Ranking the NFL’s Five Best Pass-Rushing Duos for 2026

Over the years, some of the greatest pass rushers of all time have led their teams to championships.

In 2015, Von Miller took the Broncos to Super Bowl 50, winning MVP honors while posting five sacks in three postseason games. Six years later, Aaron Donald helped the Rams win their first Super Bowl while in Los Angeles during a 10-year career that included three Defensive Player of the Year awards and 111 sacks. Throughout the Chiefs’ dynasty, Chris Jones has wreaked havoc inside with 87.5 sacks on his way to an eventual bust in Canton.

But then there are the legendary duos, the players who have worked in tandem to terrorize quarterbacks.

Over the years, we watched Joe Greene and L.C. Greenwood bash their way to four Super Bowls in six seasons with the Steelers while totaling 155.5 unofficial sacks. In Washington, Dexter Manley and Charles Mann helped Washington win three Super Bowls from 1982 to ’91, with each earning two rings and 186.5 combined sacks. More recently, Osi Umenyiora and Michael Strahan led the Giants to a knockout of the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, finishing their careers with 226.5 career sacks.

Looking at the landscape entering 2026, here are the five best tandems, with plenty of argument to be had for a few others, including George Karlaftis and Jones in Kansas City, Tuli Tuipulotu and Khalil Mack of the Chargers, Trey Hendrickson and Nnamdi Madubuike in Baltimore, Jeffery Simmons and John Franklin-Myers of the Titans, and Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill in Detroit, among others.

That said, here’s our top five heading into training camp:

5. New York Giants: Brian Burns and Abdul Carter

This is a bit of a future hedge, but also rooted in some underlying numbers. While Carter posted only four sacks as a rookie, he also notched 23 quarterback hits, ranking tied for 13th across the league. He also got better as the season progressed. After totaling more than one quarterback hit just once in his first 11 games, Carter did so three times over the final six. All told, he had 14 of his 23 QB hits over that span.

As for Burns, he’s long been one of the premier pass rushers in the league. When New York acquired Burns from the Panthers, it gave up second- and fifth-round picks, while also signing him to a five-year, $141 million extension, including $87.5 million guaranteed. Last year, Burns earned second-team All-Pro honors after a career-best 16.5 sacks, 22 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback hits. League-wide, those figures ranked second, third and fourth, respectively.

4. San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa and Osa Odighizuwa

The question with Bosa always centers around health. In his seven-year career, he has played at least 14 games on only five occasions. In those seasons, he’s racked up 62.5 sacks and 87 tackles for loss while making five Pro Bowls, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and once earning first-team All-Pro honors. However, he’s coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2025 season in Week 3 and he turned 29 years old in October.

Meanwhile, the 49ers acquired Odighizuwa from the Cowboys this offseason, as Dallas continues to remake its defense after ranking 32nd in points allowed. Despite being part of that mess, Odighizuwa is one of the better interior rushers in the league. He’s posted 23 quarterback hits each of the past two seasons, ranking second only to Chris Jones among defensive tackles. With Bosa and 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams coming off the edges, Odighizuwa could be primed for a career year.

Denver Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto — Broncos linebacker Nik Bonitto helped Denver lead the league in sacks with 68. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

3. Denver Broncos: Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen

A 3-4 defensive end, Allen might be the most underrated player in the NFL. It’s something that should be impossible, considering he played for a 14–3, top-seeded team last season. Yet he remains so, even with pacing the NFL over the past two seasons in quarterback hits with 47 and 40, respectively.

On the outside, Bonitto earned a four-year, $106 million extension beginning this year by turning into one of the game’s elite pass rushers. Last season, he helped the Broncos lead the league with 68 sacks by having a team-high 14, his second consecutive season with at least 13.5. Only 26 and surrounded by pass rushers, including Allen and Jonathan Cooper, Bonitto’s best days might be ahead of him.

2. Houston Texans: Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr.

No defense was more terrifying down the stretch of the 2025 season than Houston’s, and while the secondary is loaded with corners Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter and safety Jalen Pitre, the main ingredient is the pass rush.

In Hunter and Anderson, the Texans had the league’s top tandem from a year ago, with both players having double-digit sacks, 27 combined. The combination powered Houston to the divisional round for the third consecutive season, as the Texans allowed more than 21 points (excluding a Week 18 reserve-fest) once over their final 10 regular-season contests.

Entering his fourth campaign and age-25 season, Anderson already has a case as the league’s top edge rusher this side of Garrett. Last year, Anderson amassed 12 sacks and 20 tackles for loss while registering 85 quarterback pressures, second only to the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson.

1. Los Angeles Rams: Myles Garrett and Byron Young

If anybody respectable was across from Garrett, they would be part of the top choice here. As it happens, the Rams have another star in the spot with Young, who is turning into an All-Pro talent.

As for Garrett, what hasn’t been said about him? A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Garrett set the single-season sacks record last season with 23 for the Browns. In the offseason, he was acquired by the Rams for defensive end Jared Verse, along with first-, second- and third-round picks, and despite being 30 years old, was still seen as worth the cost.

Over the past six years, Garrett has been a five-time first-team All-Pro. He’s totaled 95 sacks across 97 games while constantly drawing double- and triple-teams in Cleveland. A two-time Defensive Player of the Year, he’s now getting his first real shot at a ring.

Then there’s Young, a 28-year-old Pro Bowler coming off a career-high 12 sacks. Never missing a game throughout his three-year career, Young is durable and disruptive and, with Garrett as his counterpart, could be the biggest individual beneficiary.

More NFL from Sports Illustrated

Add us as a preferred source on Google