Washingtons defense isnt just bad; its worst play comes during the most high-leverage situations. , but the gap is closing between him and the chasing pack. He earned just a 30.0 run-defense grade in 2020. The only interior defensive linemen worth more wins above replacement than Jones last season were Aaron Donald and Cam Heyward. Tyrod Taylor, Lamar Jackson, Joe Flacco, Cam Newton, PJ Walker, Mike Glennon, Zach Wilson, Ian Book. Here are PFFs top defensive lines heading into the 2021 NFL season, with 3-4 outside linebackers included since they fall under the edge defender label. The team still has major personnel problems both at pass-rusher without Danielle Hunterand at cornerback, where four out of the top five players have allowed a 100.0-plus passer ratingthis season. His 22.0% pass-rush win rate since entering the league in 2016 is second to only Donald (23.4%). , and neither carries an overall PFF grade higher than 85.0. 17): Tyler Huntley gives . , giving him one of the most lopsided pressure-to-sack rates of any player in the league. . ago. The Seahawks inability to generate pressure with their defensive line last season, especially early in the year, became a national storyline. Previously: 27th in NFL power rankings. Defense . The Titans paid Bud Dupree and Denico Autry a combined $23.7 million per year to improve this unit heading into the 2021 season. Some success stories have arisen such as, but they have been few and far between. Jordan Elliott is a name to watch in his second season out of Missouri. They include starting quarterbacks and backups who filled in for QBs dealing with injuries at the end . These percentages were calculated using the league average distribution of snaps in 2020, and were adjusted so that the EDGE and IDL position groups each account for exactly 50% of a team's overall score. NFL Week 18 - The Dallas Cowboys finish the 2021 season on top of the Football Outsiders DVOA ratings, with a bit of an extra boost from a bunch of Philadelphia backups.The Cowboys had their best single game of the year on Sunday, putting up 96.0% DVOA with a 51-26 win over the Eagles. "DeForest Buckner was everything Indianapolis hoped he would be last season. The team now has a pressure rate of just 20.2%, by far the lowest mark in the NFL. The group ranked 30th in expected points added allowed per run play and had the lowest pressure rate in the league both with and without blitzing. Leonard has forced six fumbles and tallied three interceptions alone, but eight other Colts defenders have also registered forced fumbles this season. Matt Ioannidis and Tim Settle provide the Football Team additionalinterior pass-rushing threats beyond the starters, as well. Bosas rate was even higher last season (23.5%) than his career average. 2019-20. The team had few players who could create consistent true pressure while fielding one of the worst defenses in the league against the run. That group will look to match a league-leading 45.1% pressure rate in 2020. Its not often that a team signs a defensive end to a four-year, $60 million contract in the offseason and gets worse at the position. It's time to mention Ward in the same breath as the best. Please check your email for a confirmation. It was a unit that played both the run and pass at an elite level in 2020. Robert Quinn is vying for the league lead in sacks but has just 42 pressures overall, giving him one of the most lopsided pressure-to-sack rates of any player in the league. and is one of New York's highest-graded players. They did not make any upgrades across the defensive line. Youth is the theme across Carolinas defense. The unit made life very tough for Miami on Monday Night Football, only to still lose by 17 because rookie Ian Book was forced to start at quarterback. Our O-Line expert Brad Wire is here to give you the latest updates on injuries for guys in the trenches for you to consider when setting your fantasy football lineups.. Arizona Cardinals. Clearly, this is not where a team paying two defensive linemen north of $20 million would like to be ranked. Their best defensive lineman . could begin to change that next season, coming off an 86.6 PFF grade last season at the University of Miami. The defensive line is at the center of both the pass-rushing unit and the run-defense unit. The Packers will need continued improvement from him next season opposite Smith. Against the run, they rank 29th in yards per attempt and 31st in EPA per play allowed. New Yorks top four pressure producers in 2020 were all interior defenders. Several offseason additions on the interior such as Michael Brockers, Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill along with the return of a healthy Trey Flowers should improve matters in 2021, but the Lions still have a ways to go to get back to average. Only the Atlanta Falcons are generating pressure at a lower rate than Detroit, which has applied heat on the quarterback just 24.3% of the time. Much of the Ravens pass-rushing success in recent years has been a function of scheme rather than individual talent. The Kansas City Chiefs are back among the very best teams in the NFL following an ugly start to the year, and their defense is driving that resurgence after ranking as low as 30th in Week 8. Even T.J. Watt, phenomenal as he has been, has generated pressure at a lower rate than in the past. He recorded a run-defense grade below 40.0 and a pressure rate well below 10% for the season. The Raiders no longer lead the league in pressure rate. The Jets were not a good football team in 2020. Hughes might be one of the more underrated edge rushers in the league based on sack totals. They still held up against an elite offense when they effectively stopped Green Bay from scoring in the second half in Week 16, but its just been less consistent than it was earlier in the season. A platoon of underrated defensive linemen seven of whom have at least 20 pressures this season help make the entire structure work. Leonard Williams (79.8 PFF grade in 2020) and Dexter Lawrence (79.7) remain one of the best inside duos in the NFL. The trio of Calais Campbell, Brandon Williams and Derek Wolfe on the interior is an impressive collection of run-stuffers, though. Frank Clark has his highest PFF pass-rushing grade (69.9) since 2018, and Melvin Ingram has accrued multiple pressures in every game since the team acquired him from Pittsburgh. This groups success next season will largely depend on the impact of younger players such as. Los Angeles will hope new head coach Brandon Staley can get the most out of the former first-round pick. They needed more of a pass-rushing presence after ranking 29th in the NFL in team pressure rate a season ago. NFL . Quinton Spain has played some of his best football, and there were other positive contributors, but not one member of the line played all 17 games, and the play of the backups has . Jadeveon Clowney has seemingly gone from being overrated to underrated in the span of a few seasons. , all of whom made PFFs list of the top 32 players at their respective positions entering the 2021 NFL season. DeForest Buckner was everything Indianapolis hoped he would be last season. Outside of Quinn, the next highest pressure total on the team is just 24, and the team ranks 27th in pressure rate overall. They have now used 40 different players on defense this season, with the majority of them earning poor PFF grades. 5. There isnt a member of the unit with an overall PFF grade this season over 77.0, and just one full-time starter is even above 70.0. The Falcons are allowing a 107.1 passer rating to opposing quarterbacks despite having a cornerback in A.J. Denzel Ward, Browns. General manager Jason Licht managed to bring back every starter from last years championship team this offseason. Mike Tannenbaum's QB rankings Rankings are updated through the end of the 2021 regular season. PFF's exclusive metrics provide matchup previews, position rankings, grades, and snap counts. Seattle has made several additions to help alleviate those issues, starting with trading for, this offseason. EDGE 1: 19.1% of overall score. , a significant jump on his previous career high. Philadelphias defensive line has consistently been one of the NFL's best at generating pressure without blitzing. The Raiders have struggled to generate any kind of pass rush for years now. Rookie. The quarterbacks during the Dolphins 7 game win streak???? The questions for Arizona arise on the interior, where Watt should see more time than he has in the past few seasons with Houston. have the tools to develop into a dynamic edge-rushing duo, but 2021 may still be a year too early for that to take hold. But the Raiders are thin on the interior. Sometimes they look excellent and cause real problems for opposing offenses, and on other occasions they little more than a speed-bump for the opposition. Its not often that a team signs a defensive end to a four-year, $60 million contract in the offseason and gets worse at the position. NIT betting, odds: An all-Conference USA final could be in the cards. . This game put the Cowboys over 30% on the year, but it did not put them over the top. . 22. If it were, the Dolphins would be in the low 30s. Pro Football Focus just released their rankings for the 2020 season and . at the 3-technique position, but they're without any candidates they should feel comfortable with as things stand. The Buffalo Bills remain on top, but their division rival New England Patriots are right behind them, with the Miami Dolphins improvement putting three of the divisions four teams at No. The Dolphins have trust in their coverage players on the backend to hold up if the pressure doesnt get home and the ball comes out. Aaron Donalds 456 pressures over the past five seasons are 86 more than any other defender despite the fact that he saw a consistent barrage of double and triple teams. Bosa and Ford's return to play alongside Arik Armstead could give the 49ers one of the best edge rotations in the NFL. Any defense with Vic Fangio involved as a coach is going to be good, and the Denver unit has had some elite performances this season despite lacking quality personnel in some areas. . The group was led by Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry and . Highsmith finished his rookie season with a higher pass-rush win rate (16.5%) than Dupree (13.7%) last year. He struggled in contested-catch situations, pulling in just 16.7% of his contested targets, but did produce a 77.4 PFF . Despite his size, he graded out better as a pass-rusher than a run defender in college and won 9.4% of his pass-rushing snaps in 2022. We saw it this offseason in Cincinnati. The Bears have dealt with a lot of injuries, but it hasnt always mattered, such as in games like that Vikings matchup. That was the case again last season, as the Eagles were one of just two teams with a pressure rate above 40% without the aid of the blitz. Whether the unit misses a beat in 2021 relies on. 1 seed in the NFC, is that they are still expecting legitimate reinforcements in the form of Jaire Alexander and Za'Darius Smith. The Cincinnati Bengals got better on the back end, whereas the San Francisco 49ers faltered by drafting a kicker over a cornerback in the third round. Jordan Davis | Georgia | 6'-6", 340 lbs Andrew's Overall Ranking: 16 2021 Stats: GP 14,T 32,TFL 5, Sacks 2, PD 1. Three cornerbacks hold sub-45.0 PFF coverage grades on the season, and even the better performers and those who have played the most snaps are giving up a 111.8 passer rating (Shaquill Griffin) and a 90.3 passer rating (Tyson Campbell). 5 on the list. The Browns are struggling to deal with the loss of key players to injury or the COVID-19 list, and that has certainly had an impact on their defense. Training Camp Tour: Rams' top-tier defensive line continues to impress. Perhaps rookie safety Trevon Moehrig will buck the trend, but so far Mike Mayock and Jon Gruden are churning out busts. And Baltimore lost two of its best individual pass rushers . Hes been the sixth-most valuable interior defensive lineman in the NFL over the past four years, per. Highsmith finished his rookie season with a higher pass-rush win rate (16.5%) than Dupree (13.7%) last year. HUR - Hurries. next season. Thats to be expected after the team traded away one of the NFL's best interior defenders (, for all but 80 combined defensive snaps in 2020 because of injury. should give Cincinnati a major boost on the interior, though. Only the Cowboys are forcing turnovers at a greater rate than the Colts this season, and that has been able to make up for some weaknesses in personnel on defense. Titans land in top 10 of Pro Football Focus' defensive line rankings. He still needs to show he can play up to that level as a starter over the course of an entire season. Bosas rate was even higher last season (23.5%) than his career average. At 38.0%, they now have the third-best pressure rate of any team, trailing the Rams and Packers. The recent addition of Sheldon Richardson also gives them a more viable pass-rushing threat on the interior than either Pierce or Tomlinson. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Those numbers could even improve with a healthy season from. And that was despite J.J. Watt earning an 85.4 overall grade on over 1,000 defensive snaps. Los Angeles Rams. Outside of Quinn, the next highest pressure total on the team is just 24, and the team ranks 27th in pressure rate overall. Detroits defensive line unit finished the 2020 season ranked 30th in PFF grade, ahead of only the Vikings and Texans. In 2019, he earned a sub-90.0 PFF season grade (79.3) for the first time in his career, ending an absurd stretch of dominance. The Rams will have the worst defense in 2023 . The Football Team are extremely vulnerable to the pass in general, but on third downs this season, they are giving up a 129.0 passer rating, by far the worst mark in the NFL. Dalvin Tomlinson wont be easily replaced in the middle of New Yorks defensive line. Here are PFF's top defensive lines heading into the 2021 NFL season, with 3-4 outside linebackers included since they fall under the edge defender label. San Francisco has rescued its season and looks headed for the playoffs, even as a late-season injury to quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo throws some doubt into the equation.