On Wednesday the NFL announced it is implementing a new award to honor the best offensive lineman from each season, entitled the Protector of the Year.
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Buffalo Bills left tackle Dion Dawkins played a large role in the award’s creation. The winner will be decided by a panel made up by former great offensive linemen, which will include Will Shields, Andrew Whitworth, Jason Kelce, LeCharles Bentley, Shaun O’Hara, and Orlando Pace.
We at A to Z Sports got to thinking, which offensive linemen from the past decade would be most deserving of Protector of the Year? There are a ton of great candidates to choose from, but we have narrowed it down to 10 from 2015-2024, and also included a preview of who could be the inaugural winner in 2025.
2015: Cleveland Browns LT Joe Thomas
Browns fans haven’t had much to cheer about in recent franchise history, but Thomas is someone they can hang their hat on. The 2023 Hall of Fame inductee played a whopping 10,363 consecutive snaps before missing his first action due to injury.
Cleveland went 3-13 in 2015, but Thomas was named a First-Team All-Pro and was the recipient of Pro Football Focus’ Bruce Mathews Award as the best offensive lineman in the league.
2016: Baltimore Ravens G Marshal Yanda
2016 marked the third consecutive year that Yanda was PFF’s top graded guard.
What was unique about that year specifically is that he had to switch from the right side to the left during the middle of the season, and did so without a hiccup. Yanda was named a First-Team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler that season, and is likely a future Hall of Famer.
2017: Philadelphia Eagles C Jason Kelce
Kelce went from good to great in 2017, as he earned the first of his six First-Team All-Pro selections. He also won PFF’s Run Blocker of the Year award after being their highest graded offensive lineman that season. Kelce capped it all off by helping the Eagles win Super Bowl LII.
2018: Green Bay Packers LT David Bakhtiari
Injuries derailed the last few seasons of Bakhtiari’s career, but he a great run from 2013-2020.
The 2018 season was his best, earning First-Team All-Pro honors and getting recognized by PFF as the league’s top graded pass blocker. Bakhtiari protected quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ blindside, who threw for his second highest passing yardage total in 2018.
2019: Dallas Cowboys G Zack Martin
Martin would have been in the running for Protector of the Year in basically every season of his career. 2019 was one of nine All-Pro selections for the future Hall of Famer, as he also was named to nine Pro Bowls and is a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team.
2020: Indianapolis Colts G Quenton Nelson
Nelson allowed just one sack in 1,082 snaps played in 2020, earning him his third of five First-Team All-Pro selection. He also earned PFF’s second best run blocking grade among all guards that year. Nelson remains one of the top offensive linemen in the league today, coming off a Pro Bowl and Second-Team All-Pro nod in 2024.
2021: San Francisco 49ers LT Trent Williams
Williams had one of the best seasons by an offensive lineman of all-time in 2021. His 98.3 overall grade from Pro Football Focus is the highest ever given to an OL in a single season, as is his 97.7 run blocking grade. That year landed Williams the second of four All-Pro selections, as well as one of his whopping 11 Pro Bowl nods.
2022: Dallas Cowboys G Zack Martin
Martin is the first and only repeat name on this list. He was remarkable yet again in 2022, allowing zero sacks and committing just one penalty as he played every snap (1,143) of the season.
2023: Detroit Lions RT Penei Sewell
Sewell is our only right tackle on the list as he cemented himself in 2023 as one of the best offensive linemen in the league, earning the first of two All-Pro selections. He led all OL in snaps played in 2023, and was the highest graded player at his position. Still just 24 years old, the sky is the limit as to what Sewell can accomplish.
2024: Kansas City Chiefs G Joe Thuney
Thuney played at his usual elite level at left guard in 2024, but late in the season he displayed incredible versatility as he switched to left tackle. He helped solidify the LT position for Kansas City, allowing zero sacks and committing just one penalty in 2024. Thuney was named a First-Team All-Pro and won the Chiefs’ team MVP award.
Potential 2025 Protector of the Year candidates
- 49ers LT Trent Williams: 4x All-Pro, 11x Pro Bowler
- Chicago Bears LG Joe Thuney: 4x All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowler
- Lions RT Penei Sewell: 2x All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowler
- Colts G Quenton Nelson: 5x All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowler
- Chiefs C Creed Humphrey: 2x All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowler
- Eagles RT Lane Johnson: 5x All-Pro, 6x Pro Bowler
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers LT Tristan Wirfs: 3x All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowler
- Los Angeles Chargers LT Rashawn Slater: 1x All-Pro, 2x Pro Bowler
- Lions C Frank Ragnow: 3x All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowler
- Buffalo Bills LT Dion Dawkins: 4x Pro Bowler
