a pretty picture of someone we think is worth sprinting out to sign to an offer sheet. By and large Brown was average all of that season, pitted with a terrible game against the Buccaneers in week 13 (poor run blocking, 2 penalties and 3 hits/3 pressures in pass protection). Brown’s run blocking is as strong as his pass protection is weak and he’s not the worst tackle in the league, but that’s hardly a ringing endorsement for someone that some corners of the media are suggesting might be worth going out and signing to a high offer sheet. Whilst Brown was consistently average, McNeill paints a picture of inconsistency, sometimes solid, too often sub standard. It is rare that McNeill puts in a poor shift as a pass protector but it is just as rare that he puts in a strong shift as a run blocker; this has been the case going back over the last two seasons. His pass protection is consistently average registering only 2 games with perfect pass protection (W13 at Cleveland & W15 vs. Cincinnati), but never putting in a truly shambolic performance. As with Brown, a team could do worse but to go out and invest heavily in terms of dollars and picks would be frivolous based upon what either has shown in recent seasons. However, with the state of this free agent market it’s worth keeping at least an eye on these two to see whether anyone feels like selling the farm and breaking the bank for an average left tackle.
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