Syracuse’s offensive line has been put through the ringer over the last several months. In April, the Falcons selected former SU star left tackle Matthew Begeron in the second round of the NFL Draft. Before the season, guards Kalan Ellis and Joe More went down with injuries that they haven’t returned from. In the Western Michigan game, starting right tackle David Wohlabaugh suffered a season-ending injury. Despite these issues, the Orange’s offensive line has looked strong, albeit against low-level opponents in two of three games.
Going forward, Syracuse has to face some high level opponents. Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse is projected to be a top-ten NFL Draft pick in 2024, Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter is slated to go in the middle of the first round, and fellow Tiger Ruke Orhorhoro is a defensive tackle that is also graded as a day one pick.
Syracuse needs all hands on deck to handle talent like that. There are two issues with that: health and chemistry. The first part has been covered already, but the latter is often overlooked when it comes to the offensive line.
Before the season, SU’s starting right tackle Enrique Cruz highlighted how difficult it is to play when the starting offensive line isn’t stable.
“You have to overcome things,” Cruz said. “We had to move around a lot of the people during camp.”
The offensive line has continued to shift. Orange quarterback Garrett Shrader said before the Purdue game that Ellis and More would be returning before the trip to West Lafayette. However, neither played.
Both Ellis and More are talented players. With Wohlabaugh out for the season, More could slide into the starting right tackle spot nicely. Ellis could battle with fellow veteran Chris Bleich for the starting left tackle slot. However, if they can’t return to play this week, putting Ellis and More back in the starting lineup could hurt more than it helps.
Army is Syracuse’s last non-Power Five opponent before getting into ACC play, which starts with a gauntlet against Clemson, North Carolina, and Florida State. Playing against those talented defenses is difficult enough already. If SU has to deal with two new players in its starting lineup, then that just makes the problem even worse. Ideally, playing the Black Knights would be a better way to ease back into competition.
Ellis and More are talented, but adding them into the rotation just as the Orange get into the meat of their schedule is counterintuitive. It’s vital that they have a week to reacclimate with the rest of the o-line against Army before getting into conference play. If the duo isn’t healthy enough to do that, then it shouldn’t be rushed back. Instead, SU would be smart to give them a few extra weeks of recovery and let the crew that worked well together so far continue. A matchup against a weaker Virginia Tech team, which comes after a bye week at the end of October, could be a good re-entry game if Army is too early.
