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Cleveland up 9

Right tackle Jack Conklin missed the first two games of the season while rehabbing a knee injury suffered last season. Conklin returned to practice this week in a limited fashion, but the team has increased his workload. All signs point to him making his debut on Thursday Night Football against the Steelers. With Chris Hubbard still bothered by a triceps injury, Conklin's return sends James Hudson to the reserve swing tackle role. The Browns as a franchise suffered a heartbreaking loss last week, but regardless of their other problems, the offensive line has performed among the league's best, even without Conklin. With him in the lineup, they grade inside the top five.

Tampa Bay up 3

Reserve tackle Josh Wells was forced from last week's win over New Orleans with a calf injury. Rookie Brandon Walton received the rest of the snaps, the first game action of his career. Meanwhile, Wells was added to the injured reserve list this week. So why is Tampa Bay's offensive line getting an upgrade? Because the usual starter Donovan Smith practiced on Wednesday for the first time since injuring his elbow against Dallas in the season opener. Smith is officially listed as questionable, but he is known for playing through pain, so expect him to be in the lineup for this Sunday's home game against Green Bay. The Buccaneers' line has had a rough patch of injuries, but they still rank eighth in the current grades.

Baltimore up 12

Since injuring his ankle during Week 1 of last season, left tackle Ronnie Stanley has had a rough rehab. The team activated him from the PUP list about a month ago, and he's been practicing in a limited fashion for two weeks. Still, that ankle hasn't been completely 100%, and the coaches have held Stanley out of action, being patient with his situation. While Stanley is still officially questionable and practicing in a limited fashion, the beat writers have seen increased work given Stanley's way. This projection is a bit of a gamble, but there's a decent chance Stanley could make his season debut this weekend at home against New England. It's anyone's guess what kind of rust Stanley will have to shake off given his extended absence, but when healthy, he's among the better left tackles in the league. Assuming Stanley is in the lineup (and utility backup Patrick Mekari to the bench), the Ravens' offensive line cracks the top 10, sitting at ninth overall.

Green Bay up 17

Right tackle Elgton Jenkins made the start last week against Chicago and played 100% of the snaps, Jenkins had been rehabbing a knee injury that occurred late last year and his return has been months in the making. Jenkins is among the league's most dominant and underrated offensive linemen, nearly as good at tackle as he was at left guard. Jenkins' return allows Royce Newman to slide back inside to right guard and returns Jake Hanson to the bench. Although there is still no sign of David Bakhtiari, left guard Jon Runyan quickly passed the concussion protocol and played well against Chicago. With these two starters returning to the lineup, the Packers' offensive line climbs out of the lower reaches of the rankings and grades at 12th overall this week before a challenging road test at Tampa Bay. If this line ever got Bakhtiari healthy, they have elite top-five potential.

Downgrades

Houston down 3

The Texans placed center Justin Britt on the Non-Football Injury list requiring him to miss at least four games. While Britt's exact situation has not been confirmed, teams have recently used the NFI list for players with mental health issues. Justin Britt does have a great deal of experience, over 80 games started in his career, but this is a relatively small downgrade because the difference between Britt and the backup Scott Quessenberry isn't huge. The team also signed Jimmy Morrissey from their practice squad, who is next in line for the job. Even with the disruption at center, this is still a surprisingly decent Texans offensive line, 15th in the latest rankings.

Washington down 9

Only last week, I was here spouting the praises of the Commanders' offensive line, even making them the picture for my Week 2 article. Perhaps this was a jinx as Chase Roullier suffered a serious leg injury early in the contest, and the line's interior fell apart. Wes Martin took the remainder of the center snaps, and the team had trouble communicating blocking assignments and picking up Detroit's exotic blitzes. This week, the team signed free agent center Nick Martin, who started 60-plus games for the Texans but could not crack last year's lineup in Las Vegas. Wes Schweitzer is another possibility for the center job, but he's recently been dealing with a hamstring injury. This is still an okay line, but there's a big drop-off without Roullier.

Detroit down 15

This is a tough downgrade for me after seeing their dominant performance last week. This Lions' offensive line still played well despite missing their three interior starters. Dan Skipper replaced LG Jonah Jackson (finger), C Frank Ragnow (toe) missed the game for Evan Brown, while RG Logan Stenberg has already been starting for Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who is on IR. Still, rules are rules, and the model doesn't like it when starters miss time. While Ragnow returned to practice this week, he was limited and likely to miss another game. This is a downgrade, but just know my heart isn't in it. I don't know what coach Dan Campbell puts in the water, but this Lions' group has been playing inspired football. With all the changes, they grade 19th this week before facing a tough divisional foe in Minnesota.

LA Chargers down 11

Friday Update - C Corey Linsley (knee) and Trey Pipkins (ankle) left last week's game against Kansas City and did not return. Both players are listed as "day-to-day" and were initially included in the model this weekend against Jacksonville. However, Linsley has been downgraded to doubtful and Will Clapp (former New Orleans Saint, 6 career starts) is likely to get the call on Sunday. This is a potentially huge drop off, and the Chargers' line falls to 21st on this news.

Cincinnati down 10

Right tackle La'El Collins played 100% of the snaps against his former team in Dallas last week. Unfortunately, Collins has missed practice with a back problem this week, and his status for the Jets game is in doubt. Most of the time, a player who played the entire game prior would still be included in the rankings, but Collins has a chronic history of back problems and usually doesn't play through it when it flares. Collins could prove me wrong and be completely healthy by Sunday, but should Collins need to miss time, D’Ante Smith is the backup swing tackle, with Hakeem Adeniji as another option. The Bengals' line has taken flack for not protecting Joe Burrow this season, and some of that is due to Collins' back. The other factor is replacing four of five starters in the offseason can lead to miscommunications, like leaving Micah Parsons unblocked for a few key plays last week. Overall, this group has the potential to pull it together, but they've yet to do so. The Bengals' line ranks 25th in the latest rankings.

Tennessee down 5

Left tackle Taylor Lewan suffered a knee injury early in Monday Night Football against Buffalo. While Lewan has not been added to the injured reserve list as of press time, rumors are he will be lost for the season. While Lewan is a team leader and has a great reputation, he's been injury prone in recent seasons, and his performance has been downgraded from the 2018 season. That was the last time he made the Pro Bowl and the last time he played a complete season. Dennis Daley replaced Lewan in the game, but he's more of an emergency option. With Jamarco Jones still using a triceps injury, the team has several options to replace Lewan. They could move rookie Nicholas Petit-Frere to left tackle and elevate last year's second-round pick, Dillon Radunz, to the right tackle spot. However the team goes forward, this is a below-average group with Lewan and worsens without him. The Titans' line falls to 28th in the rankings before traveling to Las Vegas on a short week of rest.

LA Rams down 4

Right guard Tremayne Anchrum only lasted two snaps into his NFL debut before suffering a season-ending broken ankle. Alaric Jackson had a false start penalty but otherwise played a quiet game in replacement. The team elevated Oday Aboushi from their taxi squad, and he has enough experience to make the coaches think about swapping out Jackson. Center Brian Allen is still at least two weeks away from health, and the team is running out of configurations. This Rams' group started average but has suffered through what feels like a season's worth of injuries in only two weeks. The group travels to Arizona for a divisional matchup this weekend. They have fallen to almost the bottom of the rankings: 31st overall.

Other News

BUF - C Mitch Morse has been limited in practice with an elbow injury but is still in the ranks.

IND - LT Matt Pryor and Bernard Raimann have had a 70/30 split in Week 2. The coaches are force-feeding reps to the rookie.

LVR - The Raiders traded with New England for Justin Herron. In the coming weeks, this Herron could challenge Jermaine Eluemunor for the right tackle job.

MIA - LT Terron Armstead has missed practice with a toe injury. This has become a weekly occurrence, where Armstead doesn't practice but plays 100% of snaps.

NYJ - LT George Fant has been resting his knee injury in practice but is still in the ranks. Duane Brown was spotted in practice, but it's unclear how far away he is from a return.

NOS - RT Ryan Ramcyzk has been limited in practice with an elbow but should be fine to face Carolina.

SEA - LG Damien Lewis has been struggling with a thigh injury. He played last week against San Francisco but only 40% of snaps (Phil Haynes took the rest).

SFO - Still no sign of G Daniel Brunskill, who has been rehabbing a hamstring tear since the preseason. Aaron Banks and Spencer Burford have played well in his place; look for Brunskill to be a bench player when he returns.

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