The NFL The season is just around the corner and many players are looking to make a name for themselves this year. With this in mind, the FOX Sports NFL team has released its position rankings.

We have already completed Linebacker off the ball and cornerbacks, and now it’s time to move on to one of the most important positions on defense – pass rushers. Our NFL team has ranked its top 10 in order for the 2024 season. A vote for first place was worth 10 points under our methodology, and went down from there to a single point for 10th place. We then combined the scores to determine our rankings.

Of the eleven players who made the list, a whopping four are making their first appearance, while the other six made it last season. Michael Garrett was voted the best edge rusher by a wide margin, receiving first place votes from six of our seven writers. TJ Watt also dominated the vote, finishing with a total of 58 points behind Garrett with 69.

We’ll continue to feature the best players at other positions until the season starts. For now, here are the best pass rushers in the NFL.

The best pass rushers in the NFL 2024

1. Michael Garrett, The Cleveland Browns

Henry McKenna: “Myles is the best defensive end in football,” said Joel Bitoniowho played guard and tackle for the Browns.

There’s no defender you can set and forget as easily as Garrett. He does everything you could want. He’s as big, quick, agile and strong as you could want. He’s a true defensive end, old school, so to speak. And that’s why he’s not quite as loved as Micah Parsons, who is a more versatile and flashy toy in Dallas. Garrett has also never recorded more than 16 sacks in a season, which is tough considering the really great pass rushers record 20 or more sacks. But if you don’t think he’s the best in the NFL, you’re probably not watching him closely enough. Garrett is reliable, productive and generally unstoppable.

“Myles is an alien,” said Browns defensive tackle Mo Hurst, “so he does alien things all the time.”

Rank 2023: 3 (+2)

2. TJ Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

McKenna: He led the NFL in sacks. Let’s start with that. He brought down the quarterback 19 times. The crazy thing is that that total is not his career high. In 2021, he recorded 22.5 sacks. But in 2023, Watt also hit his career high in tackles (68). As a rusher, he’s a threat. But here’s the other trouble with Watt.

“There’s no other defensive lineman that I have to treat like a DB (defensive back),” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said. “I have to be aware of where he is because he just jumps up and catches the ball. Nobody else can do that. … You have to be very careful of him in the passing game, which I would say is unique.”

Watt had eight pass defenses last year and averaged one interception per season. He disrupts the passing game in more ways than one.

Rank 2023: 4 (+2)

3. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Eric D. Williams: Crosby is the Raiders’ undisputed defensive leader and has developed into one of the league’s most productive pass rushers during his five NFL seasons. Since entering the league in 2019, Crosby’s 52 sacks are the fifth-best of any player. Even more impressive, Crosby has been effective in the moments that matter most for Las Vegas. According to Next Gen Stats, since 2019, only Myles Garrett (124) has more quarterback pressures in the fourth quarter and overtime than Crosby (120).

Rank 2023: 5 (+2)

4. Michael Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

Ralph Vacchiano: The beauty of the 25-year-old Parsons is that he has been one of the NFL’s best overall defenders in each of his three NFL seasons, and it still feels like the Dallas Cowboys haven’t really let go of him. He’s tallied 40.5 sacks in those three seasons, and by the numbers, he probably should have more. He’s totaled more than 100 quarterback pressures in the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus, and he led all edge rushers in pressure rate and finished second in pass-rush win rate last season. Probably the only reason he doesn’t get 20 sacks a season is because so much more is asked of him. He’s a strong run defender and good in coverage, too. Plus, offenses are constantly trying to run plays away from him, which is impossible with his speed. He’s finished in the top three in NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting in each of his three seasons. It’s only a matter of time before he wins.

2023 Rank: 2 (-2)

5. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers

Williams: Bosa is the highest-paid edge rusher in the league and remains the engine behind San Francisco’s strong pass rush. However, his 10.5 sacks in 2023 were Bosa’s lowest output in the last three seasons. Even though the sacks were lacking, Bosa still had an impact on the quarterback last season. According to Next Gen Stats, Bosa generated 91 pressure situations in 2023, the third-most in the NFL. Unlike last year, when he went through contract negotiations and missed training camp, Bosa fully participated in offseason work and training camp this year and believes it will help him get off to a fast start in 2024.

2023 Rank: 1 (-4)

6. Josh Hines Allen, Jacksonville Jaguars

Ben Arthur: Had it not been for the Jaguars’ collapse in the final stages of last season, Hines-Allen would likely have been in the conversation for AP Defensive Player of the Year. He was The well in a contract year (he signed a five-year, $141.2 million contract extension in April, the largest in Jacksonville history before Trevor Lawrence’s contract).

Hines-Allen set a franchise-record 17.5 sacks for a single season, seven more than his previous career high, and ranked second in the league. He was also a force in the run game (his 17 tackles for loss ranked seventh in the NFL).

Hines-Allen, the No. 7 overall pick in 2019, is one of the most complete edge rushers in football, playing alongside up-and-coming Travon Walker on the other end for the Jags and defensive line specialist Ryan Nielsen as the new defensive coordinator. The former Kentucky star should continue his ascent in 2024.

Ranking 2023: not ranked

7. Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans

Arthur: As dominant as Hunter has been throughout his career, he seems to have slipped under the radar a bit. That should change in Houston, which is one of the NFL’s most hyped teams in 2024 and a legitimate Super Bowl contender. He comes to the Texans – his hometown team – after setting a career-high 16.5 sacks in his 29th season with the Minnesota Vikings, and will now team up with reigning AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Will Anderson Jr., one of the best young edge rushers in football. A true pass-rush specialist, Hunter has recorded 62 sacks since 2018, ranking fifth in the NFL over that span, and was the NFL’s all-time leader with 23 tackles for loss in 2023.

Rank 2023: 10 (+3)

8. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals

Greg Auman: Hendrickson, 29, was a true free agent for the Bengals and has made the Pro Bowl in each of the three seasons since joining from the Saints. Cincinnati bet his 13.5 sacks with the Saints in 2021 weren’t an outlier, and he’s backed that up every year, most notably with 17.5 sacks, his career-high, in 2023.

He’s also turned sacks into turnovers, with three forced fumbles in each of his three seasons in Cincinnati — that’s the second-most in the NFL as of 2021, one behind TJ Watt. Sacks in the last four years? He has 53, the third-highest number behind Watt and Myles Garrett. He’s under contract for two more years after extending his original deal for $21 million, and if the Bengals want to come back with a healthy Joe Burrow in 2024, he’ll lead the defensive side of that resurgence.

Ranking 2023: not ranked

9. Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions

Carmen Vitali: The Lions have spent the last two years bolstering the defensive side of the ball, as the secondary in particular has suffered greatly from injury problems. Although Hutchinson doesn’t have much help from the back end, he has still been incredibly effective up front. According to Next Gen Stats, he had the fifth-most pressures among qualified pass rushers last season with 83. He also had 11.5 sacks, giving him 21 in his first two seasons as a pro. Hutch did all of this as the linchpin of the Lions’ defense. He came in as a finished pass rusher from the start and has already lived up to his first-round selection.

Ranking 2023: not ranked

T-10. Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers

Vitaly: No, Mack is no longer the player he was when he broke out with the Bears in 2015, recording 15 sacks and earning a Pro Bowl nomination and All-Pro honors. He is no longer the player he was in 2015, when he earned both awards again after a 12.5-sack season. But on a subpar Chargers team, after four seasons with fewer than 10 sacks, Mack had 17 sacks for Los Angeles last season. That’s crazy, even considering six of those sacks came in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Mack has also been so productive despite Joey Bosa, who is supposed to round out the Chargers’ defensive line, being injured for most of the last two seasons. Mack may be 33, but he’s still the anchor for LA and deserves to make this list for his resurgent 2023 season.

Ranking 2023: not ranked

T-10. Haason Reddick, New York Jets

Vacchiano: The 29-year-old current New York Jet is on this list for one big reason – his production is hard to argue with. His 50.5 sacks over the past four seasons are fourth-most in the NFL, and his 27 over the past two seasons (both in Philadelphia) rank third-most. When he’s free and not constantly double-covered, he can pressure the quarterback with his speed and variety of moves. He’s not very good in coverage, but he was good enough against the run that he was a three-down player during his time with the Eagles. He’d likely be higher on the list if his production hadn’t dipped late last season. Over the past eight games, including the playoffs, he had just 2.5 sacks. That’s not great considering he’s currently holding out and trying to become the highest-paid edge rusher in the game.

Honorable Mentions:

Matthew Judon, Atlanta Falcons

Montez Sweat, Chicago Bears

Brian Burns, Carolina Panthers

NFL Position Rankings 2024

This ranking was created by:

Ben Arthur (@benyarthur)
Greg Auman (@gregauman)
David Helman (@davidhelman_)
Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis)
Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams)
Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano)
Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)

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