Mike Pouncey still among the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen

Even with an injury-plagued 2019 season, on top of being on the wrong side of 30, Mike Pouncey is still highly-regarded amongst his peers in the NFL.

Throughout the last few weeks, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has gathered the votes and opinions of players, coaches, and NFL executives to decide on the top-10 players at every position on the field. One of the more recent renditions of his ranking was on the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen, and although Mike Pouncey didn’t make the top 10, the veteran was included in the short list of “honorable mentions.”

”He’s been hurt recently but I thought he was one of the highest-rated centers when he did play.” said one NFL executive in the AFC.

It was obviously a bummer of a year for Pouncey, who missed 11 games due to a severe neck injury last year. There was a lot of retirement talk regarding the soon-to-be 31-year old, who will celebrate his birthday in just 11 days. But Pouncey finally put all rumors of a possible retirement to bed when he told the media he was back to full health just a few months ago.

His replacement was former fifth-round pick Scott Quessenberry in those 11 games, and Q-Berry did a heck of a job. With Pouncey seemingly back in the fold, that will leave one of the team’s best blockers on the bench, he’s given the chance to fight for the left guard spot.

Pouncey was a huge signing just a few seasons ago and he was undoubtedly a key reason why the team had such success in 2018 on their way to a 12-4 season and their first playoff victory since 2013. In a pivotal season such as this one, his presence and play will be all the more important going forward.