Which Teams Invested in the Offensive Line in 2026?

Don’t forget about the trenches. Offensive line play is difficult to quantify and is often overlooked when evaluating fantasy environments.

Every offseason, once the main part of free agency is over, I compile all the offensive line free-agent signings to get a quantitative sense of which teams are investing in the trenches. One of the best measures of a player's value and ability is the contract that they sign, so I sum the average annual value for each team's free agents in (players the team signed) and free agents out (players signed away by other teams) to calculate a net dollar value (net $ in) for each team.

I don’t think anyone else looks at free agency this way, but if they do, please let me know—I’d be interested in seeing their analysis.

A team with a large positive number means they brought in significantly more talent than they lost, and the team should be better up front. Conversely, a team with a big negative number means that they lost considerably more talent than they brought in, and the team’s offensive line should be worse. Quality coaching, good drafting, and the development of younger players can offset these losses in free agency.

When discussing line performance, I’ll refer to PFF’s Pass Blocking Efficiency metric and ESPN’s Run Blocking Win Rate.

The Big Spenders

Seven teams invested a net of $8 million or more in the offensive line this offseason. Here’s who they added, who they lost, and how those players graded—free agents by percentile among qualifying 2025 NFL linemen (min. 250 block snaps), draft picks by percentile within PFF’s 2025 FBS sample.

• Browns (+$43.0M, +4 net players): Cleveland is rebuilding a unit that finished near the bottom in 2025 (31st in PBE, 24th in RBWR). In came guard Zion Johnson ($16.5M from the Chargers; 36th percentile pass, 17th run, but a solid 73rd in PBE) and center Elgton Jenkins ($12M from Green Bay; a good 74th-percentile pass blocker, 81st PBE), while guard Wyatt Teller left for Houston. The trade acquisition of tackle Tytus Howard from the Texans—a former first-round pick signed to a three-year, $63M extension—gives Cleveland a legitimate starting right tackle who graded at the 63rd percentile in pass protection in 2025, though his run-blocking (11th percentile) is a concern. The draft the headline: first-rounder Spencer Fano (Utah, No. 9) graded in the 92nd percentile pass and 96th run—elite in both—and third-rounder Austin Barber (Florida) was the best run blocker in the class (100th percentile). This is one of the most complete offseason overhauls of any line in recent memory, and great news for Quinshon Judkins. The Browns' line could make a massive leap this season.
• Raiders (+$28.3M, +2 net players): Las Vegas had a poor front in 2025—bottom-third in both PBE and RBWR—so the investment makes sense. Center Tyler Linderbaum ($27M from Baltimore) is an elite run blocker (92nd percentile run-block grade) who's merely average in pass protection (47th). Swing lineman Spencer Burford ($3.3M from San Francisco) graded poorly (11th percentile pass). They lost only depth tackle Stone Forsythe. Third-round center Trey Zuhn III (Texas A&M) was the best pass blocker in the FBS sample (100th percentile), though just a 36th-percentile run blocker. The Linderbaum signing should help Ashton Jeanty.
• Lions (+$14.1M, +4 net players): Detroit's pass protection (16th in PBE) and run blocking (17th in RBWR) has been middling. They added center Cade Mays ($8.3M from Carolina; 63rd percentile pass, elite 94th in PBE), tackle Larry Borom ($5M from Miami; 57th pass, 19th run), and guard Ben Bartch ($1.2M; limited snaps), losing only guard Kayode Awosika to the Chargers. First-round tackle Blake Miller (Clemson, No. 17) is a high-end prospect—94th percentile pass, 90th run. The reinforcements seem to be aimed squarely at the pass-protection problem, so good news for Jared Goff and Co.
• Cardinals (+$14.0M, +4 net players): Arizona's unit was middling-to-weak in 2025—29th in PBE and 15th in RBWR—and added volume. Guard Isaac Seumalo ($10.5M from Pittsburgh) is the prize—91st percentile pass, 64th run—alongside guard Elijah Wilkinson ($3.1M; a 65th-percentile run blocker), tackle Matt Pryor ($1.5M; limited snaps in 2025), and tackle Olisaemeka Udoh ($1.4M; poor grades, 19th pass/36th run). They lost only Evan Brown. Second-round guard Chase Bisontis (Texas A&M) graded solidly (61st pass, 57th run). Seumalo is a genuine difference-maker on the interior, which should be good news for rookie RB Jeremiyah Love.
• Saints (+$11.3M, -1 net player): New Orleans made one big bet: guard David Edwards ($15.25M from Buffalo), among the better linemen to change teams (75th percentile pass, 66th run). But they lost two depth pieces—center Luke Fortner (to Carolina) and tackle Landon Young (to the Jets)—and didn't draft a lineman in the first three rounds, so they come out a net player down despite the spend. The line finished 2025 in the bottom-third in both PBE and RBWR.
• Patriots (+$10.8M, +2 net players): New England largely fixed this unit in 2025—6th in PBE and 12th in RBWR—and kept investing. The marquee add is guard Alijah Vera-Tucker ($14M from the Jets)—but he logged no qualifying 2025 snaps due to injury, so his health is worth monitoring. He was solid in both run and pass blocking in 2024. They also added tackle James Hudson ($1.4M; limited snaps) and lost left tackle Vederian Lowe to San Francisco. First-round tackle Caleb Lomu (Utah, No. 28) profiles as a pass-protection specialist—92nd percentile pass, 53rd run. A strong line getting deeper, banking on Vera-Tucker's return to form.

Research has shown that the offensive lines that make the biggest leaps tend to be ones that spend on free agency and use draft capital, and the Raiders, Browns, Texans, Cardinals, Lions, and Patriots all qualify this year.

The Big Losers

Five teams shed a net of $10 million or more in offensive line salary:

• Jets (-$22.8M, -1 net player): The Jets gutted their interior, losing guard Alijah Vera-Tucker ($14M to New England), though he didn’t play in 2025, and guard John Simpson ($10M to Baltimore; a 39th-percentile pass blocker, 27th run) while bringing back only depth tackle Landon Young ($1.2M from New Orleans, no qualifying 2025 snaps) and a few in-house re-signings. No early-round draft pick. The line was already shaky in 2025 (20th in PBE, 14th in run-block win rate), and doesn’t seem to be getting any better.
• Packers (-$16.0M, -2 net players): Green Bay let two starters walk—center Elgton Jenkins ($12M to Cleveland; 74th percentile pass) and left tackle Rasheed Walker ($4M to Carolina; 65th percentile pass)—with no first-three-round replacement. The Packers’ PBE cratered (26th), and losing two contributors without reinforcements is concerning.
• Ravens (-$14.5M, +1 net player): Baltimore is this year’s oddity—a net-positive player count but deeply negative in dollars—because they lost All-Pro-caliber center Tyler Linderbaum ($27M to Las Vegas; 92nd-percentile run blocker) and guard Daniel Faalele ($1.4M to the Giants) while adding three cheaper pieces: guard John Simpson ($10M from the Jets; 39th pass/27th run), center Danny Pinter ($2.75M; limited snaps), and center Jovaughn Gwyn ($1.2M; minimal snaps). First-round guard Vega Ioane (Penn State, No. 14) is a gem—98th percentile pass, 96th run, 98th PBE—and should soften the Linderbaum blow. The 2025 line was uneven (27th in PBE, 17th in RBWR), and replacing Linderbaum is the key issue.
• Colts (-$12.8M, -2 net players): Indianapolis lost two interior pieces—tackle/guard Braden Smith ($10M to Houston; 72nd percentile pass) and center Danny Pinter ($2.75M to Baltimore)—and made no early-round pick. The Colts’ run blocking was a 2025 strength (7th in run-block win rate), and pass protection was decent (12th in PBE), but these subtractions, especially Smith, aren’t going to help.
• Bills (-$12.4M, +1 net player, No. 28): Buffalo’s line was good in 2025—16th in PBE and 1st in run-block win rate—so this is subtraction from a position of strength. They lost guard/tackle David Edwards ($15.25M to New Orleans; 75th pass/66th run) and replaced him with two cheaper centers—Austin Corbett ($1.5M from Carolina; 43rd pass/60th run) and Lloyd Cushenberry ($1.4M from Tennessee; 52nd pass/13th run)—with no early draft pick.