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The Super Bowl is behind us and the offseason has arrived, which means the start of NFL free agency for the 2026 season is close at hand. Teams are hard at work building out their plans for their own players, while keeping a close eye on the available free agents heading into the 2026 offseason. Today we’re going to take a look at the projected free agent defensive tackles in the 2026 class, as I give my best guess at how these players are likely to be ranked by NFL teams.
This class features a pair of high-end talents at the top, along with a living legend. After that, there are a number of intriguing veterans and potential buy-low candidates for teams in need. It’s not a star-studded class by any means, but there are some solid options here–particularly in the nose tackle market. Let’s take a closer look at the 2025 free agent defensive tackle class.
Dre’Mont Jones
2025 Stats: 17 starts | 43 tackles, 19 solo, 7 TFL, 0.0% missed tackle rate | 7.0 sacks, 28 total pressures
Without a doubt the most coveted free agent interior defensive lineman in the class, Dre’Mont Jones had his best season as a pro despite a midseason trade to an entirely new defense in Baltimore. Jones is a terrific interior pass rusher who brings physicality to the run game as well, and this season was his most productive yet. Jones is a bit undersized at 6’3, 281, which may limit his fit in some systems, but he’s a standout player who’s still in the prime of his career.
John Franklin-Myers
2025 Stats: 15 starts | 25 tackles, 12 solo, 6 TFL, 7.4% missed tackle rate | 7.5 sacks, 23 total pressures
Another undersized inside/outside rusher, John Franklin-Myers also turned in an outstanding 2025 season. After spending the majority of his career with the Jets, Franklin-Myers continued to ascend as an interior pass rusher with the Broncos. Franklin-Myers isn’t the greatest run defender and his size limitations may limit his appeal in some fronts, but he’s inarguably one of the best pass rushing threats available in free agency entering his age 30 season.
Calais Campbell
2025 Stats: 17 starts | 43 tackles, 23 solo, 9 TFL, 8.5% missed tackle rate | 6.5 sacks, 18 total pressures
The oldest defensive player in the NFL still has it. Calais Campbell may not be playing at an All-Pro level anymore, but he’s still a very good starter and has shown no signs of imminent decline. Campbell is as technically savvy as they come, as both a run defender and pass rusher, and combines that with rare size at 6’8, 315. Now entering his age 40 season, I certainly wouldn’t bet against the future Hall of Famer continuing to play at a high level.
D.J. Reader
2025 Stats: 15 starts | 28 tackles, 11 solo, 8.0% missed tackle rate | 4 total pressures
D.J. Reader has been one of the NFL’s most consistent nose tackles since starting his career with the Texans, but is coming off a down year with the Lions. Reader is still an effective space eater, but his pass rush production fell off a cliff. I still believe Reader can be an impact player, but this is an inopportune time to enter free agency. Heading into his age 32 season, Reader will likely need to take a one-year deal to rebuild his value.
Sheldon Rankins
2025 Stats: 17 starts | 35 tackles, 15 solo, 5 TFL, 10.3% missed tackle rate | 3.0 sacks, 14 total pressures
Sheldon Rankins has never quite been able to match his electric rookie season, but he’s still been a consistently good interior pass rusher throughout his career. After a return to Houston in 2025, he’s entering his age 32 season coming off a productive year. Rankins is a penetration-focused 3T, and if he’s used in that manner, he can be very effective in a variety of defensive systems.
David Onyemata
2025 Stats: 17 starts | 62 tackles, 29 solo, 7 TFL, 4.6% missed tackle rate | 1.0 sacks, 6 total pressures
The Falcons made the bold decision to keep David Onyemata heading into the 2025 season despite significant cap savings if released, and that risk looked worthwhile by the end of the year. While Onyemata has fallen off as a pass rusher, he’s continued to dominate as a run defender. Onyemata was one of the most productive run defending tackles in the NFL last season, and set career highs in tackles and solo tackles. He’s a more specialized player at this stage of his career, but is still a strong presence on the interior.
Neville Gallimore
2025 Stats: 8 starts | 38 tackles, 20 solo, 4 TFL, 5.9% missed tackle rate | 3.5 sacks, 9 total pressures
Neville Gallimore was one of my favorite prospects back in the 2020 NFL Draft, but he never quite reached the ceiling I had hoped to see. As a slightly undersized, penetration-focused player, his pass rush ability never caught up with his traits and college tape. Gallimore has continued to evolve his game, however, and has become a very reliable run defender over the years. Gallimore is coming off his most productive season in both the run and pass game as a part-time player for the Colts, and could finally be emerging as an NFL starter.
DaQuan Jones
2025 Stats: 12 starts | 22 tackles, 11 solo, 3 TFL, 4.3% missed tackle rate | 3.0 sacks, 13 total pressures
DaQuan Jones has carved out a career as one of the NFL’s most consistent nose tackles, and that continued with the Bills in 2025. In his age 34 season, Jones still performed as a quality run stuffer and produced one of his best years as a pass rusher. He’s dealt with injuries more frequently over the past few seasons, but Jones is still a very reliable presence in the middle and should still have a market entering 2026.
Andrew Billings
2025 Stats: 14 starts | 31 tackles, 19 solo, 6 TFL, 11.4% missed tackle rate | 1.0 sacks, 7 total pressures
A prototypical run-stuffing nose tackle at 6’1, 340, Andrew Billings turned in one of his best seasons in 2025 as a part of a revamped Bears defense. Billings is a big space-eater and does his job well, but offers very little pass rush upside and is primarily an early down contributor. That’s not the most lucrative role in the NFL, and Billings pretty much is what he is at this stage of his career, but it’s a role that plenty of teams still covet.
Folorunso Fatukasi
2025 Stats: 1 start | 8 tackles, 5 solo, 1 TFL, 0% missed tackle rate | 1.5 sacks, 2 total pressures
Folorunso “Foley” Fatukasi was an intriguing developmental defensive lineman coming out of the draft back in 2018 thanks to a unique blend of size and athleticism. After a slow start to his career, Fatukasi appeared on the verge of a breakout after two strong years with the Jets. An uninspiring stint with the Jaguars eventually led Fatukasi to the Texans, where he only managed four games in 2025 before injury. Still, the production in just 101 total snaps is pretty eye-opening. Fatukasi is entering his age 31 season and could be an intriguing buy low candidate for a team in need of talent on the defensive line.