We know what kind of edge rusher talent the AFC West has inside the division. The Broncos and Chargers alone have four of the league’s best who will come screaming around the edge every snap. However, they aren’t the only ones. And as good as they are, they may not even be the best. So, let’s find out who is.
Let’s rank all the edge rushers the Raiders face this season. How they rank overall is in parenthesis.
1. Cameron Jordan, Saints (3)
Jordan is the only player in the NFL last season to finish top three in pressures (83) and sacks (15.5). He has been to five Pro Bowls the past seven seasons while averaging over 11 sacks and nearly 15 tackles for loss per season. And if you think he could be slowing down, think again. During his 2019 season, he set a career-high with 15.5 sacks and has averaged 13.5 sacks the past three seasons.
2. Joey Bosa, Chargers (5)
Bosa led all edge defenders last season with 49 stops. He also had 11.5 sacks, giving him double-digit sacks in every full season of his career. Don’t think much more needs to be said.
3. Shaq Barrett, Buccaneers (8)
It may seem early to put Barrett as a top ten NFL edge rusher, but when you put up 19.5 sacks, you deserve some credit even if it seemed to come out of nowhere. Barrett had 14 sacks in five seasons in Denver. He goes to the Buccaneers and explodes. A change in scheme and scenery seems to be all it took. He’s still in Tampa, so there’s no reason to think he hasn’t simply arrived.
4. Von Miller, Broncos (11)
While Barrett is coming up, his former teammate in Denver is approaching his twilight. But he isn’t there yet. Miller is still riding a six-season Pro Bowl streak. Last season was the first time in his career he didn’t hit double-digit sacks over a full season. He had eight sacks, but his 77 pressures were still among the league’s best. At 31, he is far from done. He is still an elite pass rusher.
5. Myles Garrett, Browns (12)
Fresh off a new 5-year, $125 million deal, Garrett is undoubtedly one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Though he’s only played a complete season once. His rookie season was shorted by injury and last season, he was suspended for using his helmet as a weapon at Steelers’ quarterback Mason Rudolph’s helmetless head.
6. Justin Houston, Colts (18)
The Raiders old AFC West nemesis is now in Indianapolis. Where he seems to have found new life. Houston hit double-digit sacks (11) last season for the first time since his 22-sack All-Pro season in 2014. It may seem like Houston is and elder statesman, but he’s 31. The same age as Von Miller and JJ Watt. All of whom still have some pass rush left in them.
7. Dante Fowler Jr, Falcons (21)
After three seasons as a situational pass rusher in Jacksonville, Fowler was traded to the Rams and broke out. He put up 11.5 sacks in his first season in LA, along with 67 pressures and 34 run stops.
8. Melvin Ingram, Chargers (22)
For the past five seasons, Ingram has been among the league’s best pass rushers. He’s averaged 8.3 sacks per season and went to the Pro Bowl the past three seasons. He had seven sacks last season in just 13 games. His 32 run stops were among the best in the NFL despite missing three games.
9. Olivier Vernon, Browns (24)
Vernon has always seemed like he was about to break out in the sack department. He had 11.5 sacks in his second NFL season and has been trying to get back to double digits ever since. But he’s consistently put up good pressure and decent sack totals, averaging 7.3 sacks per season over his past seven seasons. Last season his production took a dip in his first year in Cleveland
10. Bradley Chubb, Broncos (30)
Chubb flew out the gates as a rookie, putting up 12 sacks and 21 quarterback hits. The 2018 fifth overall pick was lost after four games last season and clearly wasn’t on pace for those numbers before that with just one sack and nine pressures. His run stop totals were his best area, putting up 13, which was on pace for the most in the league over 16 games. No reason to think he can’t duplicate his rookie totals when healthy again.
11. Marcus Davenport, Saints (31)
12. Kyle Van Noy, Dolphins (34)
13. Jason Pierre-Paul, Buccaneers (35)
14. Mario Addison, Bills (40)
15. Frank Clark, Chiefs (42)
16. Jabaal Sheard, Colts (45)
17. Trent Murphy, Bills (47)
18. John Simon, Patriots (48)
19. Tarell Basham, Jets (49)
20. Shaq Lawson, Dolphins (52)
21. Jerry Hughes, Bills (53)
22. Adrian Clayborn, Browns (54)
23. Emmanuel Ogbah, Dolphins (56)
24. Vince Biegel, Dolphins (57)
25. Takkarist McKinley, Falcons (61)
26. Jordan Jenkins, Jets (62)
27. Uchenna Nwosu, Chargers
28. Brian Burns, Panthers
29. Yetur Gross-Matos, Panthers
30. Tanoh Kpassagnon, Chiefs
31. Trey Hendrickson, Saints
32. Alex Okafor, Chiefs
33. Chase Winovich, Patriots
