This is a list of National Football League (NFL) players who have led the regular season in solo and combined tackles each year.
The record for most solo tackles is held by Ray Lewis, who made 156 in the 1997 season, while the record for most combined tackles belongs to Hardy Nickerson, who made 214 in 1993.
According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, the solo tackles are counted since 1994, and the combined tackles since 1978.
Set record* |
Source: [1]
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Source: [2]
Julius Frazier Peppers is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Carolina Tar Heels, where he was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was selected by the Carolina Panthers second overall in the 2002 NFL draft, and also played for the Chicago Bears from 2010 through 2013 and the Green Bay Packers from 2014 to 2016. After rejoining the Panthers for the 2017 season, he retired after the 2018 NFL season.
Edward Earl Reed Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL), spending the majority of his career with the Baltimore Ravens. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes, where he played on Miami's 2001 national championship team and was named a unanimous All-American. He was selected by the Ravens in the first round of the 2002 NFL draft and played 11 seasons with them before playing with the Houston Texans and New York Jets in 2013.
Troy Aumua Polamalu is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 12-year career as a safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). An eight-time Pro Bowl and six-time All-Pro selection, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall Of Fame in 2020, his first year of eligibility.
Paul Michael Posluszny is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL), primarily with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He played college football for the Penn State Nittany Lions, earning consensus All-American honors twice, and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2007 NFL draft. After four years in Buffalo, Posluszny spent the remainder of his career with the Jaguars and earned Pro Bowl honors during the 2013 season.
Chad Greenway is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 11-year career as a linebacker with the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, and was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft.
Calais Malik Campbell is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football for the Miami Hurricanes and was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft.
Brian Ndubisi Orakpo is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Texas, was recognized as a unanimous All-American, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins with the thirteenth overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. He also played for Tennessee Titans, and was selected to four Pro Bowls.
Patrick De'mon Peterson Jr. is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, where he won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in the country, and the Jim Thorpe Award as the best defensive back. He is regarded as one of the greatest cornerbacks of his era.
Gene Raynard Atkins Jr. is an American former football defensive tackle. He played college football at Georgia, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL draft. Atkins has twice been selected as a first-team All-Pro, once been selected as a second-team All-Pro and is an eight-time Pro Bowler.
Cameron Phillip Heyward is an American football defensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2011 NFL draft. He is the son of former NFL player Craig Heyward and the older brother of NFL player and teammate Connor Heyward.
Lavonte Lamar David is an American football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Nebraska, and was selected by the Buccaneers in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Since entering the NFL, David has been named to three All-Pro teams, one Pro Bowl appearance and won Super Bowl LV during the 2020 season, in a 31–9 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Christopher Harris Jr. is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League for 12 seasons while spending his most notable years with the Denver Broncos. He played college football at Kansas. He was signed by the Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2011.
Xavier Rhodes is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Florida State, and was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 2013 NFL draft. With the Vikings, Rhodes made three Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro selection.
Tyrann Devine Mathieu is an American football safety for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at LSU. In college he developed a reputation for causing turnovers, setting a Southeastern Conference (SEC) record with 11 career forced fumbles and earning the nickname "the Honey Badger" after the mammal of the same name. In his sophomore season, he was recognized as a consensus All-American, won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. Mathieu was dismissed from the LSU football program after that season due to a violation of team rules.
Harrison Smith, nicknamed "Harry the Hitman", is an American football safety for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and was selected by the Vikings in the first round of the 2012 NFL draft with the 29th overall pick.
Bobby Joseph Wagner is an American football linebacker for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Utah State and was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft. Wagner also played for the Los Angeles Rams in 2022.
Logan Daniel Ryan is an American former football defensive back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. He played college football at Rutgers as a cornerback and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He also played in the NFL for the Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and San Francisco 49ers.
Darius Demetrius Slay Jr. is an American football cornerback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Itawamba before transferring to Mississippi State and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft.
Trent Jordan Watt is an American football linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Wisconsin Badgers before being selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Darius Shaquille Leonard is a former American football linebacker who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina State and was drafted in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In his rookie season, Leonard led the league in tackles and was named a First-Team All-Pro and Defensive Rookie of the Year; he was also voted into the NFL Top 100 the following offseason. Leonard has been informally nicknamed "Maniac" due to his energetic and productive on-field play.