{"id":292782,"date":"2026-07-18T12:00:31","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T16:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=292782"},"modified":"2026-07-18T07:18:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T11:18:30","slug":"nfc-west-defensive-linemen","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2026\/07\/18\/nfc-west-defensive-linemen\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking the Top NFC West Defensive Linemen For 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The NFC West<\/a> is one of the divisions composed of some of the fiercest defenses in the NFL. In terms of defense, a lot of success comes from how well the defensive linemen<\/a> put pressure on the opposing team\u2019s offense. Now it\u2019s time to rank the top defensive linemen in this division.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Best NFC West Defensive Linemen for 2026<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

5. Braden Fiske, Los Angeles Rams <\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Los Angeles Rams<\/a> defensive end Braden Fiske<\/a> comes in at number five on the list, not only because he will be entering his third year in the league but also due to the differences in how effective he was most recently compared to his rookie season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In his rookie season in 2024, the 6-foot-4, 294-pounder played in every game and was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team after finishing with 44 tackles, including 10 for loss, 8.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries. In 2025, Fiske saw a dip in his production, recording only 30 tackles, including 4 for loss, 3.0 sacks, and 1 pass deflection, despite starting 16 of 17 games, compared to the 8 games he started in his first year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Even though Fiske didn\u2019t finish last season as strongly, he\u2019s proven to be effective for the Rams in the postseason and has recorded 10 tackles, including four for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Fiske still has everything to prove in his career, especially if he wants to be at the forefront of the Rams defensive line and could have the best season he\u2019s had yet in 2026, as he\u2019s more than likely motivated to show Los Angeles that they don\u2019t need to convince defensive legend Aaron Donald<\/a> to come out of retirement.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Kobie Turner, Los Angeles Rams<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Another Rams player to make this list and be ranked the fourth-best defensive lineman is defensive end Kobie Turner<\/a>. Turner and Fiske were ranked pretty close, but Turner has a slight edge over his teammate because he\u2019s been more consistent and has more experience in the league, as he will be entering his fourth NFL season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The 6-foot-2, 294-pounder was also named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team in 2023 and, in his career, has tallied 167 tackles, including 27 for loss, 24.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, and one interception.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If Donald does indeed decide to come out of retirement, it might spark a competition between Turner and Fiske, meaning both still have a long way to go, as no defensive end currently on the Rams is the caliber of a player that Donald was. It\u2019s very hard to envision both players being as effective as Donald. Still, if each improves as needed, this will tremendously help Los Angeles, a team that could be a favorite to make the Super Bowl this season after it ended last season just short of playing in the big game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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3. Leonard Williams, Seattle Seahawks<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

Leonard Williams<\/a> is the third-best defensive lineman because, even though he didn\u2019t have the best season of his career, he has all the accolades teams look for in quality defensive players and helped the Seattle Seahawks<\/a> become reigning champions after defeating the New England Patriots<\/a> in Super Bowl LX.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Williams is a reliable veteran who has been in the league since 2015 and, since then, has earned PFWA All-Rookie Team honors, is a three-time Pro Bowler, and was also named Second-team All-Pro in 2025. Entering his 12th season, the 6-foot-5, 310-pound defensive end has had 637 tackles, including 93 for loss, 61.5 sacks, 15 pass deflections, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and two interceptions over the span of his career.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t matter that the Rams are a big favorite to many to win the Super Bowl. Best believe the Seahawks will do whatever they can to defend their title and repeat. Seattle had a good offense last year, but much of its success came from its defense. One of their key defensive players, Williams, is returning, which automatically makes the team contenders again if he\u2019s able to match his play from last season, and defenses ultimately help win championships.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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\u00a0<\/span>2.\u00a0 DeMarcus Lawrence, Seattle Seahawks<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Sadly the only team from the NFC West to not have one of their defensive linemen included in this list is the Arizona Cardinals<\/a> not only because of how bad their team was last season but also since none of their defensive linemen stood out but that\u2019s ok because another Seahawk and edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence<\/a> is the second best defensive lineman in the division because just like his teammate Williams he has not only been in the NFL for a while, but is the player on this list who has been in the league the longest while also constantly finding ways to help whatever team he suits up for.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 6-foot-3, 254-pounder spent the first 11 seasons of his career with the Dallas Cowboys<\/a> before heading to Seattle, and some accolades on his resume include being a Super Bowl champion, a five-time Pro Bowler, and earning Second-team All-Pro honors in 2017. Lawrence has also had 503 tackles, 67.5 sacks, 24 forced fumbles, 21 pass deflections, 11 forced fumbles, four defensive touchdowns, and two interceptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2025 marked Lawrence\u2019s first season with the Seahawks, and it wasn\u2019t a career-high season, but it was honestly the best season he\u2019s had in a few years compared to how he finished his tenure in Dallas. If Lawrence continues playing how he\u2019s known to play whenever he makes the Pro Bowl, Seattle is in good hands and could have the best defense once again in 2026, as they also have Williams alongside a strong core of linebackers, as well as a talented secondary.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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1. Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

San Francisco 49ers<\/a> defensive end Nick Bosa<\/a> is currently the best defensive lineman in the NFC West because, despite only playing in three games in 2025 due to a season-ending injury after tearing his ACL, Bosa has put up numbers and accomplished certain things that every other player on this list has yet to do within their careers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bosa was named to the PFWA\u2019s All-Rookie Team and was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, while also in 2022 earning First-team All-Pro honors and the Deacon Jones Award, which is given to players who lead the NFL in sacks each season, and is also a five-time Pro Bowler. In seven seasons with the 49ers, the 6-foot-4, 266-pounder has registered 278 tackles, including 91 for loss, 64.5 sacks, 13 forced fumbles, nine pass deflections, five fumble recoveries, and two interceptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In 2021, Bosa led the league with 21 tackles for loss and also collected 18.5 sacks the following season. His injury prevented him from following up on this success, but 2026 is a great opportunity for Bosa to revive his career, as he hasn\u2019t been as dominant a player since he had the best season of his career in 2022. If Bosa can get back to being one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, the 49ers would also have a good shot at making the Super Bowl and would give teams such as the Rams and Seahawks a run for their money. Last time Bosa played his best, the 49ers were so close to reaching the Super Bowl and made a deep playoff run before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> in the NFC Championship.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The NFC West is one of the divisions composed of some of the fiercest defenses in the NFL. Now it\u2019s time to rank the top defensive linemen in this division.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5728,"featured_media":292799,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[36,6431,33916],"tags":[32485,4660,9682,477,4445],"class_list":["post-292782","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl-news","category-nfl-teams","category-power-rankings","tag-braden-fiske","tag-demarcus-lawrence","tag-kobie-turner","tag-leonard-williams","tag-nick-bosa"],"modified_by":"Sue Levine","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292782","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5728"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292782"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":292800,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292782\/revisions\/292800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}