The offensive line should be in good shape as long as they stay healthy. There is depth but there are still some positions that can’t take injuries.
There are 17 offensive linemen on the roster, but I expect 7-8 to make up the main players in the group.
I can identify the core players who will be the ones who see the field. But predicting what position they play will be tougher.
If the season started right now, I am going with this:
LT- Puni
LG- Reed-Adams
C- Novitsky
RG- Ford
RT- Cabeldue
With the next in line Kobe Baynes, Spencer Lovell and Logan Brown.
The most difficult part is predicting the starting group because of Fuchs ability to cross-train players that allows him to plug-and-play.
For instance…. Let’s say Logan Brown has a great fall camp and shows he can take over the left tackle spot. That allows Puni to move back to guard and someone else will be on the second team.
If Novitsky gets injured Michael Ford takes over at center and Kobe Baynes slides in. If Cabeldue gets injured Baynes moves to right tackle and Lovell to right guard.
You see where I am going with this?
There are several players who can move between tackle and guard or guard and center or right side to the left. That is a great luxury to have as a coach. One spot I don’t think they can absorb early injuries is tackle. There just aren’t enough proven tackles and that’s why Puni has moved to left tackle.
Fuchs has created a solid rotation with the opportunity to move so many players. Going into fall camp there really is no drama with the offensive line. I know who the main players will be, and the question will be who wins the spots at guard and I expect several to get snaps regardless if they start.
The wild card in my opinion is Baynes. I think there is a chance he starts the season as the #2 right guard and #2 right tackle. He can move around and play where Fuchs needs him. The competition this fall will be at guard. Between Reed-Adams, Ford, Lovell and Baynes there is a good group to push each other.
That’s the only position battle going on right now. We know who the eight players at the top of depth chart are. The question will be who emerges at the guard spots and will they stay healthy through fall camp. Barring a surge from Logan Brown I am confident that Puni, Novitsky and Cabeldue are your three starters. Then there will be competition for the interior.
Just keep in mind how things can change if Fuchs decides to shift players around. He’s told me several times he is going to play the best five guys. That doesn’t always mean the best two tackles, two guards and a center.
I have heard good things about Livingston and Clements. If Livingston could have stayed healthy it would have been a plus because he was developing. I get the sense they like the future of the tackle position with those two.
I don’t know how talented this group is, but Fuchs gets them to play well as a whole. He molds lines. They are also helped by the scheme from Kotelnicki, and they do a good job of staying out of third and long. It also helps to have mobile quarterbacks who elude pressure.
Last year Bostick and Novitsky gave up two sacks and Puni and Cabeldue gave up one. Those are impressive numbers according to the PFF stats. If the OL can hold up those kind of numbers again the offense will be good.
There are 17 offensive linemen on the roster, but I expect 7-8 to make up the main players in the group.
I can identify the core players who will be the ones who see the field. But predicting what position they play will be tougher.
If the season started right now, I am going with this:
LT- Puni
LG- Reed-Adams
C- Novitsky
RG- Ford
RT- Cabeldue
With the next in line Kobe Baynes, Spencer Lovell and Logan Brown.
The most difficult part is predicting the starting group because of Fuchs ability to cross-train players that allows him to plug-and-play.
For instance…. Let’s say Logan Brown has a great fall camp and shows he can take over the left tackle spot. That allows Puni to move back to guard and someone else will be on the second team.
If Novitsky gets injured Michael Ford takes over at center and Kobe Baynes slides in. If Cabeldue gets injured Baynes moves to right tackle and Lovell to right guard.
You see where I am going with this?
There are several players who can move between tackle and guard or guard and center or right side to the left. That is a great luxury to have as a coach. One spot I don’t think they can absorb early injuries is tackle. There just aren’t enough proven tackles and that’s why Puni has moved to left tackle.
Fuchs has created a solid rotation with the opportunity to move so many players. Going into fall camp there really is no drama with the offensive line. I know who the main players will be, and the question will be who wins the spots at guard and I expect several to get snaps regardless if they start.
The wild card in my opinion is Baynes. I think there is a chance he starts the season as the #2 right guard and #2 right tackle. He can move around and play where Fuchs needs him. The competition this fall will be at guard. Between Reed-Adams, Ford, Lovell and Baynes there is a good group to push each other.
That’s the only position battle going on right now. We know who the eight players at the top of depth chart are. The question will be who emerges at the guard spots and will they stay healthy through fall camp. Barring a surge from Logan Brown I am confident that Puni, Novitsky and Cabeldue are your three starters. Then there will be competition for the interior.
Just keep in mind how things can change if Fuchs decides to shift players around. He’s told me several times he is going to play the best five guys. That doesn’t always mean the best two tackles, two guards and a center.
I have heard good things about Livingston and Clements. If Livingston could have stayed healthy it would have been a plus because he was developing. I get the sense they like the future of the tackle position with those two.
I don’t know how talented this group is, but Fuchs gets them to play well as a whole. He molds lines. They are also helped by the scheme from Kotelnicki, and they do a good job of staying out of third and long. It also helps to have mobile quarterbacks who elude pressure.
Last year Bostick and Novitsky gave up two sacks and Puni and Cabeldue gave up one. Those are impressive numbers according to the PFF stats. If the OL can hold up those kind of numbers again the offense will be good.
