If you can't rush the passer in the NFL, you aren't going to make it far in the postseason. Not only is it crucial to have a good signal caller in place for your offense, but it's especially critical that you can affect the opposing team's quarterback by sending waves of pass rush.
Having a deep rotation in the pass rush department has never been more glamorized as the Philadelphia Eagles just won the Super Bowl thanks largely to the fact that they were able to make Patrick Mahomes's life miserable despite not sending a single blitz the entire game.
Who are the best pass rushers in the NFL? Who are the best pass rushers on each team? We're going to make our predictions ahead of the 2025 NFL season of which players will lead every team in sacks, and some have more competition than others.
NFL Predictions: Predicting every team's sack leader in 2025
AFC North
Cleveland Browns: Myles Garrett, EDGE
I don’t know if you can put anyone else in this slot for the Cleveland Browns, especially after Garrett signed that massive contract in the 2025 offseason. He’s going to be out to prove that he’s truly the best pass rusher of this era of football, and he’s the type of player who is going to believe he can put the weight of the Browns on his shoulders and do whatever it takes to win. Garrett should be in the mix to lead the NFL in sacks.
Pittsburgh Steelers: TJ Watt, EDGE
The Steelers have a couple of candidates to potentially lead the team in sacks on the roster but TJ Watt is the smart bet. The other realistic option here would be Alex Highsmith, but Watt is a machine and had 11.5 sacks last year in somewhat of a “down” year. He’s going to be in the mix to lead the league in that category just like his peers here in the AFC North.
Cincinnati Bengals: Trey Hendrickson, EDGE
Trey Hendrickson loaded up on sacks last season with a whopping 17.5 total, and he’ll be right back at it again in 2025. The question at this point is a simple one – will it be with the Bengals, or someone else? Hendrickson and the Bengals are in the midst of a contract dispute, and so is their first-round pick Shemar Stewart. This team is in rough shape defensively, so they’ve got to get this guy on the field and happy.
Baltimore Ravens: Odafe Oweh, EDGE
Kyle Van Noy led the Ravens in sacks last season, but Odafe Oweh had a breakout year with 10 sacks and 23 quarterback hits, both career-bests. I think we’re going to see him really establish and entrench himself as the top dog off the edge for the Ravens this coming year and lead that team in sacks overall.
AFC South
Jacksonville Jaguars: Josh Hines-Allen, EDGE
You’re likely to see a two-way race between Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker for the Jaguars’ team lead in sacks this coming season after Walker hit double digits last season and Hines-Allen has proven he can do it in the past. Because of how many years we’ve seen both Hines-Allen and Walker with less than 10 sacks, however, I considered a darkhorse here in Maason Smith, one of my favorite prospects in the 2024 class.
Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons, IDL
The Tennessee Titans don’t have a clear player off the edge who looks like a 10-sack player, so I went with the best player on their defensive front in Jeffery Simmons. It could be Arden Key or potentially someone else on this unit who steps up, but the Titans are a work in progress off the edge and need young guys to give them something to build around moving forward.
Indianapolis Colts: Laiatu Latu, EDGE
The Colts moved on from one of their best pass rushers this offseason, letting Dayo Odeyingbo head off to the Chicago Bears in free agency. This unit has a player ready for a huge breakout year in 2025, however, in 2024 first-round pick Laiatu Latu. Latu was the top defensive player off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft and the Colts felt like they stole him in the middle of round one. He’s got 10-plus sacks written all over him this year.
Houston Texans: Danielle Hunter, EDGE
One of the toughest teams to project for a sack leader is the Houston Texans, because they have both Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson coming off the edge. Hunter is entering his absolute prime years and has averaged 13.0 sacks over the last three seasons. He and Anderson might battle it out through the end of the season, but I’m taking the veteran Hunter to beat him out. They should combine for at least 24 either way.
AFC East
New England Patriots: Harold Landry, EDGE
Mike Vrabel has taken over the operation in New England, and he’s added a couple of intriguing candidates to potentially come in and lead his team in sacks this season. First off, we have Harold Landry, the edge rusher formerly of the Titans who has averaged 10.5 sacks over his last three seasons played. He had nine sacks last year and his biggest competition in New England might come from Milton Williams, another free agent pickup coming over from the Eagles.
Miami Dolphins: Chop Robinson, EDGE
The more you look at the Dolphins depth chart, the more you see the potential for great competition for the team lead in sacks. The Dolphins have Zach Sieler returning as their team leader last season with 10 sacks, and 10 sacks in each of the last two seasons. He’s not getting the respect he deserves, but there’s a lot of talent off the edge for this Miami team. They’ve got three first-rounders on the roster in Bradley Chubb, Jaelan Phillips, and Chop Robinson. I’ll go with Robinson as the new team leader in the sack category.
New York Jets: Will McDonald IV, EDGE
The Jets may have gotten bamboozled by Haason Reddick last offseason, but they got a breakout year from former first-round pick Will McDonald IV, who had 10.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits in his second NFL season. McDonald really became a force off the edge and will be a fun weapon for Aaron Glenn to build around. He’s low-hanging fruit for the Jets’ team lead in sacks this coming season.
Buffalo Bills: Gregory Rousseau, DE
There are a lot of new faces on the Buffalo Bills’ defensive front this year, but Gregory Rousseau remains. And he seems inevitable as the team’s sack leader in 2025. Over four NFL seasons, Rousseau only has 25 total sacks but he’s coming off of arguably his best year yet with 8.0 sacks and a career-best 24 QB hits. He might be blooming a bit later and could reach that 10-plus sack mark in 2025.
AFC West
Las Vegas Raiders: Maxx Crosby, EDGE
There are few pass rushers in the NFL who are as feared as Maxx Crosby. He’s one of the most dominant edge players in the league and is a rare type of player off the edge who hardly needs to come off the field at all. He rarely misses time due to injury and is just relentless in his pursuit of the quarterback. I think there’s a chance he could be a 20-sack player as he reaches the prime years of his NFL career. He’s that dominant.
Los Angeles Chargers: Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE
If you’re not a Chargers fan, you might be sleeping on Tuli Tuipulotu. He’s already been one of the best pass rushers on the Chargers the last two years, and the team felt good enough about his progress last year with 8.5 sacks and 17 QB hits that they decided to let Joey Bosa walk in NFL free agency. You could easily put Khalil Mack in this slot as well, but he might receive too much attention.
Denver Broncos: Nik Bonitto, EDGE
The Broncos led the NFL last season with a whopping 63 sacks as a team, and Nik Bonitto led the team that led the league in sacks. Bonitto had such a good year that he was actually in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation for a bit, and he wound up being picked as a second-team All-Pro. There’s no doubt that this guy’s specialty is getting to the QB, and I think he’s got the potential to average a sack per game.
Kansas City Chiefs: George Karlaftis, EDGE
Over the course of his first three NFL seasons, George Karlaftis has averaged 8.5 sacks per season. He’s got the ability to be a 10-plus sack player every single season, and I think his only real competition in Kansas City is coming from Chris Jones. The Chiefs need Karlaftis to step up in a big way for them this coming season. He had 8.0 sacks last year but wound up with 28 quarterback hits in a career year.
NFC North
Detroit Lions: Aidan Hutchinson, DE
The Lions are going to be seriously hoping that Aidan Hutchinson is truly back from a gruesome leg injury that cost him a good chunk of last season. Hutchinson is really the only hope for the Lions off the edge this season as they didn’t do enough to really upgrade that unit and the depth, especially after last year where that became a major issue. Hutchinson is the lone ranger here, or someone is going to have to come flying into frame out of nowhere.
Minnesota Vikings: Andrew Van Ginkel, EDGE
There are a few guys for the Minnesota Vikings that could really end up in this conversation when the season is rolling along. It could be any number of EDGE guys like Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner. It could even be a new addition like Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Allen who can finish the deal behind the line of scrimmage. I picked Van Ginkel to lead them in sacks this year, almost in a “pick a name out of a hat” style. It could be so many guys here.
Chicago Bears: Montez Sweat, EDGE
Montez Sweat was so great for the Chicago Bears after they traded for him during the 2023 season, but he struggled a little bit last season in what was supposed to be a huge year for him. The Bears are going to be manifesting Sweat getting back to form this season after a concerning 12 QB hits in 16 games last year and just 5.5 sacks. He only has one year with double-digit sacks (12.5 in 2023) but the Bears will be expecting at least that in 2025.
Green Bay Packers: Rashan Gary, EDGE
The Packers are one of three teams in the NFC North that might not have done enough this offseason to upgrade off the edge. The Vikings already loaded up last offseason, but the rest of the division is really relying on just one guy to provide the majority of their sack production. Rashan Gary is that guy for the Packers, although he’s never even had 10 sacks in a season at this point. Maybe someone like Lukas Van Ness can put things together for them this season.
NFC South
Atlanta Falcons: Jalon Walker, LB
The Falcons are putting a ton of pressure on the young guys in their program, including 2024 second-round pick Ruke Orhorhoro on the interior and rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to who could be the sack leader on this team. Maybe it will be Arnold Ebiketie. One way or another, this team needs an infusion of pass rusher and Jalon Walker was one of the best in this year’s rookie class at getting to the QB.
Carolina Panthers: Nic Scourton, EDGE
The NFC South has a couple of defenses in which young players are going to be leaned on very early in their NFL careers. The Panthers traded away Brian Burns last year and turned to a couple of sleepers on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft to try and effectively replace him. It didn’t happen with any of their additions last year, but second-round pick Nic Scourton could compete with fellow Day 2 pick Princely Umanmeilen (3rd round) to lead this team in sacks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Haason Reddick, LB
The Buccaneers are going to be relying on their incumbents to provide most of the pass rush production this coming season. They’re always going to get production out of guys like Vita Vea and Kalijah Caney on the interior, but who will step up on the outside with as much havoc as those guys cause? Haason Reddick is going to be determined to prove himself as one of the elite sack artists in the game but YaYa Diaby got to the quarterback a bunch last year as well (20 QB hits).
New Orleans Saints: Chase Young, EDGE
The New Orleans Saints gave Chase Young a three-year, $51 million contract this offseason, and the expectation is going to be for him to reach that double-digit sack potential he’s always had. The closest he’s ever come to doing it is 7.5 sacks, which he’s done twice. Still, the Saints invested a big-money deal in Young because he finally had a bit of a breakthrough last year with a career-high 21 QB hits. Can he turn those hits into sacks, or at least a chunk of them?
NFC East
New York Giants: Brian Burns, EDGE
The Giants, if nothing else, have assembled a really interesting group of pass rushers on the defensive front. They have one of the league’s best EDGE players in veteran Brian Burns, and former first-round pick Kayvon Thibodeaux has also proven himself capable of being a double-digit sack player in the past. They’ve now added 3rd overall pick Abdul Carter into the mix along with interior lineman Dexter Lawrence. You’ve got a lot of candidates here but Burns is the Batman of this Justice League. Or, wait – he’s Spiderman. You get the idea.
Philadelphia Eagles: Nolan Smith, EDGE
It’s year three for Nolan Smith with the Philadelphia Eagles, and this is his best chance yet to be the team leader in sacks. Josh Sweat is off to the Arizona Cardinals. Milton Williams is off to the New England Patriots. You’re going to have to deal with Jalen Carter likely racking up sacks as well, but Smith is going to be that top dog off the edge for Philly this year and I think he’s ready to step up as this team’s best edge rusher.
Washington Commanders: Jer’Zhan Newton, DL
When you look at the Commanders' depth chart right now, you can’t help but be underwhelmed by the pass rush and defensive front seven, in general. The Commanders got great production last year out of Dante Fowler Jr., but he bolted for the Dallas Cowboys in free agency. We’ve kind of seen what Dorance Armstrong is at this point. We’ve seen what Daron Payne is at this point. At least Jer’Zhan Newton is a bit of an unknown who could step up for this team on the interior. He might end up leading the team in sacks, but it also might be just 7 or 8 of them.
Dallas Cowboys: Micah Parsons, LB
There are a number of players around the league who are low-hanging fruit in this category, and Micah Parsons leading the Cowboys in sacks is definitely one of them. Parsons is one of the best sack artists in the entire league and is seemingly able to sleepwalk his way to 12 or more of them at this point. He’s going to be the team’s sack leader again in 2025 barring an injury or unexpected breakout from someone else.
NFC West
Seattle Seahawks: Derick Hall, EDGE
Derick Hall had a nice breakout year for the Seahawks last year after not notching a single sack in his rookie year. He finished the 2024 season with 8.0 sacks and 20 QB hits in 17 games, and could be even more productive for Mike Macdonald’s defense in 2025. There are a few interesting candidates in Seattle, including the inevitable Leonard Williams, who is an underrated threat for 9 or 10 sacks (11 last year).
San Francisco 49ers: Nick Bosa, EDGE
The 49ers brought in Mykel Williams in the 1st round of the 2025 NFL Draft, but as talented as he is, he’s got a tough hill to climb with Nick Bosa on the roster. The 49ers have lost a lot of guys defensively this year, so the burden of responsibility is going to fall directly on Bosa’s shoulders. As long as he stays healthy, he should be a strong candidate to lead this team in sacks, and the only competitors might be a distant second.
Arizona Cardinals: Josh Sweat, EDGE
The Cardinals went out in NFL free agency and spent big money on Josh Sweat so he could do exactly this: Lead the team in sacks. The Cardinals were desperate for more pass rush productivity off the edge last year after they struggled to replace the injured BJ Ojulari. Now, they’ve got Sweat in the mix as well as Ojulari coming back. They’ve also got Baron Browning as an underrated potential breakout candidate in year two under Jonathan Gannon after last year’s trade with the Broncos.
Los Angeles Rams: Jared Verse, EDGE
The Rams have had young guys stepping up all over their defensive front, including the likes of Braden Fiske and Kobie Turner. But Jared Verse is the guy off the edge with 10-plus sack potential. The first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Florida State played over 800 snaps last season and finished with 18 QB hits and 4.5 sacks, but he’s going to be expected to make a major year two leap for this team.