As it stands for the moment, the NFL is playing its season in full come September. As the season approaches, I’m going to be taking a look at the landscape of the NFL, position by position, over the course of the next several weeks. We’ll be talking about the who’s who of the NFL in our own little version of the NFL Network’s “Top 100 Players” bit they do every year. Up next, we’re talking about the top 10 NFL pass rushers for 2020!
TOP 10 NFL PASS RUSHERS FOR 2020
10. Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints – Jordan is one of the premier game-wreckers in the league. He had multiple sacks in four games in 2019, and registered at least one sack in 10 en route to 15.5 on the season. I’m not sure he’s been rightfully appreciated since joining the league in 2011.
9. JJ Watt, Houston Texans – I mean, don’t you have to put Watt on this list, just based off of respect for the Hall of Fame legacy he’s built? I think so – if he can stay healthy, he can still be disruptive, but that’s such a huge question with the Texans star. He’s played just one full season since 2015 (2018).
8. Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings – It feels like Hunter is another one of those guys that doesn’t get talked about enough. 14.5 sacks in 2019, 14.5 in 2018, seven in 2017, 12.5 in 2016, and six in 2015 – that’s a hell of a start to the career of one of the brightest and most gifted pass rushers in the league. He’s just hitting that window on his prime, too.
7. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers – The younger Bosa smashed NFL rookie records and looks like one of the best young pure pass rushers in the entire NFL. With nine sacks, two passes deflected, an interception, and a couple of fumbles recovered in 2019, he looks like he’s well on his way to becoming elite.
6. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns – Give this man a helmet and let him swing it around on every play and he’s instantly top three on this list.
5. Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers – I give Joey the edge in the Bosa household because of his versatility. The Chargers can line him up all over the defensive line, and he can wreak havoc. Maybe that’ll come with experience for Nick, but for now, I think Joey has the more complete game. 11.5 sacks in 2019 sure doesn’t hurt his case, either.
4. Chandler Jones, Arizona Cardinals – Maybe folks lose sight of just how good Chandler Jones is because he plays out in Arizona, but the man deserves his due. The guy has 96 sacks since 2012, most in the NFL over that period. He can still go – the man’s one of the elite, no doubt.
3. TJ Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers – TJ has emerged as the best contemporary pass rusher in the Watt family. After 14.5 sacks, 23 TFLs, eight passes deflected, two interceptions, and eight forced fumbles (four of those recovered), Watt became a legitimate ‘Defensive Player of the Year’ candidate.
2. Von Miller, Denver Broncos – At 31 years old, you can’t help but wonder if a decline is on the horizon for a guy that has been an outright freak throughout his career. He’s as athletically gifted as they come, and still registered 77 pressures in 2019. He’s healthier and he’ll get some help in the return of Bradley Chubb, so I expect a big bounce-back.
1. Khalil Mack, Chicago Bears – Mack has proven himself to be the most consistently dominant pass rusher in the NFL over the last several seasons. No bones about it that 2019 wasn’t considered a banner year, but even so, Mack was still an incredibly disruptive force. I still think he’s the best pure talent at the position in the league.
OTHER 2020 NFL TOP 10S
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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