• B.C. at No. 1: It was another outstanding performance from the B.C. offensive line in Week 2. Sukh Chungh and Jarell Broxton both earned pass-blocking grades above 80.0 on true pass sets.
• Winnipeg's Jermarcus Hardrick stands out: Hardrick continued his push toward his first CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award. Through two weeks, he is the CFL's highest-graded run-blocker and ranks top-10 in pass-blocking grade.
• On to the next one: This was a week best forgotten for the Redblacks' offensive line, as four of the five starters finished with pass-blocking grades under 40.0.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
Few things are more important to a team’s success than the quality of its offensive line. Disastrous lines, or even disastrous weak-link mismatches, can determine the outcome of games, while strong units give an incredible advantage to an offense.
This CFL season, we will be keeping track of PFF’s offensive line rankings as well as highlighting the biggest weak-link player and their upcoming opponent to identify any obvious matchup advantage one way or the other.
Key:
Red text = weakest link
1. British Columbia Lions (No Change)
LT Jarell Broxton
LG Andrew Peirson
C Michael Couture
RG Sukh Chungh
RT Kent Perkins
• It was another outstanding performance from the B.C. offensive line in Week 2. Chungh and Broxton both earned pass-blocking grades above 80.0 on true pass sets.
• Chungh stood out in a big way. On top of his league-leading 86.0 pass-blocking grade, he also produced a 72.6 run-blocking grade that ranked top-five at the position.
• Couture struggled this past week, ending the game with a sub-60.0 pass-blocking grade. Across 38 snaps, he gave up a sack and a hurry and lost two more reps.
Upcoming Week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• The Bombers run a very vanilla defensive front, ranking seventh in blitz rate (36.8%) and eighth in stunt rate (20.7%). As a result, they enter Week 3 with a 27.6% pressure rate, seventh among CFL teams.
2. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (No Change)
LT Stanley Bryant
LG Geoff Gray
C Chris Kolankowski
RG Patrick Neufeld
RT Jermarcus Hardrick
• Hardrick continued his push toward his first CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award. Through two weeks, he is the CFL's highest-graded run-blocker and ranks top-10 in pass-blocking grade.
• Kolankowski had a major bounce-back week. He followed up his 58.9 pass-blocking grade from Week 1 with a 79.8 grade against the Roughriders in Week 2.
• Bryant struggled to a 39.7 pass-blocking grade in Week 2. He allowed five hurries from 35 pass-blocking snaps.
• Both guards could be tagged as the weakest link of this group, as they both have sub-50.0 pass-protection grades after two weeks. However, Neufeld earns the unfortunate distinction because he's the only member of this line who has a sub-60.0 run-blocking grade.
Upcoming Week: British Columbia Lions
• The Lions defense leads the CFL in team pass-rush grade at 75.0. They boast a third-ranked pressure rate (38.2%) and a second-ranked pass-rush win rate (55.9%).
3. Saskatchewan Roughriders (No Change)
LT Brandon Council
LG Evan Johnson
C Peter Godber
RG Logan Ferland
RT Eric Lofton
• Godber led his teammates in pass-blocking grade last week (68.3), allowing only one hurry from 47 pass-blocking snaps.
• Council followed up his 34.9 pass-blocking grade in Week 1 with a 58.7 grade against a tougher opponent in Week 2. He gave up two hits and one hurry but didn't give up a sack.
Upcoming Week: Calgary Stampeders
• Calgary is giving up only 3.3 yards per rush, second in the CFL, but they come in at fifth league-wide in team pressure rate (32.8%).
4. Montreal Alouettes (No Change)
LT Nick Callender
LG Pier-Olivier Lestage
C Justin Lawrence
RG Kristian Matte
RT Landon Rice
• No change for the idle Alouettes this week.
• The strength of this offensive line comes from its right side. Right tackle Landon Rice and right guard Kristian Matte both earned 70.0-plus overall grades in Week 1.
Upcoming Week: Hamilton Tiger-Cats
• Hamilton’s run defense has been poor so far. Through two weeks of action, the team ranks eighth in yards allowed per rush (4.8) and ninth in team run-defense grade (59.8).
• Hamilton’s pass rush doesn’t make up for the run defense. Despite leading the CFL in blitz rate (52.4%), they rank mid-table in pass-rush win rate (34.9%) and pressure rate (34.9%).
5. Toronto Argonauts
LT Isaiah Cage
LG Ryan Hunter
C Darius Ciraco
RG Peter Nicastro
RT Dejon Allen
• Allen single-handedly kept the Argos out of the basement of these rankings. He posted a marvelous 79.4 pass-blocking grade, with zero pressures allowed across 29 snaps.
• Hunter gets the unfortunate distinction of being the weakest link. Although he produced the best run-blocking grade of the five, his 18.2 pass-blocking grade is impossible to ignore. He gave up two hurries — and lost one more rep on top of that — across 23 plays.
Upcoming Week: Edmonton Elks
• Through the first two weeks of the CFL, the Elks are the worst defensive front in the league. They rank seventh in yards allowed per rush (4.6) and dead last in pressure rate (20.0%).
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (No Change)
LT Joel Figueroa
LG Brandon Revenberg
C David Beard
RG Dayton Black
RT Brandon Kemp
• The injury bug strikes again for the Tiger-Cats. The top performer from Week 1, Coulter Woodmansey, went down with an injury after just five plays. Dayton Black, the sixth overall pick of the 2023 CFL Draft, finished the game.
• Black earned a 62.2 pass-blocking grade across 39 snaps, giving up just one QB hurry.
• New right tackle Brandon Kemp was a welcome boost. While he still allowed four pressures and posted a 54.4 pass-blocking grade, it is a significant improvement from the 29.3 grade from all players at the position in Week 1.
Upcoming Week: Montreal Alouettes
• Largely due to their competition and one-game sample size, the Alouettes currently boast the highest-graded run defense in the CFL. They are allowing only 3.5 yards per rush, third to only Ottawa (3.2) and Calgary (3.3).
7. Calgary Stampeders (Down 2)
LT D’Antne Demery
LG Zack Williams
C Sean McEwen
RG Ryan Sceviour
RT Caleb Benenoch
• The Stampeders made two changes to their offensive line this week, giving Zack Williams and Caleb Benenoch their first starts of the season. They replaced Bryce Bell and Hugh Thornton, who struggled in Week 1.
• Williams earned a 58.8 pass-blocking grade, giving up one pressure from 34 snaps. Benenoch earned a 52.8 grade, giving up one pressure and losing an additional three reps.
• Benenoch also produced a 39.8 run-blocking grade, the worst mark of any CFL offensive lineman in Week 2.
Upcoming Week: Saskatchewan Roughriders
• Led by Anthony Lanier II and his league-leading pass rush win rate (31.9%) and second-ranked pressure rate (29.8%), the Roughriders possess the league's best pass rush.
8. Edmonton Elks (Down 1)
LT Andrew Garnett
LG David Foucault
C Mark Korte
RG Tomas Jack-Kurdyla
RT Josiah St. John
• St. John fared much better in pass protection this past week. Although his pass-blocking grade for the season is still a concerning 34.7, his 79.5 grade in Week 2 is hopefully a sign of his potential for the rest of the season.
• This running game needs significant improvement. All five starters have run-blocking grades under 60.0 on the year, and the Edmonton backs are averaging just 1.6 yards before contact per carry.
Upcoming Week: Toronto Argonauts
• The Argos had a great showing in their season opener, posting a pressure rate of 40.5%, second in the league.
9. Ottawa Redblacks (Down 1)
LT Dino Boyd
LG Drew Desjarlais
C Cyrille Hogan-Saindon
RG Jacob Ruby
RT Zack Pelehos
• This was a week best forgotten for the Redblacks' offensive line, as four of the five starters finished with pass-blocking grades under 40.0.
• New offseason addition Desjarlais is likely the only starting-caliber offensive lineman in this group. His 77.1 pass-blocking grade was a staggering 44.1 grading points higher than his next-closest teammate, Dino Boyd.
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