With all the offensive positions finished, the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys have been first or second in every ranking. It isn’t surprising with the Cowboys’ top-five offense last year and the Eagles’ talent across the unit. Philadelphia might have had a down season from the quarterback, but his supporting cast is elite, even with the jettisoning of WR A.J. Brown out of the conference.
The New York Giants and Washington Commanders will fare much differently on the defensive side. Dallas was a bottom-three defense, while the Giants have assembled a talented young rotation, and the Commanders have a lot of veteran talent for Dan Quinn to work with. Edge rushers are the first spot to be ranked, and a new team will claim the top spot.
4: Dallas Cowboys
Dallas doesn’t have a stellar edge room. They have play-hard guys and players who will get effort sacks, but nobody known to win with speed and bend off the edge. Rashan Gary has had almost 40 sacks over the last five seasons. Eight sacks a year isn’t bad, but he doesn’t often get to the QB for quick wins, and he didn’t record a single one after his bookend, Micah Parsons, was injured.
Donovan Ezieruaku didn’t have the sack numbers most expected, given how well he got them in college. Still, he posted good pressure numbers, despite playing the back end of the season with a hip injury that required surgery.
First-round pick Malachi Lawrence is the speed rusher the Cowboys need, but rookies typically need time to develop, and he wasn’t at a premeire school like Ohio State, so the upswing in competition may be even more severe. Reserve James Houston can be a solid specialist, while Sam Williams, Isaiah Land, Tyrus Wheat, and Marist Liufau haven’t offered much at the NFL level.
3: Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia had a top-three defense, but edge rushers might’ve been their weak spot even after their trade for Jaelan Phillips. They’ve now swapped him out for Jonathan Greenard, who is a very good pass rusher coming off a down season. He had back-to-back 12-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024, but only three sacks in 12 games last year.
Jalyx Hunt looks to be developing into the starter across from Greenard. He jumped from 1.5 sacks and one tackle for a loss as a rookie to 6.5 sacks and nine tackles for a loss in Year 2, adding 29 pressures and 24 QB hits. Nolan Smith Jr. has been a solid edge rusher, but hasn’t been as good as his draft status would suggest. He has only 22 starts in three seasons with 10.5 sacks, 33 pressures, and 10 tackles for a loss. As a third rusher, he is good, but not great.
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had an excellent start to his career with the Buccaneers, but did little in the last two seasons. He played eight games in 2025 and didn’t get a single sack, adding only one QB hit and a tackle for a loss.
2: Washington Commanders
The Commanders signed two free agent pass rushers this offseason, Odafe Oweh and K’Lavon Chaisson. Chaisson has had back-to-back solid seasons after looking like a bust early on in his career. He had 12.5 sacks the last two seasons. Oweh had 17.5 sacks the last two years, including 7.5 in his final 12 games with the Los Angeles Chargers. He hasn’t played 650 snaps in a season yet, but with starter snaps, he might be a consistent double-digit sack edge.
Dorance Armstrong has over 30 sacks over his last five seasons and is returning to a rotational role rather than starting. He isn’t a high-end run defender or pressure player, but he plays hard and has plenty of production as a third edge rush option. Behind those three guys, Washington has questions, but the rebuild of the unit’s starters has been excellent.
1: New York Giants
The Giants have a loaded edge room, even if Arvell Reese is considered a linebacker. They traded for Brian Burns, who has never had fewer sacks than 7.5 in a season. He finished with 16.5 sacks in 2025. He added double-digit tackles for a loss each of the last five years and 75 pressures in his last two seasons with New York. Abdul Carter was a top-three pick in 2025 and had a good rookie campaign. He had four sacks and seven tackles for a loss with an excellent 34 pressures. He could take an enormous leap in his second season.
Kayvon Thibodeaux hasn’t lived up to his top-five draft status, but he is a dangerous third edge rusher. He has had a double-digit sack season and averaged 27 pressures each season. Behind those three guys, there are question marks. Reese likely moves to a pass rusher at times, and that’s an incredible fourth option.
You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or on YouTube at Across the Cowboys podcast
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Where do Cowboys rank among the NFC East pass-rushing units for 2026?
Reporting by Mike Crum, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
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By Mike Crum, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
