The NFL is mere days away from the official start of the 2023 season. The new league year begins March 15, and teams will spend the next several months trying to upgrade their rosters so that they can potentially take down the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs next season.
Part of that process, of course, is free agency. With that in mind, we're going to be taking a look at the players likely available to be signed this offseason. We're going position by position, beginning this week on the offensive side of the ball.
We've already covered the running backs, wide receivers, and interior offensive linemen. Today, we'll continue with the offensive tackle market. Instead of ranking the linemen, though, we're going to break them down by position, and give you an overview of what types of players are available.
The list of available free agents and snap rates are courtesy of overthecap.com.
Left tackles
| Player | 2022 Team | Type | Snaps | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greg Little | Dolphins | UFA | 50.0% | 26 |
| Chuma Edoga | Falcons | UFA | 5.2% | 26 |
| Orlando Brown | Chiefs | UFA | 98.4% | 27 |
| Calvin Anderson | Broncos | UFA | 38.6% | 27 |
| Matt Pryor | Colts | UFA | 50.1% | 29 |
| Dan Skipper | Lions | UFA | 33.5% | 29 |
| Ja'Wuan James | Ravens | UFA | 2.2% | 31 |
| Taylor Lewan | Titans | SFA | 6.2% | 32 |
| Eric Fisher | Dolphins | UFA | 0.0% | 32 |
| Jason Peters | Cowboys | UFA | 19.9% | 41 |
The pickings are fairly slim on the blindside protector market, which shouldn't be that surprising. Most teams that have quality left tackles do not let them hit the open market. The best player here is Orlando Brown, and it's looking like the Chiefs will use the franchise tag on him once again. The rest of the group is fairly uninspiring, though James was a pretty good player before injuries derailed his career. Lewan could be worth a low-cost flier because he won't count against a team's compensatory pick formula, but age, injuries, and declining play are why he's on the street at this stage of his career.
Right tackles
| Player | 2022 Team | Type | Snaps | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terence Steele | Cowboys | RFA | 69.1% | 26 |
| Jawaan Taylor | Jaguars | UFA | 97.7% | 26 |
| Trey Pipkins | Chargers | UFA | 75.3% | 27 |
| Kaleb McGary | Falcons | UFA | 100.0% | 28 |
| Mike McGlinchey | 49ers | UFA | 94.4% | 28 |
| Brandon Parker | Raiders | UFA | 0.0% | 28 |
| Andrew Wylie | Chiefs | UFA | 95.0% | 29 |
| Jermaine Eluemunor | Raiders | UFA | 85.4% | 29 |
| Bobby Hart | Bills | UFA | 11.5% | 29 |
| Storm Norton | Chargers | RFA | 7.1% | 29 |
| Germain Ifedi | Falcons | UFA | 0.8% | 29 |
| Cedric Ogbuehi | Jets | UFA | 25.8% | 31 |
| Brandon Shell | Dolphins | UFA | 72.1% | 31 |
| Billy Turner | Broncos | UFA | 42.5% | 32 |
| Kelvin Beachum | Cardinals | UFA | 97.9% | 34 |
| Mike Remmers | Jets | UFA | 5.5% | 34 |
| Riley Reiff | Bears | UFA | 52.5% | 35 |
| Marcus Cannon | Patriots | UFA | 19.8% | 35 |
There is quite a bit more to choose from when looking for players to play on the right side of the line than there is on the left. McGary and McGlinchey have been above-average starters for most of their careers. Taylor has flashed upside but not necessarily consistency. Wylie has become a solid starter in Kansas City and Pipkins acquitted himself just fine for the Chargers this past season. Steele (a restricted free-agent coming off an injury) just had the best year of his career. And there are some former left tackles who have swung over to the opposite side of the line and extended their careers, like Beachum, Remmers, and Reiff, while Turner has played all over the line throughout his career.
Swing tackles
| Player | 2022 Team | Type | Snaps | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foster Sarell | Chargers | ERFA | 21.0% | 25 |
| Yosuah Nijman | Packers | RFA | 69.1% | 27 |
| Blake Hance | Jaguars | ERFA | 3.5% | 27 |
| Andre Dillard | Eagles | UFA | 3.1% | 28 |
| Isaiah Wynn | Patriots | UFA | 40.3% | 28 |
| George Fant | Jets | UFA | 46.5% | 31 |
| Cameron Fleming | Broncos | UFA | 85.9% | 31 |
| Cameron Erving | Panthers | UFA | 7.5% | 31 |
| Chris Hubbard | Browns | UFA | 3.3% | 32 |
| Dennis Kelly | Colts | UFA | 20.9% | 33 |
| Ty Nsekhe | Rams | UFA | 41.3% | 38 |
These are players that have at different times been asked to play on both sides of the ball. There are varying levels of competence among this group, and also varying levels of experiences. Nijman has filled in at both left and right tackle over the past couple seasons in Green Bay, but he's a restricted free agent. Dillard's a former first-round pick who never cracked the lineup in Philly, while Wynn's a former first-rounder who has seemingly declined during his tenure with the Patriots. Fant has been a starter on both sides of the line, while Fleming and Erving are longtime swing tackles who have also been asked to start at different stages of their career, and the same is true of Nsekhe.