The 2026 NFL Guard Duo Rankings: A Sports Illustrated Commentary

Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderam e offers a subjective ranking of the league’s top interior guard pairings for the 2026 season. The piece blends on-field performance, contract values and projected impact, and it is presented as opinion rather than breaking news.

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1. Kansas City Chiefs – Trey Smith & Kingsley Suamataia – Smith earned a second consecutive Pro Bowl while Suamataia, a converted tackle, posted 17 starts with only five penalties.

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2. Atlanta Falcons – Chris Lindstrom & Matthew Bergeron – Lindstrom’s 88.4 PFF grade ranks second among guards; his 91.7 run-blocking mark tops the league. Bergeron posted top-30 PFF grades in overall and run-blocking categories.

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3. Los Angeles Rams – Steve Avila & Kevin Dotson – Avila, a 2023 second-round pick, allowed just two sacks last season. Dotson, after flourishing in Los Angeles, is projected for a major payday in free agency.

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4. Chicago Bears – Joe Thuney & Jonah Jackson – Thuney, a four-time All-Pro, remains a Pro Bowl regular at 33. Jackson posted a 72.3 overall PFF grade, ranking 26th among guards.

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5. Denver Broncos – Quinn Meinerz & Ben Powers – Meinerz holds an NFL-best 89.1 PFF grade and earned first-team All-Pro honors twice. Powers, when healthy, is a penalty-light left-side force.

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In 2025, guards such as Trey Smith, Tyler Smith and Will Fries signed contracts exceeding $87 million, with an average of $40.6 million guaranteed, signaling rising market value for interior linemen. PFF grades are repeatedly cited, with Lindstrom’s 91.7 run-blocking rating and Meinerz’s 89.1 overall grade highlighted as benchmarks.

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The article does not present dissenting viewpoints; no critics or alternative rankings are offered.

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• “While often the forgotten men in the trenches, these interior linemen bolster the cases of a few Super Bowl contenders Matt Verderame | Share on Facebook Share on X Add us as a preferred source Joe Thuney may someday be a Hall of Famer for his work with the Patriots, Chiefs and Bears.” — Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated

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• “It’s a good sign for a position that was long overlooked and is now starting to become more valued as the run game climbs back to the game’s forefront.” — Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated

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• “Atlanta Falcons: Chris Lindstrom and Matthew Bergeron Lindstrom has long been one of the standard-bearers at guard.” — Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated

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• “Meinerz has developed from a third-round pick out of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2021 to the best guard in the league, earning first-team All-Pro honors each of the past two seasons.” — Matt Verderame, Sports Illustrated

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