Power Ranking the NFL's 10 Best EDGE-Rush Duos

The NFL is a quarterback-driven league. Quarterbacks get all the cash. The awards. They are the kings of the league, and the position dominates the list of the league's highest-paid players.

But of the 15 highest-paid players in terms of average annual salary, there is one other position represented—the guys who chase those quarterbacks.

Pressure on the quarterback is what won the Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl LX. And what won the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl LIX before that. To have success in the NFL, teams have to make quarterbacks uneasy. Depressed. Maybe weepy.

Some teams do so via a committee approach. Others have on edge-rusher so dominant that he lifts the play of his batterymate. But the truly great pass-rushing teams often feature a dynamic duo. A Batman and a Robin. Maybe even just two Batmans.

And these pass-rush pairs (plus, on occasion) are the NFL's best in 2026.

10. Minnesota Vikings

AP Photo/Stacy Bengs

The Minnesota Vikings tallied 49 sacks a year ago—tied for fourth-most in the NFL. But the team will be rolling with something of a different duo on the edge this year after a draft-day trade sent Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Of course, that transition began last year. Greenard missed five games for the Vikes in 2025, opening the door for a larger role for youngster Dallas Turner. The 23-year-old stepped up his game in a major way—after playing sparingly as a rookie, the 17th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft logged a team-high eight sacks, adding 66 total tackles and four forced fumbles.

The Vikings had injury issues at the other end of the line as well a year ago—veteran Andrew Van Ginkel missed five games of his own and saw his numbers drop relative to his Pro Bowl 2024 campaign. But that Pro Bowl season showed what the 30-year-old is capable of—Van Ginkel flirted with 80 tackles and racked up 11.5 sacks.

Frankly, the Vikings could use a depth addition on the edge after dealing Greenard to the Eagles for a Day 2 pick. But the team's starters are formidable, especially playing in Brian Flores' ultra-aggressive defense.

9. Detroit Lions

AP Photo/Ryan Sun

Lions EDGE Aidan Hutchinson

This one requires a bit of extrapolation.

We know that the Detroit Lions have one of the most formidable edge-rushers in all of the NFL in Aidan Hutchinson. Hutchinson's fourth-season was his best—career-highs in tackles (54) and sacks (14.5) on the way to finishing fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

But the team lost Al-Quadin Muhammad's 11 sacks in free agency, looking to replace the veteran with a combination of veteran D.J. Wonnum and the of selection of second-round rookie Derrick Moore. Like Hutchinson, Moore attended the University of Michigan, and he told reporters he's eager to chop it up with a fellow Wolverine.

"To be honest with you, that was one right there that I – I'm definitely excited about playing with Hutch. When Hutch was leaving Michigan, I watched Hutch my whole entire freshman year, even my sophomore year," Moore said. "I just, everything was pretty much dedicated to breaking his sack record. I wasn't able to do it. I got close, but I'm definitely excited to be playing next to Hutch. Hopefully I can learn a lot from him, and we can go out and cause a lot of havoc."

Wonnum has shown the ability to produce in the past, logging eight sacks twice over six NFL seasons. Moore posted 10 sacks in 2025 at Michigan. And both will see plenty of single-teams as opponents attempt to contain Hutchinson.

8. Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper

Chargers EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu

This is another situation where the edge-rushing duo may be more of a trio this season.

The Los Angeles Chargers had one of the better defenses in the NFL last year, including a respectable 45 sacks. The team was paced in that regard by third-year pro Tuli Tuipulotu, who broke out to the tune of 49 total tackles and 13 sacks. While speaking to the media, head coach John Harbaugh raved about the 23-year-old.

"In about every area of his game. Ball moves, he moves," Harbaugh said. "Being able to defeat a blocker, come to a point, strike a blow, control the block, shed, run to the ball. As relentless as any player I've been around. With great gifts of physical tools, but an elite trainer in football."

There are questions at the other end of the line, In 2023, Khalil Mack had the best season of his long career, piling up 17 sacks and making his seventh Pro Bowl. But Mack has just 11.5 sacks the past two seasons combined, and he's 35 years old.

However, the future could be now (or at least near) in Los Angeles opposite Tuipulotu.  With their first pick in this year's draft, the Chargers selected Miami's Akheem Mesidor, a talented 6'3", 259-pounder who had 12.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss for the Hurricanes last year.

7. Cleveland Browns

AP Photo/David Dermer

Browns EDGE Myles Garrett

There is no edge-rusher duo on this list that is less of a duo than the Cleveland Browns.

But when one member of the duo is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year who just broke the NFL's single-season sack record, a one-man band ain't so bad.

That force of nature, of course, is Myles Garrett, who just terrified opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 23 sacks in 2025. Cincinnati Bengals tackle Orlando Brown Jr. has spent a big chunk of his career in the AFC North, and he told reporters that he has never seen anyone quite like Garrett.

"That's the best defensive end of our generation," said Brown. "I got a ton of respect for him and his game and his approach."

Garrett is simply unstoppable. He is constantly chipped and double-teamed—more so than any edge-rusher in the league. But it just doesn't matter—2025 was the eighth straight year that he recorded double-digit sacks, and Garrett has tallied at least 14 each of the last five seasons.

Paired with Alex Wright, who himself set career bests in tackles and sacks in 2025, the Browns had 53 sacks last season—third-most in the league.

Even if it's Godzilla and Godzooky, the results are the same.

Buildings get knocked down.

6. New York Giants

AP Photo/John Locher

Giants EDGE Abdul Carter

There's a chance that the New York Giants could end the 2026 season far higher on this list than this despite just 39 sacks in 2025.

The team just needs some youngsters to step up—chief among them Abdul Carter.

Carter flashed at times as a rookie after being taken third overall—he actually led the league in quick pressures (under 2.5 seconds) last year. But Carter tallied just four sacks and was benched on multiple occasions. While addressing the media, Carter said he intends to use last year's adversity as motivation for the season to come.

"I would say just what I do on the field after I've been through all this adversity, all the controversy," he said. "How do I respond? Do I shy away from it, or do I accept the challenge and become better and improve, keep improving, and be the man I'm supposed to be?"

If Carter becomes the player the Giants hoped he would when he drafted, New York could have the best edge duo in the game. In two years in New York, Brian Burns has piled up 25 sacks, including an NFC-high 16.5 in 2025. As of now, Kayvon Thibodeaux (who had 11.5 sacks in 2023) remains on the roster. And while rookie Arvell Reese will begin his career as an off-ball linebacker, there's more than a little Micah Parsons in the Ohio State star's game.

5. Jacksonville Jaguars

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Jaguars EDGE Travon Walker

The Jacksonville Jaguars have invested heavily at the EDGE position. Back in 2019, the team drafted Josh Hines-Allen seventh overall. Travon Walker was the first player chosen in 2022. Both have received second contracts with the Jags. In fact, despite tying a career-low with 3.5 sacks in an injury-marred 2025, the Jaguars just gave Walker a four-year, $110 million extension.

After signing that deal, Walker told reporters that he intends to take his game to another level in 2026.

"My main thing was just working on getting healthy, and then it's fine tuning those little, small details within my hands, eye coordination, things of that nature," Walker said. "Just trying to keep my twitch, as far as my strength, wrist mobility, working on a lot of things but it's just ironing out small details. The further you get in your career, it gets harder to -- I wouldn't say it gets harder to continuously elevate, it's just you've got to find those small little details within your game and continuously work those things."

When the duo is at its best, both are capable of taking over games. Walker posted double-digit sacks in both 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Hines-Allen had 17.5 sacks—second-most in the NFL.

We've reached a point in this list where edge-rusher duos go from scary to potentially terrifying.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski

Steelers EDGE T.J. Watt

You may not have heard this, but T.J. Watt is pretty good at sacking quarterbacks.

In nine years in the NFL, Watt has piled up 115 career sacks. He has led the league in sacks three times and tied the (then) single-season record with 22.5 in 2021. The Only time Watt hasn't made the Pro Bowl was as a rookie in 2017.

Watt is a generational talent. At some point, he will be enshrined in Canton. And while last year's 55 tackles and seven sacks were something of a down year by his standards, the 31-year-old remains one of the most-feared edge-rushers in the NFL.

Pittsburgh's pass-rush isn't a one-man band, either. After just eight sacks over his first two seasons, Alex Highsmith exploded for 14.5 in 2022 while leading the league with five forced fumbles. Highsmith has been unable to duplicate that massive year since, but his 9.5 sacks in 2025 are nothing to sneeze at.

And then there's Nick Herbig, who is one of the most valuable "third-wheel" pass-rushers in the league. Herbig's numbers improved each and every year he has been in the NFL, and last year the 24-year-old set a career-high with seven sacks.

Add it all together, and you have a team that perennially ranks at the top of the NFL in sacks.

3. Los Angeles Rams

AP Photo/Brynn Anderson

Rams EDGE Jared Verse

For a team notorious for trading away high draft picks to acquire veteran players, the Los Angeles Rams have assembled one of the best young defensive fronts in the league—including an excellent pair of edge-rushers.

In 2024, Jared Verse was the Rams' first Round 1 selection since Jared Goff. The 6'4", 265-pounder lived up to his lofty price tag that year, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Verse posted 58 total tackles and 7.5 sacks in 2025, checking in at No. 68 among Pro Football Focus' top-101 players.

"Verse amassed 100 quarterback pressures in his second NFL season, tying him for second among edge defenders," they said. "While he didn't win as consistently as he did in his rookie campaign, the fact that he generated an 80.0-plus PFF pass-rush grade for the second straight season highlights how quickly he has developed into one of the NFL's premier players at the position."

The even bigger surprise has been Byron Young. A third-round pick of the Rams in 2023, Young has never amassed less than 60 tackles or fewer than 7.5 sacks, and his third season was his best—a team leading 12 sacks and a gaudy 82 total stops.

The Rams had better start opening up some cap space. Because both Verse and Young are fixing to get paid.

And neither will be cheap.

2. Denver Broncos

AP Photo/David Zalubowski

Broncos EDGE Nik Bonitto

Nik Bonitto of the Denver Broncos is one of the best-edge-rushers in the NFL who doesn't get a ton of run as one of the best edge-rushers in the NFL.

In 2024, Bonitto exploded into stardom with 13.5 sacks. He backed that up last year by getting to the quarterback 14 times. While speaking to reporters, former Broncos great Von Miller said that Bonitto's first step is as good as any in the game.

"That's how you come off the ball, he's first over and over again," Miller said. "All those guys [Jonathon] Cooper, Zach Allen ... they have the get-off. They win the first step. But Nik Bonitto, he may not even know why he is so good yet because he's young. But it's good."

Of course, it doesn't hurt that opponents can't focus on Bonitto because of the presence of Allen and Bonitto's partner in crime on the edge in Jonathon Cooper. Cooper may not be an elite talent, but the 28-year-old is talented, versatile and productive—in each of the past three seasons, Cooper has hit the 50-tackle mark and added at least eight sacks.

Over the last two years, the pair have combined to post 46 sacks.

That's rather a lot.

1. Houston Texans

AP Photo/Maria Lysaker

Texans EDGE Will Anderson Jr.

Like it was going to be anyone else.

There's a reason the Houston Texans just made Will Anderson Jr. the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL. Since moving up to draft Anderson third overall in 2023, all he has done is break stuff. Seven sacks and Defensive Rookie of the Year honors that season. Eleven sacks the following year. And then 12 in 2025.

As Jacob Camenker wrote for USA Today, there's a strong argument that Anderson is worth every cent of his staggering $50 million a season.

"Anderson totaled a career-best 12 sacks in 2025 and notched 85 pressures during the campaign, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats," he said. "Only Detroit Lions star Aidan Hutchinson had more than him (89), but Hutchinson logged nearly 300 more total snaps than Anderson. Anderson's pass-rushing prowess helped turn the Texans into one of the best defenses in the league. He captained Houston's stop unit, which ranked No. 1 in the league in defensive EPA per play and allowed 17.4 points per game, second-fewest behind only the Seattle Seahawks (17.2)."

And Anderson isn't even the most productive pass-rusher on his own team. That would be veteran Danielle Hunter, who has been named to five Pro Bowls and has four straight seasons with double-digit sacks, including 15 last season.

Combined, they are nightmare fuel. Full stop.