Future first-ballot Hall of Fame selection Aaron Donald has retired, handing over his inarguable spot as the NFL’s best defender.
Donald starred as a member of the St. Louis and Los Angeles Rams for a decade. In celebration of his iconic 10-year tenure, we’re remembering the most impactful defenders since the 2014 season.
Among the eight choices, two others—Luke Kuechly and J.J. Watt—preceded Donald into retirement. However, their accomplishments still deserve a place on the list.
The picks are subjective but consider an individual’s production, All-Pro honors and overall on-field contributions.
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Sure, he retired in 2019. Luke Kuechly still dominated in the six seasons that fall within our criteria.
The leader of the Carolina Panthers defense, he registered 100-plus tackles in each year. That streak is even more impressive when you consider the linebacker played 13 games in 2015 and just 10 in 2016.
Kuechly secured first-team AP All-Pro recognition in four of those seasons and second-team honors in the other two.
One ridiculous stat? Kuechly posted 772 total tackles during this six-year window. So, again, not playing four years, that number still ranks eighth in the league from 2014 to 2023. He was a special, special player.
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Even excluding the important 2011-13 seasons of Von Miller’s career, he remains an easy option here.
The edge-rusher built his profile as a member of the Denver Broncos, where he debuted as a rookie in 2011. Miller played there until a 2021 trade put him alongside Donald on the Super Bowl-winning Rams.
Within the last decade, Miller has five years of 10-plus sacks—all of which led to All-Pro status. He also gathered eight-plus sacks in three additional seasons across the Broncos, Rams and Buffalo Bills.
Miller struggled in 2023 after recovering from an ACL injury but recently accepted a pay cut to stay with Buffalo in 2024.
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Longevity is not a singularly decisive factor, though, so Chris Jones and a few others jump ahead of Miller.
Jones arrived in 2016 as a second-round pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, who selected Patrick Mahomes one year later. Not a terrible run in the draft, I would say.
But as Mahomes’ star ascended, Jones enjoyed a similar track on defense. He put together a breakout season with 15.5 sacks and a second-team All-Pro mention in 2018. Since then, he’s become one of the NFL’s most feared interior defenders. Now that Donald has retired, Jones is the worthy successor for the label.
Jones, a five-time All-Pro, has consistently drawn multiple blockers yet tallied 75.5 sacks in eight seasons to date.
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Myles Garrett generated two sacks in his first career NFL game and basically hasn’t stopped tracking down quarterbacks.
Back in 2017, the Cleveland Browns used the No. 1 overall pick on the Texas A&M product. He dealt with a couple of injury-shortened years as a rookie and in 2019 but has developed into a pass-rushing nightmare.
Garrett has recorded double-digit sacks in six straight seasons with two campaigns of 16. That production has resulted in five All-Pro honors, along with the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2023.
If he assembles a couple more similar years, there’s no question Garrett will eventually be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
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Garrett went No. 1 overall in 2017, while T.J. Watt had to wait until the Pittsburgh Steelers at No. 30.
His slide worked out well for Pittsburgh, don’t you think?
Watt has amassed 401 tackles with 96.5 sacks and 198 quarterback hits in his seven seasons. (For comparison’s sake, Garrett’s respective totals are 305, 88.5 and 172.)
Along the way, the edge-rusher has commanded a quartet of first-team All-Pro honors and top-three finishes in AP Defensive Player of the Year voting. Watt won the prestigious award in 2021 when he matched the NFL’s single-season record of 22.5 sacks.
Between him and Garrett, playing quarterback in the AFC North during this era must be exhausting.
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J.J. Watt has bragging rights on his brother. Barely.
In fairness, there is a real argument that No. 4 is too high. The older edge-rushing Watt navigated an injury-riddled run leading up to his retirement after the 2022 season. He missed a combined 24 games in the 2016-17 campaign and at least eight in both 2019 and 2021.
But, my word, he was incredible at his peak.
Most memorably, Watt had an MVP-worthy explosion in 2014 when he tallied 20.5 sacks, broke up 10 passes and had five fumble recoveries. He waltzed to a unanimous Defensive Player of the Year honor that season, and then again brought home the award in 2015.
Watt recovered from the first injury setbacks with 16 sacks, an NFL-high seven forced fumbles and first-team All-Pro recognition in 2018. And in 2022—his final season—he posted 12.5 sacks.
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The fifth overall pick in the 2014 draft class—Donald went No. 12—Khalil Mack made a rapid impression with the Oakland Raiders.
After finishing third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, he exploded for 15 sacks and a first-team All-Pro label in 2015. Mack secured AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2016 and, following a trade to the Chicago Bears, ended as the award’s 2018 runner-up.
Mack’s box-score production dipped from 2019 to 2022, but he continued to have an immense pass-rushing presence on the Bears and Los Angeles Chargers. Mack had a resurgent season in 2023 with a personal-best 17 sacks, too.
In the last decade, Mack (101.5) trails only Donald (111) in total sacks and co-leads with Chandler Jones in forced fumbles (30).
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Somewhere in the chaos of the play, you’ll find Bobby Wagner.
Overall, the middle linebacker has commanded an NFL defense for 12 seasons—and never finished below 104 tackles.
Wagner has served as the centerpiece for the Seattle Seahawks throughout his entire career, save for a 2022 jaunt to the Rams. Literally every season since 2014, he’s been an All-Pro selection. Wagner paced the league in total tackles during the 2016, 2019 and 2023 seasons.
If you’re building a defense from scratch, an elite pass-rusher like the Watt brothers, Garrett or Jones would be higher priorities. Wagner’s contributions plus his longevity, however, cannot be denied.
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No defender has commanded more respect than Aaron Donald.
Interior linemen are typically not league-leading sack artists, but Donald was no ordinary player. He immediately produced nine sacks with the Rams in 2014, winning AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
And the awards just kept coming.
Donald won three AP Defensive Player of the Year honors, also recording a top-five finish in four other seasons. He collected first-team AP All-Pro recognition eight times and made the Pro Bowl in all 10 years.
For his career, Donald amassed 111 sacks—becoming only the second defensive tackle ever to reach 100.
2024-03-24 11:03:06
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