• Montreal is home to the league's highest-graded pass protector: Kristian Matte’s 81.4 pass-blocking grade is tops among all offensive linemen in the CFL, as he has given up just four hurries across 186 pass-blocking snaps on the year.
• A move up for the Argos: The Argos move up into the top three this week. As a unit, this offensive line ranks second in run-blocking grade (70.8), and they remain the only line in the league that is still yet to give up a sack.
• Edmonton struggles again: Another week means more struggles for this Elks group. Four of the five starters earned a sub-50.0 pass-block grade in Week 6.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Few things are more important to a team’s success than the quality of its offensive line. Disastrous lines, or even disastrous weak-link mismatches, can determine the outcome of games, while strong units give an incredible advantage to an offense.
This CFL season, we will be keeping track of PFF’s offensive line rankings as well as highlighting the biggest weak-link player and their upcoming opponent to identify any obvious matchup advantage one way or the other.
Key:
Red text = weakest link
1. Montreal Alouettes (No Change)
LT Nick Callender
LG Pier-Olivier Lestage
C Justin Lawrence
RG Kristian Matte
RT Landon Rice
• Pier-Olivier Lestage continues to be the highest-graded run-blocker in the CFL. He is currently the only offensive lineman in the league with a 90.0-plus run-blocking grade.
• Montreal is also home to the league's highest-graded pass protector. Kristian Matte’s 81.4 pass-blocking grade is tops among all offensive linemen in the CFL, as he has given up just four hurries across 186 pass-blocking snaps on the year.
Upcoming Week: BYE
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (No Change)
LT Stanley Bryant
LG Geoff Gray
C Chris Kolankowski
RG Patrick Neufeld
RT Jermarcus Hardrick
• Hardrick continues to shine on the right side of the Winnipeg offensive line. Among the 26 offensive tackles who have played 100 or more snaps, his 71.8 pass-blocking grade ranks fourth, and his 69.9 run-blocking grade ranks sixth.
• Kolankowski is the CFL’s top run-blocking center. His 75.7 run-blocking grade is tops at the position and five grading points better than the next-closest player. The sixth-year pro has won 16% of his run-blocking snaps, which is also a league-high for centers.
Upcoming Week: Edmonton Elks
• Edge defender Jake Ceresna is the Elks' top pass-rusher through the first quarter of the season. Ceresna has earned a 69.8 pass-rush grade to go along with 15 total pressures, including two sacks. He has a pass-rush win rate of 11.3%, a top-15 rate heading into Week 7.
3. Toronto Argonauts (Up 1)
LT Trevon Tate
LG Ryan Hunter
C Darius Ciraco
RG Peter Nicastro
RT Dejon Allen
• The Argos move up into the top three this week. As a unit, this offensive line ranks second in run-blocking grade (70.8), and they remain the only line in the league that is still yet to give up a sack.
• Right guard has been an issue all year for the Argos. Peter Nicastro, Dylan Giffen and Gregor Mackellar have all played significant snaps at right guard, but all three players have earned a sub-30.0 pass-blocking grade.
Upcoming Week: Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• The Tiger-Cats' top pass-rusher at this point in the season is edge defender Malik Carney. Carney has earned a pass-rush grade of 82.0 this year, second among qualifying edge defenders, with his 11.2% pressure rate coming in at 10th.
4. British Columbia Lions (Down 1)
LT Jarell Broxton
LG Andrew Peirson
C Michael Couture
RG Sukh Chungh
RT Kent Perkins
• The Lions enjoyed a Week 6 bye but move down one spot due to the consistently excellent play from the Argonauts offensive line.
Upcoming Week: Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Anthony Lanier II is off to a blazing start to the 2023 campaign. Through six weeks, he leads all qualifying edge defenders in pass-rush grade (83.0), pass-rush win rate (26.1%) and pressure rate (23.9%).
5. Saskatchewan Roughriders (No Change)
LT Eric Lofton
LG Evan Johnson
C Logan Bandy
RG Logan Ferland
RT Colin Kelly
• A concerning trend is forming in Saskatchewan, as the Roughriders offensive line has seen their pass-blocking grade fall from Week 1’s 72.0 to last week's 38.2.
• Peter Godber's absence has really hurt the Riders offensive line. His replacement, Logan Bandy, has earned a 58.9 run-blocking grade and 34.5 pass-blocking grade, a far cry from Godber’s 70.0-plus in marks in both.
Upcoming Week: British Columbia Lions
• Mathieu Betts' 80.5 pass-rush grade ranks third among qualifying edge rushers, but his 10 sacks on the year rank first. He's been as productive as they come, producing 26 pressures across 122 snaps so far.
6. Calgary Stampeders (No Change)
LT D’Antne Demery
LG Zack Williams
C Sean McEwen
RG Ryan Sceviour
RT Bryce Bell
• D’Antne Demery returned this week but had his first rough outing in pass protection, earning a 53.2 pass-blocking grade after allowing a sack, a hit and a hurry across 38 pass-blocking snaps.
• Sean McEwen has emerged as the leader of this group, leading them in both run-blocking grade (65.3) and pass-blocking grade (70.2). He is yet to allow a sack this season.
Upcoming Week: Ottawa Redblacks
• Edge defender Lorenzo Mauldin IV leads this Ottawa defensive line. He's earned a 66.6 pass-blocking grade, 14th at the position, but he's already racked up 21 total pressures (including four sacks). Only Willie Jefferson (31), Mathieu Betts (28) and Anthony Lanier II (22) have more QB pressures to their name through six weeks of action.
7. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (No Change)
LT Tyrone Riley
LG Brandon Revenberg
C David Beard
RG Coulter Woodmansey
RT Brandon Kemp
• It was an excellent week for the Tiger-Cats offensive line, as four of the five starters earned a PFF grade above 67.0. They allowed just five total pressures on the day.
• The strength of this offensive line is in the run-blocking. Tyrone Riley (85.3, first) and Brandon Kemp (75.0, fourth) each rank top-five at the position in run-blocking grade.
Upcoming Week: Toronto Argonauts
• Dewayne Hendrix continues to lead the charge from his spot on the interior defensive line, entering this matchup with a 79.2 pass-rush grade to go along with a top-five pass-rush win rate of 13.1%. He's picked up 19 total pressures — including four sacks — across 96 pass-rush snaps.
8. Ottawa Redblacks (No Change)
LT Dino Boyd
LG Drew Desjarlais
C Cyrille Hogan-Saindon
RG Jacob Ruby
RT Zack Pelehos
• It was an excellent week for Dino Boyd, who earned a season-high 72.8 pass-blocking grade across 58 snaps this week. In all, he surrendered just two pressures.
• Right guard Jacob Rudy continues to struggle. Through six weeks, his 50.7 overall grade ranks 18th among 20 qualifying guards. His 37.9 pass-blocking grade and 50.7 run-blocking grade are also bottom-of-the-league marks.
Upcoming Week: Calgary Stampeders
• Interior defensive lineman Mike Rose has led the Stamps’ pass rush so far this year. He has earned a 79.9 pass rush grade, third at the position, but he leads is peers in sacks on the season (6).
9. Edmonton Elks (No Change)
LT Martez Ivey
LG David Foucault
C Mark Korte
RG Tomas Jack-Kurdyla
RT Brett Boyko
• Another week means more struggles for this group. Four of the five starters earned a sub-50.0 pass-block grade in Week 6.
• As a group, this unit surrendered 12 pressures and a pressure rate of 25.3%, and things might not be getting any easier this week.
Upcoming Week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Willie Jefferson has racked up a league-leading 31 pressures through six games. He's picked up six sacks, seven hits and 18 hurries and ranks fourth at the position in pass-rush grade.
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