Before free agency officially began back in March, the addition of Kirk Cousins was a hotly debated topic on Vikings Twitter.  The question of whether Kirk Cousins was good or not quickly devolved into a conversation about his status as a Franchise QB.

Is Kirk Cousins a franchise QB?

— Jordan Reid (@JReidNFL) February 27, 2018

In my article “Defining Franchise Quarterback,” I defined franchise quarterback as one who consistently elevates his supporting cast (vs. being propped up by them).  What I found was that the performance for all quarterbacks, not named Russell Wilson, Tom Brady, or Drew Brees, was tied closely to the quality of their supporting casts.  With all that said, I’ve decided to dig into the QB supporting casts for 2018 starting with the offensive line units for all 32 teams.

Methodology

1. Depth charts pulled from www.ourlads.com.
2. Player quality determined using 3 year average from PFF.
3. 2nd year player grades regressed towards average starters at their position.
4. Rookie players assigned average grade for starters at their position.
5. Player grades weighted based on positional value (i.e. tackles > guards).
6. Weighted grades are summed to create OL Score

Tier 1 

Tier 2 

Tier 3  

Tier 4  

Tier 5  

There it is.  Hit me up on Twitter to let me know what you think.

Next up, I’ll review the skill position players for each team’s offense.