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The Super Bowl is behind us, which means the start of NFL free agency for the 2026 season is close at hand. Teams are hard at work building out their plans for their own players, while keeping a close eye on the available free agents heading into the 2026 offseason.
Today we’re going to take a look at the projected free agent edge rushers in the 2026 class, as I give my best guess at how these players are likely to be ranked by NFL teams.
1. Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
2025 stats: (7 games played, 7 starts) 16 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, pass deflection, forced fumble
Hendrickson did not have a sparkling 2025 campaign due to injuries, but that should not stop him from being the most coveted pass rusher on the market this offseason. He’s only one year removed from being a First-Team All-Pro and had back-to-back seasons with 17.5 sacks from 2023-2024. Some team is going to pay very, very well for his services.
2. Odafe Oweh, Los Angeles Chargers
2025 stats: (17 games played, 4 starts) 38 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks
After being a castoff from the Ravens after five games this past season, Oweh enjoyed a massive resurgence with 7.5 sacks in 12 games for the Chargers. He then topped off the 2025 season with three more sacks against the Patriots in the Wild Card round.
Oweh turned only 27 years old during the regular season and is liking entering the prime of his career. Seeing how his spark in play came under Jesse Minter, will he ultimately follow him back to the Ravens, or will he follow through with his intention to stay in LA if possible?
3. Jaelan Phillips, Philadelphia Eagles
2025 stats: (17 games played, 17 starts) 53 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, forced fumble, 2 fumble recoveries
At 26 years old, Phillips is one of the best combinations of age and potential on the market this year. While the sack total might not pop out to you, he was still graded as a top-20 player in pas rush grade by Pro Football Focus while finishing with 71 total pressures on the year, good for ninth among all edge rushers. That’s also the most among all players on this list.
4. Dre’Mont Jones, Baltimore Ravens
2025 stats: (18 games played, 17 starts) 43 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 7 sacks, pass deflection, 2 fumble recoveries
Per PFF, Jones put together his best season since 2020 with an overall season grade of 64.7 while playing for two different teams across 18 regular season games. His eight sacks and 51 pressures were both career highs and his hot start to the season is why the Ravens made a point to go get him from the reeling Titans.
Jones will turn 30 just after the regular season next year so there’s still just enough space for ware on his tires before a new team has to worry about him creeping into his 30s. After a strong showing in 2025, don’t be surprised to see Jones become one of the biggest earners from this list next season.
5. Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers
2025 stats: (12 games played, 11 starts) 32 tackles, six tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, safety
Mack’s body of work on the stat sheet has not been super impressive the past two seasons following a 2023 campaign in which he recorded 17.5 sacks, but it’s his ability to still affect every game in a variety of ways that keeps him high on this list. He’s still a menace at setting the edge in the run game and he’ll still walk back an offensive tackle straight into the lap of a quarterback. He may not be finishing these plays at the same clip, but that doesn’t mean he’s not making the jobs of his teammates easier.
The veteran will have to decide if his best chance of winning his first postseason game is still with the Chargers or if he believes one last change of scenery is needed before calling it a career.
6. Boye Mafe, Seattle Seahawks
2025 stats: (17 games played, 4 starts) 31 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 pass deflections, forced fumble
Mafe is two years removed from a nine-sack season where he played over 800 snaps and had a career-high 58 pressures. Over the past two seasons, he’s combined to play less than 1,200 snaps total and has eight total sacks. Still, the 27-year old is coming off a solid campaign where he was graded above-average by PFF for the fourth consecutive season.
After the Seahawks added Demarcus Lawrence in free agency a year ago, Mafe was relegated to a rotational role in 2025. He’s shown the ability to be a full-fledged starter, but teams may like him as a part of a three-man rotation over a dominant snap-collector. Still, his age and potential will help him earn a nice second contract.
7. Kwity Paye, Indianapolis Colts
2025 stats: (17 games played, 16 starts) 39 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, pass deflection
Paye played a single-season high 720 snaps in 2025 and ended up with his worst overall season grade of his career (59.0). His four sacks, 56.8 pass rush grade, and 43.8 tackling grade are all the lowest marks of his career and that won’t bode well for his prospects this offseason. However, back-to-back eight-sack seasons in 2023 and 2024 will be enough for multiple teams to believe he’s still got some great football ahead of him if he can land in the right situation.
8. Joey Bosa, Buffalo Bills
2025 stats: (15 games played, 15 starts) 29 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 2 pass deflections, 5 forced fumbles
Bosa showed he can still rush the passer and make splash plays with a new team in 2025. He started 15 games, which was the most he’s recorded since the 2021 season. His five sacks are the lowest mark on a per-game clip of his career, but his five forced fumbles helped make up for the lack of quarterback takedowns. Bosa won’t command a huge market, but there will be plenty of teams who will be more than happy to potentially add him as a part of their pass rush rotation.
9. Malcolm Koonce, Las Vegas Raiders
2025 stats: (17 games played, 3 starts) 30 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, pass deflection
For the second season in a row, Koonce played exactly 501 snaps this year. Unfortunately, his numbers all took a downturn as he recorded just 4.5 sacks vs. the eight he had a year ago. His pass rush grade from PFF also dropped from a very strong 78.9 to a 59.4. He had 17 less sacks compared to the prior season.
The Raiders have not been a good team in recent years, but Koonce had seemingly found his stride during the 2024 season and now he may have lost himself some money with a down ‘25 campaign. Still, the premium position he plays will help him find a new home if the Raiders believe they need a better option opposite Maxx Crosby.
10. A.J. Epenesa, Buffalo Bills
2025 stats: (16 games played, 2 starts) 32 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 2 interceptions, fumble recovery
Joining his Bills teammate on this list, Epenesa was relegated to a rotational role in 2025 and that fact is shown through his career-low two sacks. At the same time, this is Epenesa’s second season with at least two interceptions, showing you that he’s got a knack for finding the ball at his position.
Before 2025, Epenesa has three consecutive seasons with at least six sacks. He’s shown to be an impact player in a rotation and that’s the situation where I think he lands, whether that’s back with the Bills or somewhere else.