National Football League

Who are the 10 greatest pass-rushers in NFL history?

Published Dec. 18, 2024 5:22 p.m. ET

If quarterbacks are the most important players in the game, it could be argued that those most responsible for stopping them are the second most important.

The edge rusher position has evolved similarly to quarterbacks over the years. When quarterbacks operated more from the pocket, the best edge rushers might not have been seen as the most athletic forces in the league. But as quarterbacks have turned into dual threats, edge rushers have followed suit, becoming more athletic to help chase down their opponents.

So, let's take a look at which 10 pass rushers have been the best at doing that in NFL history.

1. Bruce Smith

No one took down more opposing quarterbacks than Smith. The Buffalo Bills great recorded 200 career sacks, the most in NFL history. He was a major reason for Buffalo's success from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s, recording double-digit sack seasons 12 times in a 13-year span between 1986-1998. The one season he didn't record double-digit sacks during that stretch, he played in only five games due to knee injuries. An 11-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, Smith also won Defensive Player of the Year twice. He had 19 sacks in 1990 when he first won the award, and he recorded 13.5 sacks to go with a league-high five forced fumbles in 1996. Smith finished his career in Washington, where he had 29 sacks in his final four seasons before retiring at age 40 following the 2003 season.

2. Reggie White

As Smith was instilling fear in AFC quarterbacks in the 1980s and ‘90s, White was doing the same to NFC quarterbacks. The Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers icon was neck-and-neck with Smith as the league's best pass rusher over that time, earning All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors in all but one season before his first retirement in 1999. He won Defensive Player of the Year for the first time in his career in just his third season, recording 21 sacks in 12 games in 1987. He joined the Packers in 1993, being credited as the player who helped kick-start free agency in the NFL. In his fourth season in Green Bay, White helped the Packers win a Super Bowl. He recorded a record three sacks in their Super Bowl XXXI win before winning Defensive Player of the Year again in 1998, when he had 16 sacks. White finished his career with seven top-five finishes in Defensive Player of the Year voting and won the sack title twice. His 198 career sacks are the second-most all-time.

3. Lawrence Taylor

The New York Giants' rise to prominence in the 1980s was in large part due to Taylor. The Hall of Famer arguably had the most dominant stretch of peak play in NFL history, becoming the second defensive player to win MVP in 1986. Taylor had a league-leading 20.5 sacks that season, helping him win Defensive Player of the Year for the third time in his career. He also helped the Giants win the Super Bowl that season, recording a pick-six in one of their playoff wins. Taylor continued his play as one of the game's greatest edge rushers through the end of the decade, recording at least 10 sacks in each season through 1990. The 1990 season ended with Taylor winning his second Super Bowl, getting a key fumble recovery in their NFC Championship Game win over the San Francisco 49ers. Taylor retired after the 1993 season, finishing his career with 132.5 official sacks. As official sacks weren't recorded until 1982, some of Taylor's sacks early in his career don't count toward the official record. He also played inside linebacker for a bit early in his career, likely hurting his all-time sack total.

4. Julius Peppers

After being a two-sport star at North Carolina, Peppers emerged as one of the game's best pass rushers in the 2000s through the 2010s. Peppers earned First Team All-Pro three times and nine Pro Bowl nods over his 17-year career (2002-18), looming as a pass rush threat in nearly every season of his career. His 12 sacks and five forced fumbles as a rookie helped him win Defensive Rookie of the Year. A year later, Peppers helped the Carolina Panthers reach Super Bowl XXXVIII. He recorded at least 10 sacks in seven of the next nine seasons after helping the Panthers reach the Super Bowl in 2003. As Peppers recorded a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2008, he also showed his ability to be a well-rounded player. He recorded a league-leading 18 tackles for loss in 2006. He also top-five in forced fumbles five times, finishing his career with 52. Peppers' 159.5 sacks are the fourth-most ever, while his 52 forced fumbles are the second-most in NFL history, helping him become a Hall of Famer in 2024.

5. Michael Strahan

Like the other Giants icon listed before him, Strahan had some of the best seasons ever for an edge rusher. His 2001 season might be the best ever for a pass rusher, as he recorded an NFL record 22.5 sacks and a league-leading six forced fumbles that season. Strahan stood alone for the most sacks in a single season until T.J. Watt reached that mark in 2021. That season helped Strahan win his first and only Defensive Player of the Year award while earning him one of his seven Pro Bowl nods and one of his six All-Pro honors. Strahan led the league in sacks again in 2003 when he had 18.5. The other apex of Strahan's career, though, came in 2007, when he helped the Giants pull off one of the biggest upsets in NFL history to beat the previously undefeated New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. He had a sack in that game after recording two forced fumbles earlier that postseason. That Super Bowl win wound up being Strahan's final game, as he finished with 141.5 sacks for the sixth-most in NFL history.

6. Kevin Greene

Possibly overshadowed by the likes of Smith, White and Taylor, Greene might be one of the more overlooked players in NFL history. Greene was one of the most consistent pass rushers ever, recording at least 10 sacks in the final 12 seasons of his career, as he didn't play much in the first three seasons. He only received five Pro Bowl and three All-Pro nods despite his consistent success at bringing down opposing quarterbacks. However, Greene's 160 sacks are the third-most in NFL history, and he helped the Pittsburgh Steelers reach the Super Bowl in 1995 after an eight-year stint with the Los Angeles Rams. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016.

7. Chris Doleman

Doleman might have also received a little less shine due to playing at the same time as fellow all-time greats in the prime of his career. But he was also a force to be reckoned with for much of his 15-year career (1985-99), recording at least eight sacks in all but four seasons. His 21-sack season with the Minnesota Vikings in 1989 was the fourth-most sacks recorded in NFL history at the time, helping him receive one of the eight Pro Bowl nods and one of the two All-Pro honors of his career. Doleman, who also had stops with the Atlanta Falcons and San Francisco 49ers, finished his career with 150.5 sacks, which is the fifth-most in NFL history.

8. Jason Taylor

Taylor arguably helped revolutionize the edge rusher position into becoming more athletic. His build helped him become one of the game's top pass rushers in the 2000s, recording 100.5 sacks in an eight-year span between 2000-07. He had an 18.5-sack season with the Miami Dolphins in 2002 and a 13.5-sack season in 2006. In the 2006 season, he led the league in pick-sixes (two) and forced fumbles. As Taylor had six Pro Bowl and four All-Pro honors in his career, he's seventh all-time in sacks (139.5), fifth in forced fumbles (46) and first in fumble recoveries returned for touchdowns (six).

9. DeMarcus Ware

Ware helped edge rusher become a more athletic position when he emerged with the Dallas Cowboys in 2005 through the end of his career with the Denver Broncos in 2016. He produced right away for the Cowboys, recording eight sacks as a rookie in 2005 before putting up seven straight seasons of at least 10 sacks. His 20-sack season in 2008 was one of the two times he led the league in sacks and one of the three years he led the league in tackles for loss. He became a Pro Bowl mainstay throughout his stint in Dallas, earning nine Pro Bowl nods in his career to go with seven All-Pro honors. He continued to play at a high level when he joined the Broncos in 2014, recording 10 sacks that season. He had 7.5 sacks in just 11 games the following year, which ended in a Super Bowl title for the Broncos. He had two tracks in their Super Bowl win. His 138.5 sacks are the ninth-most in NFL history.

10. J.J. Watt

It's possible that no player was better in the first five seasons of their career than Watt. The Houston Texans great was arguably the best player in football for the majority of that stretch, earning four Pro Bowl nods, four first-team All-Pro honors and winning Defensive Player of the Year three times. Watt's 2014 season is viewed by some as one of the best non-quarterback seasons in recent memory. He recorded 20.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and five fumble recoveries that year. He also had 119 pressures, which is the most in a single season since Pro Football Focus began tracking the stat in 2006. Watt finished second in MVP voting that year, becoming the closest defensive player to win the award since Taylor's win in 1986. Injuries sort of derailed Watt's career after his third Defensive Player of the Year win in 2015, playing eight or fewer games in four of his final seven seasons. But his peak was too good to ignore, earning him a spot on this list.

Honorable mentions