Looking ahead to 2022: Offensive renovation in order

What they’ve got: Taylor Moton, Brady Christensen, Deonte Brown, Michael Jordan, Pat Elflein, Cameron Erving, Dennis Daley, Sam Tecklenburg, Mike Horton, Austen Pleasants, Aaron Monteiro.

In a perfect world, this group would contain two or three starters, and some of the young players who showed different degrees of promise would be fighting for backup roles. After allowing 52 sacks last year (fifth-most in the league), a good shuffling of the deck is in order.

Moton is a rock. He started every game this season, and he’s dependable and good at his job, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be for some time.

Christensen played a lot for a rookie, and by the end of the year, did not look out of place. The third-round pick will almost certainly start somewhere on the line, but at the moment, they don’t know where. That will depend largely on other acquisitions. If they load up at guard in free agency, a better grade of talent next to him could mean he’s a capable left tackle. If they sign or draft a big-time left tackle, he could move inside and become the Travelle Wharton to the new guy’s Jordan Gross.

Elflein started the year at guard, but was mostly accurately viewed as a long-term replacement at center, and that path is open to him now.

Beyond that, it’s all projects and depth. Jordan played a lot of snaps and is good as a run-blocker, less so in pass protection. Brown played one snap of offense before the finale, so it’s too soon to know how ready he is to take on a larger role.

If Erving goes into next year as their swing tackle, that would be a role consistent with his salary and their original intentions. He started at left tackle last year out of necessity at first, and has given some solid snaps when he’s well. That hasn’t been often enough to depend on him for a full season, but he has value.

What they don’t: They lack certitude, for one thing. With no position coach at the moment, and with so many spots up for grabs, it’s impossible to know what this group will look like by the summer.

They have three unrestricted free agents at the position (John Miller, Trent Scott, and Matt Paradis), and a lot of jobs to fill. The direction will also be set when they find a new offensive line coach, though that job will likely dovetail with the coordinator hire, since they need to be speaking off the same page when the season starts.

Offseason outlook: They’re walking up to a buffet, so they can fill their plate a number of different ways.

There are big-ticket free agents such as left tackle Terron Armstead or guard Brandon Scherff (or even an old friend like Andrew Norwell) who’d make an immediate impact, and help set the tone for future moves. They could trade for help. But with the sixth overall pick in the draft, they’re also in position to take a young tackle they could build around. Figuring out the direction is what’s happening in the coming weeks, as they set their boards for free agency and then the draft. Adding at least two starters this offseason seems like a prerequisite, though they need to continue to build with younger players such as Christensen and Brown so this thing might stay fixed once it gets fixed.