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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Levi Damien

Ranking the AFC West by interior offensive linemen

We move inside to take a look at how the AFC West stacks up on the offensive line. Who are the top maulers and who is lagging behind. Let’s rank them 1-4.

1. Kansas City Chiefs

Feb 12, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, US; Kansas City Chiefs guard Andrew Wylie (77) and center Creed Humphrey (52) against the Philadelphia Eagles during Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

LG Joe Thuney, RG Trey Smith, C Creed Humphrey

Recently the Pro Football Network put out their rankings of the top 32 interior linemen in football and the Chiefs were the only team with all three IOL on the list. Two of whom — Humphrey and Thuney — rounded out the top five respectively. Smith landed at 20.

2. Los Angeles Chargers

Sep 12, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Los Angeles Chargers center Corey Linsley (63) and Chargers guard Matt Feiler (71) block Washington Football Team defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

LG Jamaree Salyer, RG Zion Johnson, C Corey Linsley

Linsley is one of the best centers in the league. Zion Johnson in entering his second seasons as the team’s pick at 17 overall in last year’s draft. They got a solid find in Salyer who started all last season as a rookie sixth round pick.

3. Denver Broncos

Aug 28, 2021; Landover, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens guard Ben Powers (72) blocks against the Washington Football Team at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

LG Ben Powers, RG Quinn Meinerz, C Lloyd Cushenberry

Meinerz had a very good second season in 2022. He is joined by one of the top free agent guards in Ben Powers. Cushenberry leaves much to be desired.

4. Las Vegas Raiders

Dec 4, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Helmets at the line of scrimmage as Las Vegas Raiders center Andre James (68) snaps the ball against the Los Angeles Chargers in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LG Dylan Parham, RG Alex Bars, C Andre James

When your best looking interior lineman is a rookie third round pick, you may have some problems. Parham showed a lot of promise despite bouncing around to different positions coming into last season. James underwhelmed as per usual. And Bars was downright horrific, with a PFF grade of 45.4 which is more than ten points lower than any other AFC West IOL last season.

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