Top 5 Edge rushers of 2019-2020 season

 

Top 5 Edge rushers of 2019-2020 season

Putting the pressure on the quarterback is one of the most important aspects of football. Causing the QB to make quick decisions or ending the play all together is a huge advantage to your team. This list will showcase the five best in the game at putting on that pressure. This is strictly for the 2019-2020 season with no prior success being involved in the rankings. 

5.Chandler Jones (Arizona Cardinals)

Coming in at number 5 we have Chandler Jones. Jones was a force when it came to blitzing the QB and actually bringing him down. He blitzed the QB 143 times which was second most on the list, bringing him down 19 times. He also had a total of 26 QB hits and 15 hurry ups. What made his numbers even more impressive was the fact that he was double teamed 149 times but won the match ups 15.4% of the time. He also forced 8 fumbles and recovered 3 of them. The main thing that brought Jones down was the fact that he only had 40 total pressures on the season which was the worst on the list. 

4.Za’Darious Smith (Green Bay Packers)

 

Smith consistently got past the offensive line while only being blitzed 36 times. He got a total of 13.5 sacks and knocked down the QB 22 times for a total of 50 pressures. He also had the third most tackles for losses at 17. He also had a total of 37 QB hits which was tied for most on the list. He was doubled 174 times and won 19.5% of the time. He also had a total win percentage when getting after the quarterback of 23%. Smith had a spectacular year; it just did not quite stack up to the rest of the list. 

3.Shaquil Barrett (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

 

Shaquil Barrett had a breakout year this year getting his first pro bowl selection of his career. It was highlighted with his 173 blitzes on the season getting a career high 19.5 sacks which was the most in the league. He also led the list in QB hits with 37 of them and tackles for losses with 19. Barrett had a total of 51 pressures on the QB Which was the third most on the list. He also had the third best pass rush win percentage getting the best of his match up 25% of the time just edging out Smith. The margin between him and Smith is very small; it's just a matter of what you prefer. 

2.Joey Bosa (Los Angeles Chargers)

Joey Bosa bounced back from his shortened season last year with a very impressive season this year. He was second on the list in total QB pressures with 54 of them. He had 25 hurry ups, 16 QB knockdowns, and 11.5 sacks. Bosa also had 18 tackles for losses to add to it. Bosa was double teamed the most on the list at 169 and won 23.1%. He also had a pass rush win percentage of 25%. Bosa was the definition of a disruption on the defensive end but not as much as the number 1 player on this list.

 

1.T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers)

In just his third year Watt showed that he will be a problem in this league for a long time. He was First-Team All-Pro and he was selected to the pro bowl. This is because he led the list in total QB pressures with 59 of them. This consisted of 23 hurry ups, 19 QB knockdowns, and 14.5 sacks. He forced 8 fumbles, recovered 4 of them and added 3 interceptions to that. He had 36 QB hits and 14 tackles for losses. He was doubled 112 times and won 19.6% of the time. He also led the list in pass rush win percentage at 28%. Watt was all over the field all year and that's why he earned the number 1 spot.