CFL Week 7 Offensive Line Rankings: Montreal and Toronto continue to battle for No. 1

2XK3W2R Hamilton Tiger Cats running back James Butler (9) celebrates after his touchdown with teammates during Canadian Football League game action against the Toronto Argonauts in Hamilton, Ontario, Saturday, July 20, 2024. (Peter Power/The Canadian Press via AP)

• Montreal reclaims No. 1 after Toronto's down week: Despite being on a bye, the Alouettes take the top spot.

• Edmonton tumbles after strong performances by others: The unit was still solid in Week 7, earning 64.6 overall, 63.6 run-blocking and 62.9 pass-blocking grades.

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Week 7 of the 2024 CFL season is in the books.

These post-Week 7 lineups include players who played the most at each position, and highlighted in red are those with a season-long PFF grade below 60.0.


1. Montreal Alouettes (Up 1)

LT Nick Callender
LG Pier-Oliver Lestage
C Justin Lawrence
RG Philippe Gagnon
RT Josh Donovan

The Alouettes claim the top spot, despite being on a bye, after the Argonauts' down week in pass protection. 


2. Toronto Argonauts (Down 1)

LT Isiah Cage
LG Ryan Hunter
C Peter Nicastro
RG Gregor MacKellar
RT Dejon Allen

It was a very poor week for the Argonauts in pass protection against the Tiger-Cats. Their unit-wide 54.0 pass-blocking grade was the worst mark in the CFL. This dropped them to a 62.5 season-long pass-blocking grade, going from third to fifth place.

Torontos' guards struggled against Hamilton's defensive interior. MacKellar (10.9) and Hunter (40.4) finished in the bottom six of all CFL starting linemen in PFF pass-blocking grade.


3. Calgary Stampeders (No Change)

LT Eric Smith
LG Bryce Bell
C
Sean McEwen
RG Zack Williams
RT Trevon Tate

Calgary entered Week 7 without its top two offensive linemen, left tackle D’Antne Demery and right tackle Joshua Coker, both on the single-game injury list. Despite that, the unit continued its streak of not having a negatively graded single week in pass protection, earning a 64.7 group pass-blocking grade.

Williams (74.5), McEwen (74.1) and Tate (70.1) all earned 70.0-plus pass-blocking grades across 37 snaps.


4. Ottawa Redblacks (Up 1)

LT Dino Boyd
LG Drew Desjarlais
C Cyrille Hogan-Saindon
RG Dariusz Bladek
RT Jacob Ruby

The Redblacks put together their best pass-blocking effort of the year against Edmonton in Week 7. The unit earned a 73.7 group pass-blocking grade, the best mark in the CFL.

Bladek (81.2), Boyd (78.4) and Desjarlais (70.9) each earned a 70.0-plus pass-blocking grade across 38 pass-blocking reps.


5. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Up 1)

LT Brendan Bordner
LG Brandon Revenberg
C David Beard
RG Coulter Woodmansey
RT Brandon Kemp

It was a big win for the Tiger-Cats in the QEW Series. A driving factor in Hamilton's victory was an excellent performance from its offensive line in pass protection. This unit earned a 71.6 pass-blocking grade across 31 snaps.

The group was led by the left side of the offensive line: Revenberg (86.0) and Bordner (82.7) earned 82.0-plus pass-blocking grades and posted top-three marks across the CFL.


6. Saskatchewan Roughriders (Up 1)

LT Trevor Reid
LG
Ryan Sceviour
C Peter Godber
RG Logan Ferland
RT Jacob Brammer

Rookie right tackle Jacob Brammer stepped in for injured all-star Jermarcus Hardrick and was stellar. Brammer was the top run-blocker in the CFL, with an 80.1 run-blocking grade.

The Roughriders were the CFL's top run-blocking group in Week 7, earning a 71.2 run-blocking grade while providing their running backs with an average of 2.3 yards before contact across 22 designed runs.


7. Edmonton Elks (Down 3)

LT Martez Ivey
LG David Focault
C Mark Korte
RG Phillip Grohovac
RT Brett Boyko

The Elks fall down the rankings mostly because of the performances of those above them. The unit was still solid in Week 7, earning 64.6 overall, 63.6 run-blocking and 62.9 pass-blocking grades.

It appeared starting right guard Hunter Steward was benched at halftime for Grohovac in Week 7. Steward had been playing well, recording a 74.3 pass-blocking grade in the first half, and the switch did not improve the unit. Grohovac struggled in the second half, earning a 39.5 pass-blocking grade.


8. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (No Change)

LT Stanley Bryant
LG Liam Dobson
C Chris Kolankowski
RG Patrick Neufeld
RT Eric Lofton

It was a poor showing for the Blue Bombers again this week. The unit had a negative impact in both facets, finishing with a 58.0 run-blocking grade and a 57.5 pass-blocking grade.

This group is an interesting study. Lofton (72.1) and Neufeld (71.7) were solid in the run game but very poor in pass protection this past week. Kolankowski (72.1) and Dobson (69.1) were solid in pass protection but lackluster in the run game.


9. British Columbia Lions (No Change)

LT Jarell Broxton
LG Chris Schleuger
C Tyler Packer
RG
Sukh Chungh
RT Kent Perkins

It was a bounce-back week in the run game for the Lions’ offensive line. They paved the way for a league-leading 2.8 yards before contact on average, and their unit 69.6 run-blocking grade brought their season-long grade back above 60.0 (60.9).

The Lions struggled in pass protection on their way to ranking seventh with a 56.8 unit pass-blocking grade. They allowed eight total pressures and a 22.9% pressure rate.

Left guard Chris Schleuger had a dismal week against the Stampeders. He was the second-worst starter in the CFL, with a 21.9 pass-blocking grade across 30 snaps in Week 7.

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