Schwartz was a GREAT signing... so happy we got him
Pete Damilatis @PFF_Pete
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Since he entered the league, Geoff Schwartz has a +4.3 @PFF grade per 100 snaps played, 4th-best rate of any guard in the NFL.
1. Geoff Schwartz
2013 Grade: +18.6
2013 Snaps: 549
Summary: You would be hard pressed to find a larger interior lineman than the 6-foot-6, 340-pound mountain that is Geoff Schwartz. You’d also be hard pressed to find a better bargain at the position last season. The veteran guard came over from Minnesota in the offseason on a one-year, $700k contract and played at an elite level when given the chance. While there are no ’big name’ guards hitting free agency, Schwartz has played as well as any not named Evan Mathis on a per-snap basis the last two years. The Oregon product has an overall grade of +24.1 in 792 snaps (full season is typically 1000+ snaps) since he missed the whole 2011 season with a hip injury.
After filling in at left and right guard early in the season, Schwartz finally took over as the full time right guard in Week 11 at Denver. He never ended up giving the job back to teammate Jon Asamoah and Schwartz was predictably brilliant down the stretch. He started the last seven games of the season and compiled an overall grade of +14.4. While he had a superb year in pass protection with a pass blocking efficiency of 97.3 (ranked 11th), Schwartz’ calling card is his run blocking. He has elite power at the point of attack, but he also rarely gets beat cleanly. He had the sixth-lowest percentage of run snaps that took a downgrade among all guards. At 28 years old, Schwartz looks to be the prize of this year’s free agent guard class.