Garrett voted NFL’s top edge rusher
AP’s Top NFL players
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Myles Garrett has been the NFL's dominant defensive player for years, leading to his record-setting campaign with 23 sacks last season before being traded in June from Cleveland to the Los Angeles Rams.
Garrett's performance helped him earn the honor of being named the top off-ball linebacker in the NFL by The Associated Press.
A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at edge rusher, basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Garrett got all eight first-place votes and won the voting with 80 points. Green Bay's Micah Parsons was the only other player named on all eight ballots and was second with 27 points. Houston's Will Anderson Jr. was third, Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt was fourth and Detroit's Aidan Hutchinson was fifth.
Brian Burns of the New York Giants, Baltimore's Trey Hendrickson, Las Vegas' Maxx Crosby, San Francisco's Nick Bosa and Jacksonville's Josh Hines-Allen also received votes.
Tight end
Trey McBride was the bright spot last season for a dismal team in Arizona.
He was the most productive tight end in the NFL, a near-unanimous All-Pro selection and made his second straight Pro Bowl.
McBride's success has also landed him the top spot at tight end in a preseason survey by The Associated Press. He received five first-place votes from a panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers who ranked the top five players at the position, basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
George Kittle finished second with three first-place votes. Brock Bowers came in third, followed by Sam LaPorta and Kyle Pitts.
Offensive tackle
Penei Sewell has long been known as perhaps the top run-blocking tackle in the NFL. Once his work in pass protection took a step up, he moved himself into a different category.
The improvement in pass protection by Sewell last season, when he was named an All-Pro for the third straight season, helped him earn the honors as the top tackle in the NFL by The Associated Press.
A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at tackle, basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Sewell got three first-place votes and won the voting with 55 points. Tampa Bay's Tristan Wirfs got three first-place votes and finished second with 44 points. Denver's Garett Bolles got the other two first-place votes and came in third with 28 points. San Francisco's Trent Williams was fourth and Philadelphia's Jordan Mailata was fifth.
Philadelphia's Lane Johnson, Washington's Laremy Tunsil, the Chargers' Rashawn Slater, the Giants' Andrew Thomas and Chicago's Darnell Wright also received votes.
Safety
Kyle Hamilton does it all for the Baltimore Ravens defense.
The two-time All-Pro safety can play slot cornerback and cover receivers or tight ends. He can play in the box and stop the run. He can drop into zone and play traditional deep safety. He can blitz.
Hamilton's versatility and productivity helped him earn the top safety spot in the NFL as voted by The Associated Press.
A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at safety, basing selections on current status entering the 2026 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Hamilton received six first-place votes. All-Pro Kevin Byard finished second, followed by Derwin James, Antoine Winfield Jr. and Xavier McKinney.