Strongest backup positions in descending order:
RG – Ball/Bass
LT – Richards/Bostick
LG – Farniok/Hoping Ball or Bass Could Switch
RT – Waletzko/Taylor-Prioleau
C – Farniok/Hoffman/Lindstrom
Tier 1 Backup OLs (Worth Excitement)
Best Preseason O-Lineman: Asim Richards – Asim played pretty much every snap this preseason, starting at LT and moving to LG. He shined as a LT, rarely getting beaten. He had good footwork and rarely was on the ground, and despite his lack of strength that appeared in the combine, he didn’t struggle with getting bull rushed very often. He excelled even against starting edge rushers for Jacksonville and Seattle. He’s good at pushing speed rushers upfield and did well regaining balance when rushers swam or spun to go inside. As a LG, he needs work. His lack of strength really shows in that role, and he struggled a bit. Still, in a pinch he can give you some position flex, and can bandaid you for a couple games.
Runner Up: Josh Ball
The 3rd preseason game proved one thing. He is AWFUL at RT. He also hurt his hip, but he was pretty bad from the start. He had a couple obvious holds that weren’t called, and basically got manhandled in every way….Ironically, I believe Ball played RT partly because TJ Bass has been playing very well, and partly because Waletzko hasn’t. Take that for what it’s worth. As much as Waletzko has struggled, he’s better than Ball at RT.
BUT…as a GUARD, this guy is extremely impressive. He is a mauler in the run game. He is stoic in pass pro, and rivaled Richards performance the first 2 games. I’m sad he will be out two months. You may not like his personal story, but the guy finding himself at guard is like getting an extra draft pick that worked out. Looking forward to seeing this guy develop across the year. And I think between him and Bass we have great depth behind Martin
TJ Bass: TJ earned a starting role in the 3rd game, because he’s gotten better every single game and he did it again in the 3rd one. In fact, he played the entire game there (likely bc Ball got hurt). Bass’ footwork is so good and he almost never goes down. He’s quick when pulling or getting to the second level. The guy literally plays to the whistle every snap, and handled stunts with grace. My absolute favorite thing about him is his awareness. Probably 8 or 9x he released his blocker to the C seeing the RT in need and jumps over there and knocks the rusher sideways. Just so impressive for a rookie. My only criticism is the same as Richards. He needs a weight room. That could be said for every rookie. One other thing: He has a knack for not letting guys shed him
Out of the entire O-Line, I can guarantee that Richards, Ball, and Bass are gonna be here a while either as backups or starters.
Tier 2 Backup OLs (Meh or Project)
Matt Farniok: Farniok would be my first choice as a center over Hoffman. He’s reliably average without a lot of mental mistakes. Like a couple of the tier 1 guys, he needs strength. My fear is that he has been here long enough that he should have that by now. Despite that, my main criticism is that he cannot keep his feet. As soon as he engages on a run play, his legs lock and he falls. He falls All. The. Time. Bass is worlds better in this arena. He also is just very slow. Watching him pull is basically the speed of someone at a brisk walk. Still unless we find a gem on waivers, he’s our best center, and he gives you position flex at Guard.
Matt Waletzko: MW got better each game, but he started off really poorly, so that’s not saying much. I thought he played much better in game 3, but RT should be a position that scares all of us right now. If Steele goes down, I am very concerned going forward. I’d be looking at waiver wire and FA twice over. I think if Matt can stay healthy and continues to gain confidence, he can be serviceable and not get you killed. But To me, there’s no functional difference between Waletzko and Taylor-Prioleau.
Taylor-Prioleau: whenever T-P would come in for Matt W, I saw no drop off. I’m not sure if that’s a compliment to T-P or a knock on Waletzko. I think T-P is shockingly stable for his huge size and plays with decent leverage. Like Waletzko he gets beat inside a healthy amount and certainly can get beat outside as well. He plays with pretty solid power in the run game. Honestly, I’d rather keep T-P considering Matt gets hurt so often.
Earl Bostick Jr: This guy is RAW but super athletic. This is a perfect project player. He has the tools and body type to play OT, and he played the position admirably after Richards came out. He has quick feet, but lacks technique. Did a nice job staying square with edge rushers and got decent movement on run plays. Has a ways to go to prove he can go toe to toe with starters. This guy is going to the practice squad, but he’s worth being excited about next year.
Tier 3 Backup OLs (This isn’t working…)
Brock Hoffman: I will do this compliment sandwich style.
Compliment: Brock has lots of energy and plays to the whistle
Criticism: I do not understand how this guy still started after game one. The ONLY time he wins is when he is double teaming with a guard. I would be willing to guess that 30% of all offensive SNAFUs were directly related to something he did wrong. Penalties, whiffed blocks, missed assignments, getting blown up or walked back, you name it. I’d rather see how Lindstrom plays next year. This is an easy cut for me and I not even thinking twice.
Compliment: I think Brock is a cool name
Alec Lindstrom: We hardly knew ye…There’s barely a sample size to evaluate from. Maybe he gets to the practice squad, but anyone who only gets snaps in the final minutes of the 4th quarter probably isn’t making the team. Sorry Alec
