Ray Lewis and NFL’s Tackle Kings: The Hardest Hitters Who Owned the Field
NFL’s Top Tacklers
American football has changed an incredible amount over the past 100 years. Men like Amos Alonso Stagg helped rapidly innovate the sport, creating the forward pass and the playbook. Even in my lifetime, the game has increasingly become offensive-minded.
Despite the rise of high-flying offenses, one thing remains true in football—defense wins championships. And no matter how much innovation the game undergoes, two things will always be the keys to winning: blocking and tackling.
Tackling is usually only discussed when a player misses a tackle, which is becoming more common because of how big and shifty offensive players are expected to be. But for a defense to be effective, it must be good at bringing the ball carrier down and limiting yards after contact.
This article will dive into the NFL players who mastered tackling. To top the NFL career tackling list, a player has to have a long career and be a great tackler. Tackling has two categories: solo and assist. Solo means a player brought down the ball carrier by himself, and an assist means more than one player made the tackle. You get a player’s combined tackle total when you combine those two numbers.
Who has the most tackles in NFL history? Is it the same players who top the list of the most tackles in a season or a game?
This article will crown the best overall tackler and the best-tackling safeties to grace a football field. Below is the list of most career tackles in NFL history solo and combined.
NFL Career Tackles Leaders (since 1987)
| Solo | Combined | |||
| Ray Lewis | 1,568 | Ray Lewis | 2,059 | |
| London Fletcher | 1,384 | London Fletcher | 2,039 | |
| Derrick Brooks | 1,300 | Junior Seau | 1,847 | |
| Donnie Edwards | 1,135 | Jessie Tuggle | 1,805 | |
| Zach Thomas | 1,107 | Bobby Wagner | 1,762 | |
| Keith Brooking | 1,103 | Zach Thomas | 1,734 | |
| Karlos Dansby | 1,077 | Derrick Brooks | 1,713 | |
| 7 | Junior Seau | 1,077 | Clay Matthews | 1,595 |
| Lavonte David | 1,064 | Hardy Nickerson | 1,586 | |
| Brian Urlacher | 1,046 | Lavonte David | 1,526 | |
It’s hard to say anyone was ever better at tackling than Ray Lewis, and the numbers back that up. Lewis had a long hall-of-fame career with the Ravens, and it is no surprise that he is the leader in tackles. From 1996 to 2012 Lewis was the heart and soul of one of the best defensive units ever. He was one of the most exciting players, providing big hits and electrifying leadership.
London Fletcher played during the same time as Lewis and was overshadowed by Lewis, but he was great. Fletcher only made four pro-bowls despite being near the top of the list for most tackles year after year.
Derrick Brooks, Junior Seau, and Zach Thomas were staples of the hard-hitting 90’s in the NFL. Brooks and Seau are different from the others on this list because they were outside linebackers. They dominated the NFL and combined for 23 Pro Bowls.
Two players on the list are still playing: Lavonte David and Bobby Wagner. David (34) is still playing at a high level for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wagner (34) had a lustrous career leading the “Legion of Boom” in Seattle and is now the captain of the Commanders’ defense.
Who has the record for most tackles in a single season? What NFL player has the most tackles ever? Take a look below to find out.
Single Season Tackles Leaders (since 1987)
| Solo | Combined | |||
| Ray Lewis | 156 | Hardy Nickerson | 214 | |
| Patrick Willis | 136 | Jessie Tuggle | 207 | |
| Ray Lewis | 130 | Jessie Tuggle | 201 | |
| Foyesade Oluokun | 128 | Kyle Clifton | 199 | |
| Jonathan Vilma | 128 | Chris Spielman | 195 | |
| Keith Brooking | 126 | Jessie Tuggle | 193 | |
| DeMeco Ryans | 126 | Foyesade Oluokun | 192 | |
| Donnie Edwards | 124 | Dante Jones | 189 | |
| Junior Seau | 124 | Jessie Tuggle | 185 | |
| Chris Spielman | 124 | Jordyn Brooks | 184 | |
The main thing that pops out above is that Jessie Tuggle has four of the top ten combined tackle seasons. Tuggle was an outstanding linebacker for the Falcons, so it’s no surprise to see him on the list, but four times is hard to fathom. Owning two of the three 200 tackle seasons is an incredible feat.
Ray Lewis is considered the greatest tackler ever, with two of the top three solo tackling seasons recorded. Solo tackles are the hardest to come by because they usually mean the ball carrier had no chance to get away, which is precisely what comes to mind when you think of Ray Lewis.
After looking at all the numbers, the below list is the best-tackling linebackers to ever grace an NFL field.
Top-5 Tacklers of All Time
- Ray Lewis (1996-2012)
- London Fletcher (1998-2013)
- Jessie Tuggle (1987-2000)
- Derrick Brooks (1995-2008)
- Bobby Wagner (2012-Present)
H3: Best Tackling Defensive Backs
When thinking about the best-tackling DBs in NFL history, hard-hitting safeties instantly come to mind. Sean Taylor is considered one of the most physically gifted pure tacklers at the position but his career was cut short when he was tragically murdered.
Other hard-hitting safeties that come to mind that aren’t on the below list are John Lynch, Bryan Dawkins, Troy Polamalu, Ronnie Lott, and Rod Woodson. What safety has the most career tackles in the NFL?
| Solo | Combined | |||
| Antoine Bethea | 995 | Antoine Bethea | 1,333 | |
| Eric Weddle | 903 | Eric Weddle | 1,179 | |
| Ronde Barber | 847 | Harrison Smith | 1,069 | |
| Antoine Winfield | 834 | Malcolm Jenkins | 1,044 | |
| Charles Woodson | 818 | Charles Woodson | 1,016 | |
Charles Woodson, a great cover guy and return man rounds out a list of safeties that all were known for their great tackling ability. Woodson also is fifth in career interceptions in the NFL.
Harrison Smith (35) is the only active player on the list. He is having another great season for the Vikings who have the best record in the NFC and are a strong candidate to make the playoffs according to the latest odds on the NFL at Betus.
In Conclusion
There you have it, the questions have been answered.
Hardy Nickerson’s 214 combined tackles in a single season will be very hard to top since 200 tackles have only been topped three times.
The safety with the most career tackles solo and combined is Antoine Bethea.
Ray Lewis is your career and single-season leader in solo tackles and will be remembered as the greatest ever.