Marshal Yanda awarded PFF’s 2016 best offensive lineman

While most Baltimore Ravens offensive line stories revolved around the rookies Ronnie Stanley and Alex Lewis, one man continued his unbelievable stretch of top-tier play. Marshal Yanda, the NFL’s best guard, received PFF’s 2016 Best Offensive Lineman.

Ravens fans aren’t surprised by the achievement, they’ve witnessed time and time again the outstanding play brought from the Iowa product. It’s only confirmation on the already known fact.

Though we take it for granted, Yanda received this award while playing with a messed up shoulder and playing out of position. Yanda, a right guard, swapped to the left guard position due to the pain and difficulty on the right side. While most see this as, “He’s just blocking guys on the other side now,” they’re wrong. This impacts the entire scheme.

While the Cowboys offensive line is rightly glorified for their big men, the recipient of this award is still Marshal. If healthy, I presume Yanda would have blown away from the competition, stretching the lead to astounding lengths.

While playing out of position, with a constant shoulder injury, Marshal Yanda received the Pro Football Focus’ best offensive lineman of 2016, grading at 92.0.