Last offseason, offensive lineman such as Mike McGlinchey (five years, $87.5 million to the Denver Broncos), Jawaan Taylor (four years, $80 million to the Kansas City Chiefs), and Orlando Brown Jr. (four years, $64 million to the Cincinnati Bengals) signed big contracts in free agency. This class of free agent offensive lineman is not as strong, but owing to supply and demand, many of them will be handsomely compensated. The Los Angeles Rams have already signed guard Kevin Dotson to a three-year, $48 million contract extension, eliminating one top free agent possibility.
When Smith plays, he remains very good. The problem is that he hasn’t played a complete season since 2015, and durability often doesn’t improve at age 33. Many clubs require offensive line help, and some will take the injury risk to sign one of the top left tackles of this era, hoping that Smith provides them closer to the 13 games he played in 2023 than the six he played in 2020 and 2022 combined.
Brown is still a competent tackle, so he’s valuable. Injuries and age (Brown will be 31 next season) are concerns, but he is still a top-tier run blocker with 93 career starts, so he can be a reliable member of an offensive line as long as he stays healthy.
Onwenu could be in for a hefty payoff. Unlike some of the other offensive lineman in free agency, he benefits from his age. He’s only 26 years old. He has started at guard and tackle and spent the majority of last season at right tackle, where he performed well. The former sixth-round pick has outstanding size at 350 pounds and will be a top priority for many teams with cap room and offensive line concerns.
