Ranking the pass-rushing corps for every NFL team – Yardbarker

Posted: June 9, 2020 at 11:50 pm

Although Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen and Markus Golden remain available as interesting summer additions, teams' pass-rushing situations are mostly set. Here is how the league stacks up at this all-important skill late in the offseason.

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Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams performed a successful remodel of the Jets run defense last season, but the team still does not have the pass-rushing horses. Jamal Adams' 6.5 sacks were 3.5 more than any non-Jordan Jenkins Jet. The recently re-signed Jenkins has led the team in sacks the past two seasons but has yet to surpass eight. The Jets have curiously did little this offseason to address their years-long edge concern. Following Leonard Williams' trade exit, Quinnen Williams will need to take a step forward to anchor Gang Green's front.

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The Seahawks remain a threat to re-sign Jadeveon Clowney, as his free agency drama nears Month 4. As is, Seattle needs some type of boost. After trading Frank Clark to the Chiefs, the Seahawks registered 28 sacks second-fewest in the league. Clowney only contributed three, but the former No. 1 overall pick remains one of the game's better edge players. Seattle re-signed defensive tackle Jarran Reed and brought back Super Bowl-years cog Bruce Irvin after five seasons away. A healthier version of 2019 first-round pick L.J. Collier presumably awaits. This just might not be enough.

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On the positive side, the Giants' Leonard Williams-Dexter Lawrence-Dalvin Tomlinson-B.J. Hill quartet up front is a strong contingent. And Big Blue placed a unrestricted free agent tender on 2019 sack leader Markus Golden. The team still risks losing him, which would make incumbents Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines' jobs harder. The Giants notched only 36 sacks with Golden (who had 10), only signed longtime Packers backup Kyler Fackrell and waited until Round 7 to address the outside linebacker spot this year. After ranking 31st in pass-defense DVOA in 2019, the Giants may again be in trouble.

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In what could be a do-or-die year for both Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn, they doubled down on ex-Patriots. Hybrid linebacker-edge rusher Jamie Collins joins Trey Flowers as big-name Detroit pressure artists. Collins worked with Patricia for four-plus years in New England but was not the same player when he last left the Patriots (during a Browns stay). With Collins set to see extensive time off the ball, the Lions could use another edge. They do have the Okwara brothers Romeo and third-round pick Julian as an interesting sidekick tandem. Detroit also lacks for much in the way of inside rushers.

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Names arrived in Year 2 of Miami's rebuild. But Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah remain question marks, after inconsistent tenures on their rookie contracts elsewhere, and Kyle Van Noy's pre-Patriots career (two-and-a-half unremarkable Lions years) does not inspire confidence that he can produce outside of Bill Belichick's tutelage. Van Noy did, at least, play under coach Brian Flores in New England. The Dolphins added Alabama defensive tackle Raekwon Davis in Round 2, but after an 8.5-sack 2017, he combined for just two over the past two years. The Dolphins' 23 sacks last year ranked last by far. Nowhere to go but up.

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The Panthers losing their final eight games obscured first-round defensive end Brian Burns' 7.5-sack rookie season. But the Panthers allowed top sackers Mario Addison and Bruce Irvin both 32 to leave in free agency and did not retain defensive tackles Gerald McCoy or Dontari Poe. New Panthers defensive coordinator Phil Snow will transition from the college game with a pass rush fronted by Burns, No. 7 overall pick Derrick Brown and second-rounder Yetur Gross-Matos. Nose tackle Kawann Short, one of the last Panther veterans remaining, will be vital to Snow's first Carolina defense too.

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Entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan and producing 10 sacks, Maxx Crosby turned into a gem for the Raiders. Other Raider rushers combined: 22. This was an improvement on 2018's historically bad 13-sack season, but the Raiders still have much to prove here. Viewed by most as a reach at No. 4 overall last year, Clelin Ferrell recorded just eight QB hits as a rookie. He should be better in Year 2. Free agent D-tackle Maliek Collins and end Carl Nassib will help as well, but the Las Vegas pass rush will likely be doubted going into training camp.

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After the Dolphins used first-round picks to replace departed starters at wide receiver and cornerback, they left Everson Griffen's old spot alone for a while. Minnesota returns one of the game's best edge rushers, in Danielle Hunter, but Griffen will be difficult to replace (if, in fact, the Vikings do not re-sign him). It will be interesting to see third-year defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo see more time; he produced seven sacks off the bench last season. The Vikings also have little in the way of established inside rushers.

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Despite entering free agency near the salary cap, the Falcons maneuvered to give Dante Fowler a three-year, $48 million contract. Fowler's 11.5-sack 2019 with the Rams came at the right time, but the ex-top-five pick has been far from consistent. He joins Falcon holdover Takk McKinley in that regard. Defensive tackle Grady Jarrett remains this front's centerpiece, and Atlanta will depend on its highly paid interior disruptor to enhance the pass rush's capabilities. Second-round rookie Marlon Davidson, Derrick Brown's Auburn wingman, could help in this area too.

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The Patriots let their top two sackers last season linebackers Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Noy defect to ex-Patriot strongholds (Detroit and Miami) in free agency. New England is thin as a result. But Bill Belichick has managed to form scrape together a few potent pass rushes during his career. The Pats will likely give second-year edge Chase Winovich more work, and Winovich's ex-Michigan teammate second-rounder Josh Uche will be needed too. Belichick might give linebacker Dont'a Hightower more run as a pass rusher as well, because, on paper, this is an unimposing group.

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Although the Titans' new financial arrangements for Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry prompted them to trade five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey for next to nothing, they did improve at their primary pass-rush position. Vic Beasley was maddeningly inconsistent in Atlanta, but the 2016 All-Pro played better down the stretch in an eight-sack 2019. He joins ascending young talent Harold Landry. With Casey gone, 2019 first-rounder Jeffery Simmons who would have been out of the Titans' draft reach had he not torn his ACL last year will now anchor Tennessee's up-front rush effort.

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For the purposes of this ranking, Yannick Ngakoue remains a Jaguar. The Jags franchise-tagged the talented defensive end, but Sacksonville's final remaining rusher insists he wants out of Jacksonville. The rebuilding team still has Josh Allen, who quietly notched 10.5 sacks as a rookie, and just drafted LSU defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson. The team that already cut Malik Jackson did the same to defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, this coming shortly before the Ravens gave the Jags only a fifth-round pick for All-Pro Calais Campbell. A full-on reboot up front appears near.

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The top two sackers in Bengals history, Carlos Dunlap and Geno Atkins, remain on the team. They are 31 and 32, respectively, and could not prevent last year's team from ranking 28th in pass-defense DVOA. Hometown product Sam Hubbard broke out for 8.5 sacks in his first year as a starter, and rotational cog Carl Lawson has enjoyed moments during his Cincinnati stay. The Bengals will also pay ex-Texan D-tackle D.J. Reader plenty of money to join up with Atkins inside, though Reader is more run-stopper than sack artist.

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The Bills lost their top two sack artists from 2019, Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson. They soon focused on depth. Longtime Panther defensive end Mario Addison will join Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy outside, where second-rounder A.J. Epenesa will train. Inside, 2019 first-round pick Ed Oliver should take on a bigger role post-Phillips. Ex-Seahawk Quinton Jefferson and ex-Panther first-rounder Vernon Butler now join him, as does a returning-from-injury Harrison Phillips, who looked in the early stages of a breakout year last season. This will be an interesting group to observe.

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The Browns have one of the game's best in Myles Garrett. Despite the helmet-swinging incident cutting his season off after 10 games, Garrett's 10 sacks led the Browns. None of his teammates eclipsed six. Olivier Vernon, whose status may still hinge on the Browns convincing Jadeveon Clowney to sign, registered only three sacks. He is set to make $15.25 million in a contract year. The Browns are talented inside, with Larry Ogunjobi and Sheldon Richardson, and added D-end Adrian Clayborn in free agency. Last season, however, left some question marks as to Garrett's supporting cast.

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J.J. Watt was back in All-Pro form in 2018 and led all players in QB hits before his torn pectoral injury last season. The Texans did not do much to help their injury-prone icon this offseason. The recently extended Whitney Mercilus looked great with Watt in the lineup. But in between Weeks 5 and 16 -- with Watt out most of that time -- he recorded a half-sack. Houston drafted Jonathan Greenard in Round 3 but absolutely needs its 31-year-old future Hall of Famer to stay healthy for this setup to work. With Watt limited to eight games, the Texans ranked 26th in pass-defense DVOA last year.

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Usually conservative in the offseason, the Colts muscled up this year and shipped their first-round pick for one of the game's best defensive linemen. Entering his age-26 season, DeForest Buckner is a game-changing get for Indianapolis. The ex-49er should make life easier for his new teammates. That will help a Colts team that features injury-prone Justin Houston as its top edge presence. Kemoko Turay looks like he will be given the chance to start, and the ex-second-rounder flashed before his broken ankle last year. The Colts could use some edge insurance, however.

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The Cardinals' descent since their run to the 2015 NFC championship game has obscured the rare post-Patriots success story. Now a two-time All-Pro, Chandler Jones has delivered far more in Arizona than he did in New England. Jones' 96 sacks are the fifth-most through an age-29 season in NFL history. He needs a running mate. The Cards signed ex-Lion hybrid Devon Kennard, who is coming off back-to-back seven-sack years, and paid up for D-tackle Jordan Phillips (9.5 last year). First-round chess piece Isaiah Simmons could help here too, giving Jones a better hope of support.

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After letting Robert Quinn walk and not re-signing Michael Bennett, the Cowboys turned to more outside reinforcements. They will try to complement leading man De Marcus Lawrence with 2019 Panther pair Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe while hoping perennial drug-ban risks Aldon Smith (out of football since 2015) and Randy Gregory (28 career games since being a 2015 draftee) will benefit from a more lenient NFL substance-abuse policy. If this plan goes well, the Cowboys will have a formidable crew around Lawrence. Big if.

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Long-term questions exist here, but the Ravens' 2020 group should be productive. The team traded for 34-year-old All-Pro Calais Campbell a standout with outside- and inside-rushing chops and franchise-tagged steady outside linebacker Matt Judon, whose 33 QB hits last season ranked fourth in the NFL. Baltimore also added ex-Denver Super Bowl starter Derek Wolfe after its Michael Brockers deal fell through. A need remains opposite Judon, which the Ravens showed last year by leading the NFL in blitz rate, but Pernell McPhee is at least back as an auxiliary rusher.

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They may lack for fan support, but the Chargers will again feature one of the NFL's premier edge tandems. Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa are back for a fifth season together; the latter is on the verge of becoming one of the NFL's highest-paid players. Bosa already has three double-digit sack seasons; he's played just three full slates. At 31, Ingram is a sidekick but is riding three straight Pro Bowl nods and has missed only three games in his past five seasons. No other Charger notched three sacks last year; the team will need more from its supporting cast.

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Chris Jones has been an impact defensive tackle pretty much since arriving in 2016. The NFL record holder for most consecutive games with a sack, Jones is now on the franchise tag. While the Chiefs may not be able to afford giving Jones a $20 million-per-year deal with Frank Clark already attached to one they have him at a reasonable rate now. Clark bookend Tanoh Kpassagnon registered two sacks in the AFC title game, and the team returns Alex Okafor and signed ex-first-rounder Taco Charlton. This trio may be enough to supplement Clark and Jones on a team that has noteworthy offensive capabilities.

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The Bucs re-signed key pass-rush principals Shaq Barrett, Jason Pierre-Paul and Ndamukong Suh, with Barrett returning via the franchise tag. Barrett went from buy-low signing to the Bucs' all-time single-season sack leader, with an NFL-best 19.5. But the ex-Bronco will still need to disprove any fluke notions this season. JPP has now surmounted two career-threatening injuries to remain a quality pressure artist into his early 30s. Suh is not quite the menace of old, but he remains a difficult blocking assignment. The Bucs are banking on him maintaining form at 33.

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If the Eagles can keep their group healthy, this remains a strong collection of rushers. Anchors Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham remain, and versatile 2019 signee Malik Jackson is expected back after an injury shelved the ex-Super Bowl starter last year. The Eagles also signed ex-Steelers nose tackle Javon Hargrave, whom Pro Football Focus rated as a top-15 inside rusher last year. Former first-round pick Derek Barnett needs to show more, however. Riding five straight Pro Bowl invites, Cox remains this assembly's engine.

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Questioned for spending lavishly on two potential buyer-beware edge rushers, the Packers reaped the benefits last season. Za'Darius Smith and Preston Smith both had career years, combining for 25.5 sacks. Za'Darius has become one of the league's best pressure producers; his 78 QB hits over the past three seasons rank second only to Aaron Donald. The Packers should get standout D-lineman Kenny Clark's best stuff in his contract year, and 2019 first-rounder Rashan Gary poses an interesting bench rusher.

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The Rams again feature outside linebacker uncertainty, having signed new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley's ex-Bears pupil Leonard Floyd to replace Dante Fowler. This may not be the group Los Angeles booked a Super Bowl berth with, but Aaron Donald still plays here. Donald has 14 more QB hits than any other player since 2017, and his five All-Pro seasons are the most for any defensive lineman through six seasons since the merger. The Rams also re-signed career-long Donald supporting caster Michael Brockers and drafted Alabama's Terrell Lewis in Round 3.

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On track for the Hall of Fame, Khalil Mack may be the game's best edge player entering his age-29 season despite a down 8.5-sack year. He spearheads Chicago's corps, which now includes a superior sidekick. Coming off an 11.5-sack season, Robert Quinn is an upgrade on Leonard Floyd. Though Quinn has done his best work as a 4-3 lineman, the Bears' 3-4 scheme should not hinder him too much considering nickel defenses are almost every team's primary look. Akiem Hicks is a daunting task for offensive linemen. Despite an injury-marred season, the imposing D-tackle should still be a force at age 30.

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Not many defensive players outflank Cameron Jordan, who is fresh off a 15.5-sack season. And 2018 first-round rush partner Marcus Davenport showed improvement in his second season. New Orleans' 51 sacks ranked third in 2019, and the team is deep up front. The Saints re-signed underrated defensive tackle David Onyemata, and Sheldon Rankins a burgeoning inside-rush talent prior to a January 2019 Achilles tear should be in better form in 2020 than he was last year. The team also drafted Wisconsin's Zack Baun in Round 2. The linebacker will likely moonlight as a rusher, after recording 12.5 sacks last year.

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This ranking is contingent on Bradley Chubb bouncing back from his ACL tear and Von Miller showing at 31 he is still an elite edge pursuer. The latter has cemented his Hall of Fame credentials, but Chubb's injury allowed defenses to key on the game's premier edge-bender again. Chubb posted 12 sacks as a rookie. He and Miller now have ex-Titans Pro Bowl D-lineman Jurrell Casey in front of them. For all Derek Wolfe and Malik Jackson's praise, Casey is more accomplished. The Broncos' deal to cheaply re-sign Shelby Harris provides a strong fourth rush option for one of the league's sleeper teams.

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If first-rounder Javon Kinlaw shows immediate promise, this ranking is too low. But upon trading DeForest Buckner, the 49ers lost their most reliable defender. Still, Nick Bosa enters the 2020 season as one of the NFL's best players. And Dee Ford's knee surgery should allow the ex-Chief to play more than the part-time role he did last season. Arik Armstead will need to prove his 10-sack contract year was legit, and the 49ers have seen little from 2017 No. 3 overall pick Solomon Thomas. If he takes a step forward, however, this San Francisco D-line may be just as good as last year's.

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Washington went 3-13 and did not have a 10-sack player last year, but the 2020 D-line will be a problem. Ryan Kerrigan, a four-time Pro Bowler with 90 career sacks, may not even start. The Redskins match the 2019 49ers with five first-round picks up front. Chase Young may elevate this group into a dominant collection. The latest Ohio State rush phenom is one of the best talents to enter the draft in years; he follows 2019 first-round D-end Montez Sweat (seven 2019 sacks) to Washington. Interior linemen Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne round out the team's most exciting position group in many years.

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Armed with four proven pass rushers, this is the NFL's highest-floor group. It has led the NFL in sacks three straight years; T.J. Watt has 27.5 sacks and 14 forced fumbles since 2018. He may not be on J.J.-level trajectory, but he's not far off. The Steelers franchise-tagging Bud Dupree keeps their imposing outside linebacker tandem intact and buys them evaluation time on Dupree. The Cam Heyward-Stephon Tuitt D-end duo warrants more attention, even though the two have been together since 2014. Both are high-level pass rushers for 3-4 ends. As a bonus, third-round edge defender Alex Highsmith is coming off a 15-sack season.

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Ranking the pass-rushing corps for every NFL team - Yardbarker