Most teams around the NFL are finishing up their offseason programs with OTAs in the books and mandatory minicamps taking place.
Some teams around the league have really begun to build something special, and one thing every team in the AFC may be able to claim entering 2026 is that they have at least one defensive cornerstone piece to build around.
But which teams have the best defensive players around the conference? That's exactly what we're going to be looking at today. We're going to rank every AFC team based on their best defensive superstar in 2026. This isn't a list ranking the best overall defenses in the league, but each team's most valuable, most productive, highest-ceiling player on that side of the ball.
NFL Power Rankings: Every AFC team ranked worst to best by best defensive player in 2026
16. Pittsburgh Steelers: Joey Porter Jr., cornerback
We obviously bounced back and forth between TJ Watt -- the most established star on the Steelers' defense based on his career production -- and Joey Porter Jr., the team's up-and-coming star at the cornerback position.
Because of the fact that Watt is coming off of a down/injury-impacted season (still very productive), we thought it was the perfect time to highlight how important of a player Joey Porter is and has been to the Steelers' defense. And football fans who grew up in the 2000s just had deja vu.
Porter has been steadily improving over the course of his three NFL seasons so far, but he showed some real signs of being a lockdown player last season. He allowed a QB rating into his coverage of just 57.2, and his 5.0 yards per target were easily the best of his NFL career up to this point.
15. New York Jets: Will McDonald, edge rusher
I almost decided to put David Bailey on this list for the Jets before he even plays a down in the NFL, not because I forgot Will McDonald exists, but because I think Bailey is going to be that good.
The Jets would have had a couple of other contenders for this list -- Quinnen Williams and Sauce Gardner -- if they hadn't traded them away to the Cowboys and Colts, respectively. Will McDonald takes over as the best player on the Jets' defense for the time being, and he's shown he can be one of the most productive pass rushers in the league.
He had a bit of a down year last year, but the expectation -- especially with Bailey on the other side -- should be for a bounce-back season.
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