Top 10 DL/Edge Units in the NFL

[Ozzy]

Here are my top 10 DL/Edge units in the NFL, I did include both 3/4 defenses and 4/3 defenses, and some 4/3 defenses I have a OLB/edge position where they use OLB types as edge rushers and more than one 4/3 does that.  Hard to tell but I tried to combine depth overall and talent level together to see what group could be the best potentially, of course injuries happen changes everything.   AFC East is crazy talented on the fronts with every team, 4 out of my top 8 are from that one division, NFC East right behind them with 3 out of the top 9 and the fourth team in the honorable mention.

 

 

 

 

1 Buffalo Bills:  If one is talking pure depth hard to not have them at the top, does depend on if Von Miller can stay healthy along with others, it hurt them a lot when he went down last year but now they have Floyd who is a hell of a pass rusher himself.  It is just so impressive to have two edge guys in Epenesa and Lawson just waiting on the bench.  Ford could be a huge help on the inside and might end up starting if Phillips stays with his health issues and Settle has promise on the inside as well.  But to be an elite group they need improved productive play from those interior guys.

DE: Greg Rousseau/ AJ Epenesa/ Boogie Basham
DT: Ed Oliver/ Tim Settle
DT: DaQuan Jones/ Poona Ford/ Jordan Phillips
DE: Von Miller/ Shaq Lawson
OLB/Edge:  Leonard Floyd

 

 

2 Philadelphia Eagles:  Could be higher but I think they will miss Hargrave a lot, Carter is not that type of pass rusher and Cox is getting older.  They need Jordan Davis to take a step up and Carter to be a beast inside.  The edge guys are solid but Reddick is where it is at, and now they have a potential replacement in the future for him in Nolan Smith so cannot go wrong with that, they do need Robinson or another DE to step up with the aging Barnett and Graham.  Will be interesting to see how they are without Gannon calling the D and if they will still be as hungry.  

DE: Josh Sweat/ Derek Barnett 
DT: Jalen Carter/ Jordan Davis/ Kentavius Street
DT: Fletcher Cox/ Milton Williams/ Marlon Tuipulotu
DE: Brandon Graham/ Janarius Robinson
OLB/Edge: Haason Reddick/ Nolan Smith/ Patrick Johnson

 

 

3 New York Jets:  If Jermaine Johnson takes a step forward and if McDonald is as good as he has been in the preseason, watchout they could be #1.  Huff is super dangerous as well and he is a big key especially if Lawson goes down again.   Quinnen Williams is one of the best DTs in the NFL no question and Al Woods will help in run defense.  Super talented and deep group that could be really good if guys can stay healthy.

DE: Carl Lawson/ Jermaine Johnson/ Michael Clemons
DT: Quinnen Williams/ Quinton Jefferson
DT: Al Woods/ Solomon Thomas
DE: John Franklin-Myers/ Will McDonald
OLB/Edge: Bryce Huff

 

 

4 New England Patriots:  Could be higher if and when Keion White because a super star which he should be, super dangerous front now would become even better.  Opposite White they still have Wise and Barmore still could develop and Trey Flowers brought back for depth is really solid.  Not to mention Judon and Uche two of the most talented bendy edge rushers on any one team in the NFL.

OLB: Matthew Judon/ Anfernee Jennings
DE: Lawrence Guy/ Trey Flowers
NT: Davon Godchaux/ Christian Barmore
DE: Deatrich Wise/ Keion White/ Daniel Ekuale
OLB Josh Uche/ Ronnie Perkins/ Terez Hall

 

 

5 Pittsburgh Steelers:  A lot will depend on Benton, if he is a great player that will really help this defense.  The depth of Herbig helps a ton with the injuries that always seem to happen to their OLBs.  If all can stay healthy easily one of the best in the league though, especially if Watt is out there consistently and Heyward can still be a dominating force.  

OLB: TJ Watt/ Nick Herbig
DE: Larry Ogunjobi/ Isaiahh Loudermilk
NT: Keeanu Benton/ Montravius Adams
DE: Cameron Heyward/ DeMarvin Leal
OLB:  Alex Highsmith/ Markus Golden/ Quincy Roche

 

 

6 New Orleans Saints: Very deep group with awesome edge players and super depth there.  Additions of Sheperd and Saunders helps a ton on the inside much less Bresee who could start for them potentially.  They do need Turner to step up and Foskey could provide much needed juice on the edge.  But in terms of a pure 4/3 front they are as good as any without OLB/edge help.

DE: Cameron Jordan/ Payton Turner
DT: Nathan Sheperd/ Bryan Bresee
DT: Khalen Saunders/ Malcolm Roach
DE: Carl Granderson/ Isaiah Foskey/ Tanoh Kpassagnon

 

 

7 New York Giants:  The starting 3/4 DL is outstanding, the best in the league arguably with the two super stars in Lawrence and Williams, even the depth behind them is pretty solid as well.  The edge guys need to develop but Thibodeaux should be a super star and Azeez is solid as well not to mention Ward who is a thick edge guy.  In terms of pure toughness and hard to move guys, they are as tough as they come.

OLB: Kayvon Thibodeaux/ Jihad Ward
DE: A'Shawn Robinson/ DJ Davidson
NT: Dexter Lawrence/ Rakeem Nunez-Roches
DE Leonard Williams/ Ryder Anderson
OLB Azeez Ojulari/ Oshane Ximines/ Habakkuk Baldonado

 

 

8 Miami Dolphins:  Awesome 3/4 DL group, they are as good as any especially the starting 3.  Sieler is a super backup as well, do not have great depth on the edge and do need Chubb and Phillips to stay healthy and if they can get some depth in those spots they will be even better.  Will be really interesting if Ogbah can stay healthy just how dangerous they could be.  

OLB: Jaelan Phillips/ Andrew Van Ginkel/ Cameron Goode
DE: Christian Wilkins/ Jaylen Twyman
NT: Raekwon Davis/ Brandon Pili
DE: Emmanuel Ogbah/ Zach Sieler
OLB: Bradley Chubb/ Garrett Nelson

 

 

9 Dallas Cowboys: Great edge depth with the super dominating leader in Parsons.  Mazi Smith could be a big addition and help a ton and they need Gallimore to stay healthy.  Awesome depth with Armstrong and Williams as backup rushers who are both very solid and super hard to deal with combined with the starters.

DE: Micah Parsons/ Dorance Armstrong/ Dante Fowler Jr
DT: Mazi Smith/ Johnathan Hankins/ Quinton Bohanna
DT: Osa Odighizuwa/ Neville Gallimore
DE: DeMarcus Lawrence/ Sam Williams/ Ben Banogu

 

 

10 Green Bay Packers:  Could be higher if Gary and Smith can stay healthy.  They have such potential with the rookies Van Ness, Brooks and Wooden.  If those three hit they will have a force no question.  Wyatt is poised to succeed and provide much needed push opposite Clark.  Very stout front that is for sure with some big time upside.  
OLB: Preston Smith/ Lukas Van Ness
DE: Kenny Clark/ Karl Brooks
NT: TJ Slaton/ Jonathan Ford
DE: Devonte Wyatt/ Chris Slayton/ Colby Wooden
OLB: Rashan Gary/ Kingsley Enagbare/ Justin Hollins

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honorable mention, the best of the rest but each unit either lacks depth across the board, elite talent level or consistency.  A few could be in the top 10 if certain guys play extremely well though.

 

 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Solid DL with some very stout guys and solid depth with Smoot and Gotsis.  Walker is so promising on the edge and Allen on the other side is a star.  Only thing keeping them from being higher is that backup OLB depth and lack of it.  I think Abdullah could spell some guys at times but then again could be a ILB but that is already too deep for them.  If Allen and Walker can stay healthy and take their game to another level they could be a really solid group.

OLB: Josh Allen/ Yasir Abdullah
DE: Folorunso Fatukasi/ Dawuane Smoot
NT: DaVon Hamilton/ Raymond Vohasek
DE: Roy Robertson-Harris/ Adam Gotsis/ Tyler Lacy
OLB: Travon Walker/ K'Lavon Chaisson/ Jordan Smith

 

 

San Francisco 49ers:  Will depend on really how much they can get out of Ferrell or Charlton at those backup edge spots and not totally sold on Drake Jackson yet and the loss of Omenihu, Ebukam does matter along with Ridgeway.  Hargrave should be a massive addition though but Armstead has to stay healthy and McGill could provide some much needed interior depth.  Bosa and Hargrave will be dominating just a matter of who else will show up.  

DE: Nick Bosa/ Clelin Ferrell/ Taco Charlton
DT: Javon Hargrave/ Javon Kinlaw/ TY McGill
DT: Arik Armstead/ Kevin Givens/ Marlon Davidson
DE: Drake Jackson/ Kerry Hyder/ Robert Beal

 

 

Carolina Panthers:  Could be an up and coming group, especially if Houston can produce.  Have tons of depth on the edge with Haynes, Gross-Matos and Barno, the inside guys are not great though outside of Derrick Brown so that could be a limiting factor.  Will see how they take the transition to the 3/4 D with this group.

OLB: Brian Burns/ DJ Johnson/ Jordan Thomas
DE: Henry Anderson/ DeShawn Williams
NT: Shy Tuttle/ Marquan McCall
DE: Derrick Brown/ Raequan Williams
OLB: Justin Houston/ Marquis Haynes/ Yetur Gross-Matos/ Amare Barno

 

 

Washington Commanders:  Really depends on if Chase Young can stay healthy and be dominating again or not.  Their depth is nothing great at any position outside the starting four, Ridgeway is decent and Mathis has to stay health and see what he can do.  Awesome pair of starting DTs, arguably the best in the NFL but need both edge guys to stay healthy especially Young.

DE: Chase Young/ James Smith-Williams/ KJ Henry
DT: Daron Payne/ John Ridgeway
DT: Jonathan Allen/ Phidarian Mathis
DE: Montez Sweat/ Casey Toohill

 

Cleveland Browns:  Not sure what to think about them, odd front and a lot of 3/4 buys in that 4/3.  Not a huge fan of their tackles but Harris could be a good addition and I really like the toughness of Ika.  Tomlinson is solid and will help inside, not sure if ZaDarius Smith can stay healthy but if he can he should take much needed pressure off Garrett and will be interesting how Okoronkwo, Wright or Thomas does if they kick ZaDarius Smith inside to create a great pass rush group.

DE: Myles Garrett/ Ogbo Okoronkwo/ Lonnie Phelps
DT: Dalvin Tomlinson/ Shelby Harris/ Trysten Hill
DT: Jordan Elliott/ Siaki Ika/ Tommy Togiai
DE: ZaDarius Smith/ Alex Wright/ Isaiah Thomas

 

 

Tennessee Titans:  Simmons and Landry are super stars but not sure about the rest.   The depth is pretty suspect across the board outside of Weaver who could be very good as a OLB potentially.  Autry is a stud at times but who knows how much he has left in the tank and what he plays best, OLB or DL.  Will need some things to play out for them to become a really elite unit and some guys to develop and provide some much needed depth.  Murphy and Okuayinonu could be that answer at depth and if they develop they could rise much higher on this list.

OLB: Harold Landry/ Sam Okuayinonu
DE: Jeffrey Simmons/ Jaleel Johnson
NT: Teair Tart/ Naquan Jones
DE: Denico Autry/ Jayden Peevy
OLB: Arden Key/ Rashad Weaver/ Caleb Murphy

 

 

Seattle Seahawks:  Up and coming group with some talented edge rushers in Taylor and Nwosu and good young guys in Hall and Mafe.  Solid inside especially with Jones and Reed, if those two have big years it could help the group greatly.  Will be interesting how Edwards does, he has experience and Mike Morris could be a stud but time will tell, same with Young.  All combined it is a solid group with a lot of upside and potential.

OLB: Darrell Taylor/ Derick Hall
DE: DreMont Jones/ Mike Morris
NT: Bryan Mone/ Cameron Young
DE: Jarran Reed/ Mario Edwards
OLB: Uchenna Nwosu/ Boye Mafe/ Tyreke Smith

 

 

Kansas City Chiefs:  They have Chris Jones but did lose some talent off last years group, the DT depth is not as strong as it usually was for the past few years.  Omenihu being suspended will hurt and we will see if Karlaftis and Danna can be elite players are are they just role players, same with Anudike-Uzomah, can he be a star or not.  If so they have something but do need some guys to prove themselves that is for sure.

DE George Karlaftis/ Mike Danna
DT Derrick Nnadi/ Danny Shelton
DT Chris Jones/ Tershawn Warton
DE Charles Omenihu/ Felix Anudike-Uzomah/ Joshua Kaindoh
OLB/Edge Willie Gay/ Leo Chennel

 

 

 

 

 

These teams need these guys to step up in the big way and a few of them might be poised to have a big season.

 

 

LA Rams:  Byron Young Michael Hoecht

Arizona Cardinals: Cameron Thomas, Myjai Sanders or Dennis Gardeck

Denver Broncos: Randy Gregory, Nik Bonitto

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:  Logan Hall, Calijah Kancey, Yaya Diaby

Detroit Lions: Romeo Okwara, Levi Onwuzurike

LA Chargers: Tuli Tuipulotu, Chris Rumph II

Minnesota Vikings: Khyiris Tonga, DJ Wonnum

 

 

 

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by Ozzy
Editing

[SmittyBacall]

Bills and Patriots are way too high IMO, and not having the 49ers in the top 10 is blasphemy. Titans should be there too.

I would go:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Washington Commanders

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Tennessee Titans

6. New York Jets

7. Miami Dolphins

8. Cincinnati Bengals

9. New York Giants

10. Dallas Cowboys

[minutemancl]

1. Eagles

2. Niners

3. Steelers

4. Washington

5. Jets

6. Giants

7. Bengals

8. Dolphins

9. Browns

10. Cowboys

Packers, Titans just miss. There are some bigger gaps between some of these teams though- Eagles, Niners, Steelers are the upper echelon. Washington, Jets, Giants, Bengals are in the next tier. Dolphins, Browns, Cowboys round out the top-10 and are in tier 3, but there are a few others as well in that tier, including Packers, Titans, and Patriots. I'm much, much lower on the Bills DL than you are.

[Ozzy]

46 minutes ago, SmittyBacall said:

Bills and Patriots are way too high IMO, and not having the 49ers in the top 10 is blasphemy. Titans should be there too.

I would go:

1. Philadelphia Eagles

2. San Francisco 49ers

3. Washington Commanders

4. Pittsburgh Steelers

5. Tennessee Titans

6. New York Jets

7. Miami Dolphins

8. Cincinnati Bengals

9. New York Giants

10. Dallas Cowboys

I maybe should have included the Bengals as honorable mention, the edge guys are very solid especially with Murphy and if Ossai can stay healthy.  Not a huge fan of their DT depth, Reader is very good but the rest are just ehh and that is why I left them off because of lack of DT depth and talent.  

 

The Eagles no way they are that high, that is just basing everything off last year and Gannon is gone so is Hargrave their best DT pass rusher by far and Carter is not a pass rusher and neither is Jordan Davis from those spots so not like it will instantly be replaced.  Maybe they will be that good again but not sure they will with everyone gunning for them and expecting them to get 4-5 sacks a game, they might disappear more often similar to what happened in the Super Bowl.  It will be interesting, they need another edge guy to develop and not sure who is that, Reddick really saved them in that regard last year.

 

As for the 49ers, sure Bosa and Hargrave are as elite as you can get but even one can see in the preseason, their DL depth is pretty suspect compared to years past.  Maybe Ferrell will help them greatly in that regard and become an elite player with them, because not sure Drake Jackson is the answer and Armstead always gets hurt it seems and they need another DT to develop and not sure Kinlaw is the guy obviously with his struggles.  Across the board no way they are as deep as some other groups, they need a few years to really step out.

 

Commanders, sure if Chase Young is super elite but who knows what he will be coming back and one is not just looking at starting four, starting four if Young is elite they are there with any 4/3 front in the NFL.  But there depth is pretty damn suspect and that is obvious and an issue with this list.  To me depth matters a ton and it should.  

 

 

No way the Bills and Patriots are too high, Patriots will be hell to deal with especially when White takes off as a DL, and the Bills with Von Miller healthy and the addition of Floyd, they are rock solid and their depth on the DE spot is as good as any in the NFL and they go 3 deep in some spots there.  To have either not in the top 10 is nuts with regards to depth and talent level.  

[Ozzy]

3 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

1. Eagles

2. Niners

3. Steelers

4. Washington

5. Jets

6. Giants

7. Bengals

8. Dolphins

9. Browns

10. Cowboys

Packers, Titans just miss. There are some bigger gaps between some of these teams though- Eagles, Niners, Steelers are the upper echelon. Washington, Jets, Giants, Bengals are in the next tier. Dolphins, Browns, Cowboys round out the top-10 and are in tier 3, but there are a few others as well in that tier, including Packers, Titans, and Patriots. I'm much, much lower on the Bills DL than you are.

True the Bills DTs have to show up but those edge guys are as solid and as deep as any in the entire NFL no question.  I think Ed Oliver will be motivated this year and Poona was a great pickup for run D and played awesome on Seattle.  Settle is solid and Phillips when healthy can be a beast, but yes it all depends on if they can get push from the inside out and I think they can.  Also the addition of Floyd is huge, that dude is an elite level edge rusher and has super versatility and gives them an option if Von Miller goes down.  

 

Again the Eagles are good but teams will be prepared for them more this season and missing those safeties will hurt the D overall a lot and make it easier for teams without those two back there.  And again the 49ers the depth is not there and that could show up big time, especially if and when Bosa gets hurt.  They need Ferrell to be a super star and maybe he will, but they need many guys to step up there for them to be that elite.

 

[SmittyBacall]

39 minutes ago, minutemancl said:

I'm much, much lower on the Bills DL than you are.

Same. The memory of dismantling their front 7 in the snow during the Divisional Round still lingers in my mind. It was the softest front we faced in recent memory.

[Ozzy]

8 minutes ago, SmittyBacall said:

Same. The memory of dismantling their front 7 in the snow during the Divisional Round still lingers in my mind. It was the softest front we faced in recent memory.

True but not having Von Miller is more than a little issue, that front was never the same without him.  If Von can stay healthy they not only have him but also have Floyd who has had over 9 sacks each of the past three years.  Addition of Ford inside will help their toughness greatly which needed to be address and Phillips needs to stay healthy as well along with a few other guys. 

 

And that is assuming all the young guys in Rousseau, Epenesa, Basham and Oliver will be worse players this year instead of much improved.  Rousseau is poised to be a super star and few teams have a guy like Boogie Basham just sitting around as a 3rd stringer not to mention Shaq Lawson who gets a good consistent edge rush.  Sure it is projection but they have a lot of pieces there who could be much improved.

 

 

 

 

In terms of that game, that team was mentally shot though especially after the Hamlin stuff and trying to win for him, and the Bengals had nothing to lose at all in that game played like it.  Not to mention having a QB who was way off, Josh Allen was a mess mentally and looked defeated from the get go, not to mention their total lack of any running game at all for Buffalo.

 

[SmittyBacall]

3 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

True but not having Von Miller is more than a little issue, that front was never the same without him.  If Von can stay healthy they not only have him but also have Floyd who has had over 9 sacks each of the past three years.  Addition of Ford inside will help their toughness greatly which needed to be address and Phillips needs to stay healthy as well along with a few other guys. 

Fair enough, I think Tim Settle (or maybe Jordan Philips) was also out. Even still, we did so without Alex Cappa, La'el Collins, and Jonah Williams. We bullied them with our back ups.

5 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

And that is assuming all the young guys in Rousseau, Epenesa, Basham and Oliver will be worse players this year instead of much improved.  Rousseau is poised to be a super star and few teams have a guy like Boogie Basham just sitting around as a 3rd stringer not to mention Shaq Lawson who gets a good consistent edge rush.  Sure it is projection but they have a lot of pieces there who could be much improved.

 

I don't doubt their depth, but like you said, this is a ton of projection. 

5 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

In terms of that game, that team was mentally shot though especially after the Hamlin stuff and trying to win for him, and the Bengals had nothing to lose at all in that game played like it.  Not to mention having a QB who was way off, Josh Allen was a mess mentally and looked defeated from the get go, not to mention their total lack of any running game at all for Buffalo.

Yeah, I don't buy that at all. We were just the better team and it showed.

[NYJets4716]

It's funny to see Shaq Lawson being talked about as a plus. He was terrible when he was on the Jets and wouldn't make our roster. 

Von Miller is 34 and coming off of a ACL surgery, hasn't had double digit sacks since 2018. I'm not sure how dominant he will be still. 

[Ozzy]

5 hours ago, SmittyBacall said:

Fair enough, I think Tim Settle (or maybe Jordan Philips) was also out. Even still, we did so without Alex Cappa, La'el Collins, and Jonah Williams. We bullied them with our back ups.

I don't doubt their depth, but like you said, this is a ton of projection. 

Yeah, I don't buy that at all. We were just the better team and it showed.

Sure it is a ton of projection but that is the point, one cannot just go off of what happened last year and assume it will be exactly like that all over again.  

Oh course they were the better team but in no way was Josh Allen mentally all there, the dude was shook and it showed on the field and the sidelines.  And again the Hamlin stuff weighed that team down and they all got to the point of each one felt like they were disappointing the football world almost by not winning it for Damar, especially once they started to get their butt kicked so badly.  

The lack of a power run game hurt them a ton as well and the depth they have collected on the OL could help that and if they can stay healthy on D they will be a major force once again.  Not many are talking about them as a team because of how it ended last year but they are still right there with any team in the NFL in terms of talent and depth.  

 

 

4 hours ago, NYJets4716 said:

It's funny to see Shaq Lawson being talked about as a plus. He was terrible when he was on the Jets and wouldn't make our roster. 

Von Miller is 34 and coming off of a ACL surgery, hasn't had double digit sacks since 2018. I'm not sure how dominant he will be still. 

He had 8 sacks in only 11 games last year when the team played 17 regular season games.  Think he would of had zero sacks if he played in what the 8 games that he missed?  The dude was having a great year and sure maybe he is total crap off the injury but last time I checked he is still very good and has shown he can come back from an injury, oh and they have Floyd to take his place if he does go out.  

 

As a 2nd or 3rd string DE edge rusher, yes Shaq Lawson is a plus considering they do not require him to do much.  You got that many solid edge guys a few will hit and already have.  Epenesa is already much better than he was not to mention Rousseau.  But sure maybe they have plateaued but I doubt that, same can be said for Ed Oliver who has only been in the league four years.  I expect him to take another step especially with the security of the new contract.  He takes that next step along with a few other guys and they will be one hell of a front.  

[SmittyBacall]

30 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

Sure it is a ton of projection but that is the point, one cannot just go off of what happened last year and assume it will be exactly like that all over again.  

Okay, but it's also not safe to assume that every young, ascending player will actually reach their potential. Often times it isn't the case. There is a balance that must be respected and it should be reflected in the rankings.

[Ozzy]

1 minute ago, SmittyBacall said:

Okay, but it's also not safe to assume that every young, ascending player will actually reach their potential. Often times it isn't the case. There is a balance that must be respected and it should be reflected in the rankings.

True but making a list that only looks at the proven right now is kind of boring.  One has to project a bit otherwise this season which will be exactly like last year and it will not be.

[Soko]

Von’s not better than Judon, not anymore.

[SmittyBacall]

39 minutes ago, Ozzy said:

True but making a list that only looks at the proven right now is kind of boring.  One has to project a bit otherwise this season which will be exactly like last year and it will not be.

I'd rather be boring and right than different and wrong.

[Ozzy]

27 minutes ago, Soko said:

Von’s not better than Judon, not anymore.

Von Miller, who said he was better than Judon right now?  I did not.  But I do still feel Von Miller is a damn good edge rusher and even at this age is just as bendy if not more bendy than Matthew Judon.

 

26 minutes ago, SmittyBacall said:

I'd rather be boring and right than different and wrong.

I project things, do it in the draft and with regards to these lists which are greatly based on prospect collection and who does one have. 

 

For example, if you wanted to go out on a short limb and say the Kansas City Chiefs are good, wow what insight.  Trying to find trends or teams/units on the up swing now and in the future is far more interesting.

 

 

At least these have conversation and discussion with them, did a best players 25 and under team list and few had anything to say on that one.