The 50 linebackers with the most solo tackles, 1999–2026

Every linebacker on this list is ranked on one number: solo tackles in the regular season between 1999 and 2026. Nothing else is weighed, and the figures each ranking rests on are in the table.

Solo tackles — the leading 15. Every one of the 50 is in the table below.

#	Player	Pos	Seasons	Solo tackles	Assists	Sacks	Int
1	Lavonte David	LB	2012–2025	1,033	544	42.5	14
2	Bobby Wagner	LB	2012–2025	1,016	850	39.5	15
3	London Fletcher	ILB	1999–2013	998	651	39	23
4	Karlos Dansby	LB	2004–2017	974	344	43	20
5	Ray Lewis	ILB	1999–2012	908	427	31.5	26
6	Demario Davis	LB	2012–2026	894	598	47	4
7	Brian Urlacher	MLB	2000–2012	886	313	40	22
8	Keith Brooking	OLB	1999–2012	882	329	22	12
9	Derrick Johnson	LB	2005–2018	850	217	25.5	14
10	Thomas Davis	LB	2005–2020	798	355	29.5	13
11	Lance Briggs	OLB	2003–2014	787	234	16.5	16
12	Paul Posluszny	LB	2007–2017	752	333	16.5	15
13	Donnie Edwards	OLB	1999–2008	724	298	16.5	25
14	Derrick Brooks	OLB	1999–2008	699	275	11	21
15	Takeo Spikes	ILB	1999–2012	693	396	27	19
16	Daryl Smith	LB	2004–2016	677	323	29.5	12
17	Zach Thomas	ILB	1999–2008	669	489	16	10
18	Mike Peterson	OLB	1999–2012	660	322	20.5	19
18	Luke Kuechly	LB	2012–2019	660	402	12.5	18
20	Chad Greenway	LB	2007–2016	654	342	17.5	11
21	James Farrior	ILB	1999–2011	651	399	34.5	11
22	Eric Kendricks	LB	2015–2025	648	448	21.5	11
23	Patrick Willis	ILB	2007–2014	647	216	21	8
24	Roquan Smith	LB	2018–2026	642	466	22.5	11
25	Jeremiah Trotter	MLB	1999–2009	639	191	12.5	9
26	D'Qwell Jackson	LB	2006–2016	636	437	19.5	9
27	Will Witherspoon	OLB	2002–2013	634	195	26	14
28	Lawrence Timmons	LB	2007–2017	617	330	35.5	12
29	C.J. Mosley	LB	2014–2024	613	396	12	12
30	James Laurinaitis	LB	2009–2016	596	207	16.5	10
31	David Harris	LB	2007–2017	595	386	36.5	6
32	Nick Barnett	ILB	2003–2013	581	311	20.5	12
33	DeMeco Ryans	LB	2006–2015	580	235	13.5	7
34	D.J. Williams	MLB	2004–2014	578	221	22	2
35	Foyesade Oluokun	LB	2018–2026	576	438	11.5	10
36	Curtis Lofton	LB	2008–2015	569	288	8	3
37	Wesley Woodyard	LB	2008–2019	568	324	28	8
38	K.J. Wright	LB	2011–2021	566	374	13.5	6
39	Keith Bulluck	OLB	2000–2010	563	299	17.5	21
40	Stephen Tulloch	LB	2006–2016	556	274	14.5	5
41	Fred Warner	LB	2018–2026	535	374	10.5	10
42	Derek Smith	ILB	1999–2008	532	241	11.5	4
43	Jordan Hicks	LB	2015–2024	523	338	16.5	13
44	A.J. Hawk	LB	2006–2015	521	301	20.5	9
45	Dhani Jones	MLB	2001–2010	517	260	9	5
46	Paris Lenon	MLB	2002–2013	508	239	12.5	5
47	NaVorro Bowman	LB	2010–2017	504	212	14	5
48	Scott Fujita	OLB	2002–2012	501	170	23	7
49	Mark Barron	LB	2012–2019	488	169	12	9
50	Julian Peterson	OLB	2000–2010	487	205	51	8

How this list is made

Ranked on solo tackles in the regular season, 1999–2026, for players listed at ILB, LB, MLB, OLB. Players are ranked on that number alone and on nothing else: there is no judgement here about who was better. Where two players are level they share a rank, and the list runs past fifty when fiftieth place is shared, because splitting a tie would mean choosing between them on no stated basis.

Why it does not say “of all time”. Every NFL statistic this site holds begins in 1999. A list claiming to cover all time would leave out Lawrence Taylor, who retired in 1993, along with everyone else who played before the figures start. That is why the years are in the title.

These figures are derived, and can differ from the NFL’s official records. They are computed from play-by-play data rather than copied from the league. Checked against published career sack totals, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller and J.J. Watt match exactly, while Julius Peppers came out 0.5 short and Terrell Suggs 1.0 — both careers that began before 2011. Expect small differences on long careers that start early in the window.

Regular-season games only; the play-offs are not counted. Source: nflverse-data, CC BY 4.0.

All the NFL pages