Where Aaron Donald & Myles Garrett Rank Among 2026 NFL Season's Best Defensive Duos

With Aaron Donald officially back, Myles Garrett and the Rams went from formidable to downright scary for opponents this season.

The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year agreed to a one-year deal Sunday to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams after enjoying retirement for the last two seasons. The move further catapulted the Rams into the betting favorite to win Super Bowl LXI.

No one knows exactly what caliber of player Donald will be at 35 years old, with two seasons of rust. However, his viral workout videos and previous greatness suggest he can still do some significant damage.

Donald and Garrett should be viewed a pure nightmare fuel.

Comparatively, a handful of defensive duos can still stake a claim as the NFL's best. Though the Rams now present stiff competition.

5. Micah Parsons & Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers' top two defenders could have been higher on this list, but Micah Parsons is still recovering from last year's torn ACL. As a result, he enters the 2026 campaign on the physically unable to perform list, costing him at least the season's first four contests. Once Parsons is healthy and up to speed, very few defenders are at his level. His explosiveness as a pass-rusher is unmatched. Granted, it may take some time for that trait to return fully after the injury. Even so, very few pass-rushers invoke fear quite like Parsons. Prior to the December injury, Parsons was firmly in the Defensive Player of the Year conversation. He registered at least 12 sacks in each of his five NFL seasons, with 65 total during that stretch. That feat may be difficult to achieve this year, but how he performs over the second half of the season will be far more important than how it began. Parsons spearheads the Packers' defense. However, Xavier McKinney is the backbone. The two-time All-Pro (first- and second-team honors) somehow doesn't get enough credit for how good he really is. Since joining the Packers prior to the 2024 campaign, McKinney has registered 195 total tackles, 10 interceptions and 21 defended passes. He's a legitimate playmaker on the back end, capable of playing all over the field. Parsons up front with McKinney prowling the rest of the field provides the Pack with a strong one-two punch.

4. Kyle Hamilton & Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Historically, the Baltimore Ravens organization has been built upon good defense. From Ray Lewis to Ed Reed to Terrell Suggs, the franchise's identity runs through that side of the ball. Today is no different, but the faces are.

Safety Kyle Hamilton and linebacker Roquan Smith are arguably the two best players at their respective positions.

For Hamilton, it's not even in question. The 25-year-old defensive back has already been name first-team All-Pro on two different occasions, with three straight Pro Bowl appearances. He graded as the fourth-best player on B/R's NFL 1000 regardless of position.

"Being a chameleon when NFL defenses are doing whatever they can to fool opposing offenses has a ton of value," B/R scout Dan Harms wrote. "When that chameleon also happens to be Hamilton, we have one of the best players in the NFL. He played on every single level for the Ravens, is one of the smartest run defenders in the league, and is a technician in coverage. Elite playmakers don't come around very often, and with the Ravens sustaining so many injuries in 2025, Hamilton was the glue that held them together. ... He's an incredibly savvy and smart player with only four NFL seasons under his belt. There's no telling what his ceiling is." Smith has stiffer competition at linebacker. Though the San Francisco 49ers' Fred Warner is coming off a season-ending injury. The Detroit Lions' Jack Campbell now finds himself in the positional mix as well.

Even so, Smith is a three-time first-team All-Pro, with eight straight 100-tackle campaigns to start his career. He's averaged 147 tackles per season during his three full campaigns in Baltimore. Smith's speed and nose for the football are undeniable. The Ravens might not be as ferocious along their defensive front as they once were, but the combination of Hamilton and Smith certainly make up for any perceived deficiencies.

3. Patrick Surtain Jr. & Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos

A team's pass-rush and pass defense form a symbiotic relationship. The Denver Broncos benefit greatly from this dynamic, because they feature one of the league's best pure pass-rushers and an elite coverage corner.

To start, Patrick Surtain II is the game's top cornerback. Before turning 26, Surtain has already been named the 2024 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, made two first-team All-Pro squads and gone to four straight Pro Bowls.

"Surtain is always under control, plays extremely physical without holding, and makes receivers earn every yard," Harms wrote . "Only allowing 50-plus yards receiving in a game twice last season, the All-Pro corner collected more pass breakups than catches allowed down the field."

Surtain's pure coverage skills create more time for a pass-rusher to get home. Here's the thing: Bonitto doesn't necessarily need it since he is one of the game's quickest working off the edge.

At a listed 6'3" and 240 pounds, Bonitto isn't built like a traditional edge-rusher. He's smaller and thinner than most at his position. Yet he's so fluid and slippery working off the edge. Plus, he can convert speed to power. Over the last two years, the two-time Pro Bowl registered 27.5 sacks—which ranks second behind only Myles Garrett. The duo could rank higher if Bonitto improves at the point of attack. He may be an explosive and dangerous pass-rusher, but he's not a plus-run defender. Obviously, the ability to bring down opposing quarterbacks retains a much higher value, but this specific area knocks down the Broncos' tandem just a hair.

2. Will Anderson Jr. & Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans

The Houston Texans feature the league's best defense. The reason why is simple: The unit fields playmakers at all three levels. Though everything starts up front with ends Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter.

To be fair, Derek Stingley Jr. could have easily been added as the second part of a tandem that featured either of the Texans' edge-rushers. Stingley is an outstanding cover corner and ranked as the second-best at the position, according to B/R Scouting Department.

In this case, Anderson and Hunter get the nod because they work so well in tandem.

Anderson is the ascending superstar. He's a 24 years old. He's already been the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, a first-team All-Pro and a two-time Pro Bowler. He worked with Myles Garrett his offseason after setting a new career-high last season with 12 sacks. Last season, Anderson led all defenders in overall grade, pass-rush win rate and pressure rate, according to Pro Football Focus . The 2023 third overall pick could very well be the league's best defensive player in a few years time.

Conversely, Hunter is the veteran hand, who can still do everything at a high level. The 31-year-old defensive end has registered 12 or more sacks in three straight seasons.

"If an underrated elite pass-rusher exists, since it's considered a premium position, Danielle Hunter fits the mold," B/R scout Matt Holder wrote . "He may not be discussed in the same category as Garrett, but Hunter is easily one of the league's best at getting to the quarterback. He wins every way imaginable, whether it's going through an offensive tackle's chest, around the edge with speed or across the tackle's face. Against the run, the 10-year veteran's strength at the point of attack really shines. He can set the edge and shed blocks against offensive linemen to make tackles near the line of scrimmage." Anderson and Hunter are the league's best pair of edge-defenders. However, they won't be the league's best set of defenders this fall.

1. Myles Garrett & Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams

If you're an NFL quarterback, you're the Rams' huckleberry.

Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald are going to wreak havoc. Donald doesn't need to be the player he once was. If he's anywhere from 60 to 80 percent of his previous level, he will remain a force, because the Rams are loaded up front, starting with Garrett.

The league's reigning Defensive Player of the Year is the NFL's best player, as deemed by the Bleacher Report Scouting Department.

"Coming off the heels of setting the single-season sack record, Garrett officially staked his claim as the best pass-rusher in NFL history," B/R scout Matt Holder wrote for this year's NFL 1000 . "While he still needs 75 sacks to supplant Bruce Smith on the all-time list, Garrett's ability to win in a multitude of ways (speed, power, line games, etc.) and from several alignments should help him eventually reach that historic milestone. ...

"The two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year also offers tremendous value as a run defender, collecting 10 tackles for loss on top of last season's 23 sacks. He has plenty of strength to set the edge and can win with finesse/athleticism or working around blocks to be a complete, elite all-around defensive end."

Garrett is the current standard. Donald was the standard for all defenders before his new teammate took the mantle. Let's not gloss over just how dominant Donald was throughout his career. A legitimate argument can be made that he was the best defensive player of all time.

Again, no one expects that version to show up after two years of retirement at 35 years old. However, the fact opponents will now be building their gameplans around Garrett instead of Donald—while taking into account Los Angeles' defensive front also features another Pro Bowl edge-defender in Byron Young, as well as Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske—the amount of one-on-one matchups the now-unretired interior defender should face will make him extremely dangerous. Donald is still powerful and quick. He may not be the same exact player today, but expectations shouldn't be completely diluted, either. Two all-time greats, whose busts will one day adorn the Pro Football Hall of Fame, are about to line up next to one another. Opponents can't stop both.