Ranking the NFL's Best Pass-Rush Duos Entering the 2025 Season

Legendary NFL owner/general manager and the godfather of the Raiders, Al Davis, once said: "The other team's quarterback must go down, and he must go down hard."

In a way, Davis was highlighting the importance of having a good pass rush, a statement that holds true in today's pass-happy game. That's why we see defenders who can get after the quarterback earn such lucrative contracts every offseason.

But for a team to have a good pass rush, the pressure can't just come from one player. It often takes at least two quality rushers for a defense to be considered one of the best units at getting into the opponent's backfield.

With the 2025 NFL season approaching, let's take a look at the league's best pass-rushing duos heading into the campaign. Last year's production, both sacks and pressures, will be the biggest deciding factor in the rankings, in addition to each player's career production.

Also covered will be other players on each duo's team who help supplement their team's pass rush. 

Honorable Mentions

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Below are five duos, listed in no particular order, that just missed the cut but deserve some recognition.

Jared Verse, Kobie Turner

Combined career sacks: 21.5

If this were a ranking of the teams with the best pass rushes, the Los Angeles Rams’ young defensive line would have a strong case to make the top five.

The reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2023 third-place finisher for the award lead the way in L.A. and are two of the best up-and-comers at their respective positions.

Kyle Van Noy, Nnamdi Madubuike

Combined career sacks: 83

Madubuike is a season removed from leading all defensive tackles in sacks, racking up 13 in 2023. Meanwhile, Van Noy has been wreaking havoc in the NFL for a while now, and he is coming off his first double-digit sack campaign and Pro Bowl bid.

This combination of a young interior rusher and experience on the edge projects to be a problem for AFC North offensive lines this fall, again.

Will McDonald IV, Quinnen Williams

Combined career sacks: 52.5

Williams has established himself as one of the best defensive tackles in the league, earning three straight Pro Bowl bids. McDonald is still in the early stage of his career, but he enjoyed a breakout performance in 2024, logging 10.5 sacks.

With another strong showing from the latter this season, these two will make a strong case to crack the top five next summer.

Josh Hines-Allen, Travon Walker

Combined career sacks: 77

Many will say Walker wasn’t worth the No. 1 overall pick three years ago, but he’s managed to record double-digit sacks in back-to-back seasons. Then there's Hines-Allen, who is widely considered one of the better edge-rushers in the league with 25.5 sacks over the last two years.

That makes for a quality rushing duo in Jacksonville.

Chris Jones, George Karlaftis

Combined career sacks: 104.5

Jones will have a gold jacket hanging in his closet when it's all said and done, while Karlaftis has been productive since entering the league three years ago, racking up 24.5 sacks so far. That gives Kansas City defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo a couple of quality rushers to go along with his exotic blitz scheme.

5. Brian Burns, Dexter Lawrence

AP Photo/Frank Franklin II

Combined career sacks: 84.5

Including a nose tackle in a list about some of the league's best pass-rushers wasn't expected, but Lawrence isn't your typical nose. Not only can he plug gaps and fulfill the requirements of the position in the running game at a high level, but he's also a unique athlete who can get to the quarterback.

The 340-pounder has the strength to collapse the pocket when bull-rushing, in addition to the quickness and movement skills to beat guards and centers across their faces with finesse moves. That's how he managed to set a career high with nine sacks last season despite playing in a career-low 12 games.

As a perfect complement to Lawrence, Burns has been a menace on the edge since he entered the league six years ago. The 2024 free-agent signing has had at least 7.5 sacks every season, including racking up 8.5 during his first campaign with the New York Giants last fall.

But Burns isn't just a sack artist; he's a consistent rusher who constantly is in the quarterback's face. He recorded 61 pressures during the 2024 regular season, which ranked 13th among edge-rushers, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Unfortunately, a dislocated elbow cut Lawrence's season short last year, so we only got a taste of what New York's pass-rush duo can do together. But if everyone can stay healthy, there won't be many defenses that are better at getting after the quarterback than the Giants this fall.

In addition to these two, Kayvon Thibodeaux, who has 21 sacks in three seasons, and this year’s No. 3 overall pick, Abdul Carter, should give opposing offenses plenty of headaches.

4. Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel

AP Photo/Ben VanHouten

Combined career sacks: 63.5

The Minnesota Vikings surprised a lot of people with how well they played last season, finishing the regular season 14-3 and earning a playoff spot when many expected them to have a down year. A big reason for that is they got significant contributions from players who weren’t exactly household names.

While Greenard had success with the Houston Texans, they had no problem letting him leave in free agency during the 2024 offseason. Meanwhile, Van Ginkel was cast away by the Miami Dolphins and had never been named to a Pro Bowl nor earned an All-Pro bid before last season.

However, Minnesota took a chance on both players during free agency and became the only team to have two players finish in the top eight for sacks. 

Greenard was half a sack short of tying a career high, getting to the quarterback 12 times, while Van Ginkel recorded his first double-digit sack campaign and nearly doubled his previous personal best (six) with 11.5. 

On top of that, the former Texan finished third among edge-rushers with 80 total pressures, and the former Dolphin was 26th with 49, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Part of what makes the free-agent signings' contributions so impressive is that the Vikings don't have a plethora of other quality pass-rushers on the roster. 

While Patrick Jones II—now with the Carolina Panthers—had seven sacks last year, he wasn't a consistent winner with just 24 pressures, per PFF. And the next two sack leaders were off-ball linebackers Blake Cashman and Ivan Pace, as Minnesota's defense is reliant on Greenard and Van Ginkel to get pressure.

3. T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward

AP Photo/Jeffrey Dean

Combined career sacks: 196.5

With 22 years of combined experience, 14 Pro Bowls and 10 All-Pro bids between them, these two have been doing it for a while now and will have gold jackets when all is said and done. Watt and Heyward have been the cause of several nightmares for opposing quarterbacks during the last decade, including last season.

Technically, Watt had a down year with 11.5 sacks, as that was the third-lowest of his career. Still, that was good enough to finish tied for the eighth-most in the league. 

On top of that, the 2021 Defensive Player of the Year has become known for his ability to maximize the value of his sacks by forcing fumbles, and he managed to lead all edge defenders with six FFs last fall, per Pro Football Focus.

That's a big reason why he finished sixth at the position with an elite 90.1 pass-rush grade from PFF. 

Meanwhile, Heyward had eight sacks in 2024, which was just outside of the top 25 in the league regardless of position and the third-most among defensive tackles. Additionally, he ranked fourth among interior defenders with 56 pressures and topped the list with 10 batted passes, per PFF.

Mix all of that in with Alex Highsmith (35.5 career sacks in five seasons), Nick Herbig (8.5 sacks in two seasons) and rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon, and it's easy to see why the Pittsburgh Steelers are projected to have one of the best pass rushes in the NFL this fall.

2. Danielle Hunter, Will Anderson Jr.

AP Photo/John Raoux

Combined career sacks: 117.5

This duo has only worked together for one season, but they made one hell of an impact together last year. Hunter finished tied for fifth in the NFL with 12 sacks while Anderson was tied for 10th with 11, making the Houston Texans one of two teams to have two players finish in the top 10 for sacks.

But what makes these two even more special is that they're both consistently in the quarterback's face. 

According to Pro Football Focus, the nine-year veteran ranked seventh among edge-rushers with 66 pressures during the 2024 regular season, while the second-year pro wasn't far behind him, finishing 25th with 51.

That's a big reason both finished with a top 25 PFF pass-rush grade: 80.7 and 14th for Hunter, 75.9 and 24th for Anderson.

Unsurprisingly, those two have played a big factor in the Houston Texans' defensive turnaround over the last two years. 

In 2022, the Texans had just 39 sacks as a team and ranked 30th in yards allowed before the 2023 No. 3 overall pick came aboard. While those numbers improved to 44 and 14th during Anderson's first season, the free-agent signing's arrival helped elevate the unit to sixth in yards allowed and 49 sacks last year.

Mix that in with Denico Autry (62 career sacks in 11 seasons) and Sheldon Rankins (30.5 sacks in nine seasons) off the bench, and Houston's defense has a chance to be one of the best in the league this season.

1. Jonathon Cooper, Nik Bonitto

AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough

Combined career sacks: 46.5

The Denver Broncos led the NFL with 63 sacks last season and by a wide margin, as the Baltimore Ravens finished second with 54, nine fewer than the Broncos. To put that in context, the difference between the Ravens and the third-place Dallas Cowboys was just two sacks.

Unsurprisingly, Denver's pass rush is led by its two edge defenders. 

Bonitto enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2024, when he finished third in the league with 13.5 sacks to earn his first Pro Bowl bid and a second-team All-Pro selection. Meanwhile, Cooper ranked tied for 12th with 10.5 sacks and was just half a sack away from cracking the top 10.

On top of that, these two were some of the most consistent edge-rushers in the NFL last year. The 2022 second-round pick finished the regular season tied for 18th with 57 pressures, and the 2021 seventh-rounder was 13th with 61 pressures, according to Pro Football Focus.

Granted, this duo has the least amount of combined sacks within the top five, yet it is listed as the No. 1 pair. That's because they also have the least amount of experience (seven seasons) and the most room for growth, as their potential moving forward is through the roof. 

So, there is some projection here, but betting a couple of young pass-rushers who have improved their production every year to date feels like a good gamble, as Denver is looking at having one of the league's best pass rushes again this fall.

In addition to Cooper and Bonitto, the Broncos have one of the best combos of interior pass-rushers in Zach Allen (25 career sacks in six seasons) and John Franklin-Myers (26.5 sacks in six seasons), and a young, promising edge-rusher off the bench in Jonah Elliss, who had five sacks as a rookie.

In other words, expect Denver to be in opposing quarterbacks' faces again this fall.