Not for the first time this offseason, the Green Bay Packers have been overlooked during preseason rankings. Green Bay was not included in PFFs list detailing the top ten offensive lines in football entering 2025, causing some upset among the fanbase, but is the team’s omission justified?
By using PFFs own grading from last season, the answer appears to be yes. The Packers ranked third in pass block grade in 2024 but only 22nd in run block grade.
After balancing out the pass and run grades for each team in the league from a year ago, Green Bay ranked tied for 12th overall; outside the top ten. It is of course arguable that pass blocking matters more in the modern NFL and should be weighted more heavily.
PFFs top ten in full consists of the Eagles at one, followed by the Broncos, Bills, Bears, Colts, Buccaneers, Vikings, Falcons, Jets and Chargers.
The Packers will not be losing any sleep over the rankings, and in fact they appear to have purposely built their offensive line in this way for quite some time, valuing pass protectors up front rather than road graders.
They have however made a concerted effort to beef up the interior of their line this offseason, with the additions of Aaron Banks in free agency and Anthony Belton in the draft, in an attempt to fortify the group as a whole, but possibly to aid the run game specifically.
The fact Green Bay was just outside the top ten a year ago in overall blocking, despite getting very little from their first-round pick Jordan Morgan – who will compete for the left tackle job this summer – before making two more premium investments, is perhaps the best argument as to why they should crack the list.
It is not as simple as that, however. Banks should provide a significant upgrade on Josh Myers, but there have been plenty of justifiable questions asked over whether the Packers overpaid. Will he alone be enough to turn the Packers into one of the best groups in the league?
Of course, Morgan and Belton can also be factored in, but how much stock should be put in the pair in terms of their potential impact in 2025, when neither may win a starting role?
Elgton Jenkins moving to center could be another big help, but that also remains to be seen. There are several X-factors at play which will help determine the overall ceiling of Green Bay’s offensive line, and there is projection involved.
Of the teams listed in the top ten, there are six teams who are justified using PFFs overall blocking grades in 2024: the Eagles, Broncos, Bills, Colts, Buccaneers and Falcons.
That means four teams from last year’s top-ten graded teams are projected for a falloff: the 49ers, Lions, Cardinals and Panthers.
Going case by case, the 49ers lost Banks to the Packers in free agency, as well as backup tackle Jaylon Moore to the Chiefs. Banks is expected to be replaced by Ben Bartch. A fall from fourth overall, where they ranked last year, out of the top ten entirely seems aggressive though.
Detroit lost standout center Frank Ragnow to a surprise retirement and Kevin Zeitler to free agency, and are putting a lot of faith in second-round rookie Tate Ratledge to potentially come in and start at the pivot. A drop off could be realistic.
The Cardinals and Panthers are likely victims of not having flashy names on their lines, despite performing well as a whole a year ago and not losing many pieces of note. It is not unreasonable to suggest other teams could step up and outperform them in 2025 though.
PFF is projecting a vault into the top ten for the Bears, Vikings, Jets and Chargers. Three of those four performed worse than the Packers in overall blocking grades a year ago, with the Bears ranked slightly ahead.
Chicago attacked the offensive line with purpose this offseason, trading for guards Joe Thuney and Jonah Jackson and signing center Drew Dalman in free agency, before drafting tackle Ozz7 Trapilo in the second round.
It is not difficult to see them improving, although their ranking of fourth on PFFs top ten seems a bit overzealous. Thuney has been excellent throughout his career at guard but turns 33 this season, while Jackson played only 267 snaps in 2024 due to injury.
The Vikings ranked 19th overall last year, so a jump to eighth would be quite something, even if the vision is clear.
With stud left tackle Christian Darrisaw returning from a knee injury and two veterans signed in center Ryan Kelly and guard Will Fries, as well as the drafting of guard Donovan Jackson in round one, there is real upside for a big improvement.
Again though, it is a projection. It looks like Jackson will be thrown in as a rookie, and there is no guarantee he hits the ground running. Fries played only 268 snaps last year, and Darrisaw has to rediscover his best form quickly. The depth behind the starting five is also quite thin.
The Jets, who ranked 15th last season in PFFs overall blocking grades, are very stout on the interior and have two first round picks set to play at left and right tackle, including Armand Membou who was a high draft pick this past April.
With Aaron Rodgers out of town, who had become less mobile and able to avoid sacks, it is easy to see how the Jets could make real strides and have a better year up front in 2025.
The Chargers ranked 17th in 2024, but they have name brands at left and right tackle in Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt, respectively. Alt played well as a rookie and it is fair to project some improvement in year two.
They are not as strong at guard and center though, and are putting a lot of stock in Mekhi Becton’s success in Philadelphia translating to his new team.
Overall, the Packers should not be automatically penciled into the top ten, and perhaps the more questionable element of the list is whether the likes of San Francisco, Detroit, Arizona and Carolina deserve to be bumped out in favor of the teams selected in their place.
The Packers offensive line has performed consistently well, but it is not a true snub to leave them out of the very best groups in the league based on their recent play and the various unknown quantities heading into 2025.
However, the argument for the Packers is that if indeed there are spots to be grabbed in the top ten, they may be better placed to do it than the Vikings, Jets or Chargers, given their offensive line performed better than any of them in 2024 and like those three teams, they also added to their group this offseason.
Another factor is that projected starters are most likely the main focus point for crafting the list, and depth, which is an element the Packers have a real advantage over other teams, may not be sufficiently factored in.