Packers 2022 NFL Free Agency Preview: Guards, Centers
With NFL free agency officially starting on Wednesday (but the negotiating window opening on Monday), here is a look at the Green Bay Packers’ interior offensive line situation.
Packers Level of Need
Low as far as immediate need.
Packers Outlook
The key here isn’t so much the free-agent future of guard/center Lucas Patrick or whether versatile right tackle Billy Turner is in the long-term plans. Rather, it’s Elgton Jenkins. Is he a left guard, where he earned Pro Bowl honors in 2020? If he’s a guard, the Packers probably don’t need to re-sign Patrick. Or, after excelling at left tackle until suffering a torn ACL on Nov. 21, is he a right tackle? If that’s the case, then maybe Turner is expendable and they wouldn’t need to bring back Dennis Kelly. And regardless of position, when will Jenkins be cleared to return to action?
Strength of Free Agent Talent Pool
7, on a 1-to-10 scale. Several high-quality starters in the prime of their careers are available. The group of guards is much stronger than the batch of centers.
Best Available Guards in Free Agency
G Brandon Scherff, Commanders (30): The fifth-pick of the 2015 draft has been picked for the Pro Bowl in five of his seven seasons, including three in a row. When he plays, he’s as good as it gets at the position However, he’s missed 22 games the past four seasons due to injuries. He started 11 games in 2021 and didn’t allow a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.
G Connor Williams, Cowboys (24): A second-round pick in 2018 after playing left tackle at Alabama, Williams has 51 starts under his belt. He’s an athletic fit for a zone scheme. Of 61 regular starting guards, Williams ranked third in ProFootballFocus.com’s pass-blocking efficiency, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-protecting snaps. PFF charged him with one sack and 13 total pressures. Plus, he takes care of business in the run game. However, he was penalized 15 times, second-worst among guards.
G/C James Daniels, Bears (24): A second-round pick in 2018 with experience at guard and center, Daniels missed most of 2020 due to injury but returned to Pro Bowl-caliber form with 17 starts in 2021. At his age, he is an ascending player who thrives in a zone scheme. PFF charged him with three sacks and 40 total pressures, placing him 43rd in pass-blocking efficiency. He was penalized nine times.
G Laken Tomlinson, 49ers (30): A first-round pick by Detroit in 2015, the was shipped to the 49ers in 2017. Last year, he earned his first Pro Bowl honors. A rock, he’s started every game the past four seasons. According to PFF, he allowed two sacks and 24 total pressures to finish 17th in pass-blocking efficiency. He’s a terrific blocker in the zone game. Noted Orr SI.com’s free-agent preview: “With nearly half the league running a version of Kyle Shanahan’s offense right now, Tomlinson’s ability to win at the snap and position himself against the play side of the defensive tackle is notable.”
G Austin Corbett, Rams (26): The first pick of the second round in 2018 by the Browns, Cleveland gave up on him in 2019. Their loss was the Rams’ gain. He’s been really good in starting every game the past two seasons in the McVay-Shanahan-LaFleur offense. According to PFF, he allowed three sacks and 34 total pressures to finish 33rd in pass-blocking efficiency. He was penalized only twice.
G Alex Cappa, Buccaneers (27): A third-round pick out of Humboldt State, Cappa started all but three games the past three seasons. According to PFF, he allowed five sacks and 32 total pressures to finish 22nd in pass-blocking efficiency. He was penalized only once; only Green Bay’s Jon Runyan (zero) had fewer. Noted Gary Gramling in SI.com’s free-agent preview: “Wiith Ali Marpet retiring and the team either needing to break in an unproven passer or look outside for a veteran option, Cappa would seem to be an important building block.”
G Andrew Norwell, Jaguars (30): An undrafted free agent in 2014, Norwell earned All-Pro honors in 2017 and has started 111 games in eight seasons. According to PFF, he allowed three sacks and 24 total pressures to finish 11th in pass-blocking efficiency. He also was penalized nine times.
G Rodger Saffold, Titans (32): Saffold has had better seasons than he did in 2021, even though he was named to his first Pro Bowl. He started his career with the Rams as a left tackle in 2010, and has started at both guard spots the past nine years. According to PFF, he allowed two sacks and 26 total pressures to finish 40th in pass-blocking efficiency. He’s a high-quality run blocker.
G/T Germain Ifedi, Bears (27): Ifedi’s 83 starts in six seasons have come at right guard and right tackle. In 2021, a knee injury limited him to seven starts, though he was back for the end of the season. He allowed two sacks in the limited action, according to PFF. In two years with the Bears, he was guilty of nine penalties. From 2017 through 2019 with Seattle, he was flagged a staggering 43 times.
G Mark Glowinski, Colts (29): A fourth-round pick by Seattle in 2015, Glowinski really found himself the past four years in Indianapolis. The past three years, he missed only one game. He’s athletic and mean in the run game but lacking in pass protection. Just how lacking? According to PFF, he allowed two sacks and 38 total pressures to finish 56th out of 61 starting guards in pass-blocking efficiency. That was the worst of this year’s free agents. He was penalized only twice.
G Quinton Spain, Bengals (30): Spain is a 330-pound man with experience in power and zone schemes – including with Packers coach Matt LaFleur in Tennessee in 2018. He started 16 times last season for the Bengals as a rare bright spot on their bad line. According to PFF, he allowed five sacks and 23 total pressures to finish 22nd in pass-blocking efficiency. He’s a strong run blocker.
G Trai Turner, Steelers (28): A third-round pick in 2014, Turner earned Pro Bowl honors for Carolina from 2015 through 2019. He missed half the 2020 season with the Chargers but started all 17 games last season for Pittsburgh. According to PFF, he allowed seven sacks (worst among the free agents) but only 20 total pressures to finish 12th in pass-blocking efficiency. His pass protection numbers were helped by Ben Roethlisberger’s almost total disinterest in surveying the field and pushing the ball. Even with his ninth season on the horizon, he won’t turn 29 until June.
G A.J. Cann, Jaguars (30): Cann missed most of the 2021 season with a torn MCL but should be ready to go for 2022. He’s started at right guard throughout his career. In 2020 with Jacksonville, he allowed two sacks and 21 total pressures. He allowed one sack and 11 pressures while playing about 720 fewer snaps.
G Oday Aboushi, Chargers (30): A fifth-round pick by the Jets in 2013, he’s started for the Jets, Texans, Seahawks, Cardinals, Lions and, last year, the Chargers. He suffered a torn ACL in October. He’s been quite good in pass protection wherever he’s played, including a really solid season for Detroit in 2020.
G/T Michael Schofield, Chargers (31): Schofield has started 81 games in seven seasons, with ample experience at right tackle and, last year, at right guard. According to PFF, he allowed two sacks and 24 total pressures to finish in a tie for 17th in pass-blocking efficiency. He’s not as good in the run game, which will hurt his value.
G/C Ted Karras, Patriots (29): Karras has missed only one game the past three seasons, though he started only 13 times last season. Karras played about 2,100 snaps at center for the Patriots in 2019 and Dolphins in 2020. In 2021, most of his playing time came at left guard. According to PFF, he allowed three sacks and 11 total pressures to finish eighth in pass-blocking efficiency. He comes from a long line of football players; the great Alex Karras is among his uncles.
Best Available Centers in Free Agency
C Ryan Jensen, Buccaneers (31): A sixth-round pick in 2013, Jensen was named to his first Pro Bowl in 2021. He’s started every game the past five seasons. According to PFF, he allowed two sacks and 21 total pressures to finish ninth in pass-blocking efficiency. His four penalties on passing plays were the most among centers. Noted Conor Orr in SI.com’s huge free-agent preview: “While offensive line value when playing with Tom Brady can get inflated given how quickly Brady got rid of the football and kept himself out of harm’s way, Jensen had some of his best years blocking for the erratic Jameis Winston.”
C Ben Jones, Titans (32): Jones has missed just one game the past eight seasons. According to PFF, he allowed one sack and 26 total pressures to finish 22nd in pass-blocking efficiency. He’s one of the best zone-blocking centers in the league.
C Brian Allen, Rams (27): A fourth-round pick by the Rams in 2018, Allen suffered a season-ending knee injury midway through the 2019 season and didn’t return to the field in 2020. In 2021, he started 16 games. According to PFF, he allowed five sacks and 29 total pressures to finish in a tie for 22nd in pass-blocking efficiency. He’s got a lot of zone experience.
C/G Bradley Bozeman, Ravens (27): A sixth-round pick in 2018, he’s started every game the past three seasons – including 2021, his first year at center. According to PFF, he allowed three sacks and 21 total pressures to finish 13th in pass-blocking efficiency. Of course, blocking for an ultra-athletic quarterback is no picnic. He was penalized only once, best among centers.
G/C Lucas Patrick (28): Patrick went from undrafted free agent to reliable starter for the Packers. With production, versatility and toughness, he is underrated. As a guard in 2020, he finished sixth in ESPN’s pass-block win rate. As a center in 2021, he finished third in that metric. According to PFF, he allowed one sack and 18 total pressures to finish 13th in pass-blocking efficiency. The switch to the zone scheme three years ago seemed a poor fit but he’s made it work.
“Lucas Patrick is one of the most mentally tough guys I’ve been around,” quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.
C Matt Paradis, Panthers (32): Paradis has played in 98 games, all starts, but missed big chunks of the 2018 and 2021 seasons, so there are some durability concerns. Having suffered a torn ACL in early November, he might not be ready for the start of the season. According to PFF, he gave up five sacks and 35 pressures in 25 games the past two seasons, a huge improvement over three sacks and 47 pressures in 2019.
C Ethan Pocic, Seahawks: A second-round pick in 2017, Pocic started more than 11 games only once (14 in 2020). That was his first season at center after playing guard his first three years. He hasn’t panned out compared to his draft billing but he’s gotten better. That includes greatly reducing his penalty count.
C Austin Blythe, Chiefs (29): Blythe started all but one game for the Rams from 2018 through 2020. He signed with the Chiefs last offseason, only to see them draft center Creed Humphrey in the second round. Coupled with sports hernia surgery, Blythe played in four games with no starts.
