Career Sack Index top 400:

Deacon Jones 1, Reggie White 2, Myles Garrett 3, DeMarcus Ware 4, and…Mike Reid at 5? Plus the rest of the top 400.

by Jason Pauley

Deacon Jones is 3rd all-time in unofficial sacks. He played in the 14-game era, so he and many others are at a disadvantage when compared to players in the league from 1978+, who played two extra games per season (+14%) over their careers. But Deacon Jones was a holy terror. In his prime years from 1964–1970, he had 22, 19, 16, 21.5, 22, 15, and 12 sacks…all in 14 game seasons. Although he’s third in career sacks based on volume, he is head-and-shoulders above everyone else using my metric, the Sack Index. His sack index of .372 is more than two points higher than the 2nd best all-time, Reggie White (.350).

Recently I wrote about the Sack Index, which I created to compare players across eras. In my first post, I calculated the sack index for the top 50 in all-time sacks. Now I extended it out to the top 400 all-time (40+ career sacks). You can read more about the reason and methodology for this metric here. But essentially what I’m doing is taking a player’s career sacks per game and normalizing to the era they played in.

An example where this made a significant difference is with DeMarcus Ware and Mark Gastineau. Both players averaged 0.78 sacks per game. However, over the course of Ware’s career (2005–2016), the league averaged only 2.26 sacks per game, giving him a sack index of .344 (0.78/2.26). Over Gastineau’s career, the league averaged 2.56 sacks per game, so his sack index is .307 (0.78 / 2.56). Both players have the same sacks per game, but when normalized to their era, Ware is ranked 4th all-time, and Gastineau is ranked 19th all time.

It’s important to note that this is unofficial sack leaders; the NFL recognizes sacks starting in 1982. But thanks to the work of John Turney and Nick Webster, we now have sack data going back to 1960.

This first chart shows the .300 players. Only 21 players in history, with 40+ sacks, have a Sack Index of .300 or above. Some players on this list who have not hit the back end of their careers will probably drop off as they become less efficient in their later years. Only 14 retired players have a career sack index above .300.

As I mentioned, it’s notable that seven of the .300 players are current players. As with most efficiency metrics, players decline on the back end of their careers. I calculated an aging curve chart using the combined careers of the top 20 players in all-time sacks. This gives you a good indication of what to expect. It’s likely that current players will start to move down the list and some will drop below .300.

Here is the rest of the top 400 in the Sack Index (40+ sack minimum). A more detailed version, with all of the stats used in the index (sacks, games, sacks per game, league average) can be found here. But all 400 players and their Sack Index are listed below as well. *For players who started careers before 1960, I’m using games played from 1960 and up to match when sack data begins.

Top 400 career Sack Index:

1. Deacon Jones .372
2. Reggie White .350
3. Myles Garrett .349
4. DeMarcus Ware .344
5. Mike Reid .342
6. J.J. Watt .336
7. T.J. Watt .334
8. Aaron Donald .332
9. Chandler Jones .331
10. Von Miller .331
11. Claude Humphrey .325
12. Joey Bosa .321
13. Jared Allen .320
14. Derrick Thomas .313
15. Jack Youngblood .310
16. Coy Bacon .310
17. Justin Houston .310
18. Cedrick Hardman .307
19. Mark Gastineau .307
20. Lawrence Taylor .305
21. John Abraham .305
22. Harvey Martin .298
23. Verlon Biggs .298
24. Aldon Smith .298
25. Simeon Rice .297
26. Bruce Smith .296
27. Danielle Hunter .295
28. Aaron Brown .292
29. Alan Page .290
30. Jim Katcavage* .289
31. Al Baker .288
32. Elvis Dumervil .288
33. Kevin Greene .288
34. Gino Marchetti* .287
35. Andy Robustelli* .286
36. Ike Lassiter .285
37. Dexter Manley .285
38. George Andrie .284
39. Robert Mathis .283
40. Curtis Greer .282
41. Alex Karras* .282
42. Michael Strahan .281
43. Leslie O’Neal .281
44. Tim Harris .280
45. Cameron Wake .277
46. Doug Atkins* .275
47. Shawne Merriman .275
48. Bill Glass* .274
49. Khalil Mack .274
50. Bill Stanfill .274
51. Richard Dent .273
52. Mario Williams .273
53. John Randle .266
54. Chris Doleman .266
55. Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila .265
56. Julius Peppers .263
57. Aaron Schobel .263
58. Ryan Kerrigan .261
59. Andre Tippett .260
60. Lee Roy Selmon .260
61. Jason Taylor .259
62. Leonard Little .259
63. Willie Davis* .258
64. Fred Dean .257
65. Tony Bennett .255
66. Dwight Freeney .255
67. Jacob Green .255
68. Keith Millard .251
69. Cameron Jordan .251
70. Anthony Smith .251
71. Robert Quinn .251
72. Clay Matthews .251
73. Fred Dryer .250
74. Terrell Suggs .249
75. Jason Pierre-Paul .249
76. Yannick Ngakoue .248
77. Ordell Braase* .247
78. Jack Gregory .247
79. Charles Haley .247
80. Carl Eller .245
81. Rich Jackson .245
82. Jevon Kearse .244
83. Hugh Douglas .243
84. Pat Swilling .242
85. Rickey Jackson .242
86. Joe Owens .241
87. Larry Brooks .241
88. Gerry Philbin .238
89. Simon Fletcher .234
90. Osi Umenyiora .234
91. LaMarr Woodley .233
92. Lee Williams .233
93. Cliff Avril .233
94. Greg Townsend .232
95. Lyle Alzado .232
96. Peter Boulware .231
97. Roderick Coleman .231
98. Adewale Ogunleye .231
99. John Zook .231
100. Frank Clark .230
101. Sean Jones .229
102. Carlos Dunlap .229
103. Ken Harvey .229
104. Ezekiel Ansah .229
105. Tony Cline .229
106. Otis Sistrunk .229
107. Neil Smith .229
108. Joey Porter .229
109. Derrick Burgess .229
110. Greg Hardy .228
111. Patrick Kerney .228
112. Trent Cole .228
113. Tom Sestak .227
114. Chris Jones .227
115. Fred Cook .226
116. Tamba Hali .224
117. Rulon Jones .221
118. Jethro Pugh .220
119. Michael McCrary .219
120. Will Smith .218
121. Burt Grossman .216
122. William Fuller .216
123. Wally Chambers .216
124. Brian Orakpo .216
125. Roger Brown .215
126. Robert Porcher .215
127. Shaun Phillips .214
128. Everson Griffen .214
129. Tony Brackens .214
130. Clyde Simmons .214
131. Billy Newsome .213
132. Aaron Kampman .212
133. Bryce Paup .212
134. Trace Armstrong .212
135. Olivier Vernon .212
136. Za’Darius Smith .211
137. Trevor Pryce .211
138. Elvin Bethea .210
139. Randy White .210
140. Tony McGee .210
141. Charles Johnson .209
142. Greg Ellis .208
143. Warren Sapp .207
144. Michael Sinclair .207
145. Dan Hampton .206
146. Jerry Sherk .206
147. Paul Wiggin* .206
148. Jeff Cross .205
149. Darren Howard .204
150. Jason Gildon .203
151. DeMarcus Lawrence .203
152. Jesse Baker .202
153. Howie Long .202
154. Wayne Martin .202
155. Calais Campbell .202
156. Ron Carpenter .201
157. Ezra Johnson .201
158. Bubba Smith .200
159. Geno Atkins .200
160. Kevin Carter .200
161. Tommy Hart .200
162. Bob Lilly .200
163. Joe Klecko .199
164. Justin Tuck .199
165. Lamar Lundy* .199
166. Mike Cofer .198
167. Billy Ray Smith* .197
168. Bill Brundige .197
169. Eddie Edwards .197
170. Dwaine Board .197
171. L.C. Greenwood .196
172. Alfred Williams .195
173. Jerry Mays .195
174. Ray Childress .195
175. Greg Brown .194
176. Chuck Smith .194
177. Lionel Aldridge .194
178. James Harrison .194
179. Andre Carter .194
180. Diron Talbert .193
181. Shaquil Barrett .193
182. Bob Rowe .192
183. Jason Babin .192
184. Gary Johnson .192
185. Michael Bennett .190
186. Joe Johnson .190
187. Doug Martin .190
188. Art Still .190
189. Jim Marshall .190
190. Rosevelt Colvin .189
191. Mel Branch .189
192. George Martin .189
193. Chris Long .189
194. Too Tall Jones .189
195. Leonard Marshall .188
196. Clarence Williams .188
197. Chris Clemons .188
198. Dwight White .187
199. Charles Mann .187
200. Gary Jeter .187
201. Pat Toomay .187
202. Chad Bratzke .186
203. La’Roi Glover .185
204. Bryant Young .184
205. Melvin Ingram .184
206. Henry Thomas .183
207. Joe Greene .183
208. Gerald McCoy .183
209. Lance Johnstone .182
210. Bruce Irvin .182
211. Jim Jeffcoat .182
212. Mario Addison .181
213. Preston Smith .180
214. Charles Grant .180
215. Chad Brown .180
216. Steve McMichael .180
217. Whitney Mercilus .179
218. Merlin Olsen .179
219. Jim Osborne .178
220. Freddie Joe Nunn .178
221. Ben Davidson .178
222. Ross Browner .177
223. Tracy Scroggins .177
224. Shaun Ellis .177
225. Dennis Harrison .176
226. Willie McGinest .175
227. Muhammad Wilkerson .175
228. Michael Dean Perry .175
229. Karl Mecklenburg .175
230. Bertrand Berry .175
231. Dave Pureifory .174
232. Tony Tolbert .174
233. Adalius Thomas .174
234. Justin Smith .173
235. Doug Betters .173
236. Mike Butler .172
237. Mike Rucker .172
238. Connor Barwin .172
239. Ray Hamilton .171
240. Carl Hairston .170
241. Kyle Vanden Bosch .170
242. Grant Wistrom .170
243. Tom Keating .170
244. Dave Costa .170
245. Kamerion Wimbley .169
246. James Hall .169
247. Chris Mims .168
248. Ahmad Brooks .168
249. Buck Buchanan .167
250. Doug English .167
251. Keith Willis .166
252. John Matuszak .166
253. Sherman White .166
254. Mike Barnes .166
255. Leroy Jones .166
256. Wilbur Young .166
257. Cameron Heyward .166
258. Ed O’Bradovich .165
259. Fletcher Cox .165
260. John Mendenhall .165
261. Phil Hansen .165
262. Vern Den Herder .164
263. Curley Culp .164
264. Mel Tom .164
265. Barney Chavous .163
266. Jeff Lageman .162
267. Danny Stubbs .162
268. Renaldo Turnbull .162
269. Derrick Morgan .161
270. Fred Miller .160
271. Bob Pollard .159
272. Brandon Graham .159
273. Larry Hand .158
274. Ndamukong Suh .158
275. Julius Adams .158
276. Larry Eisenhauer .157
277. Chris Slade .157
278. William Gay .157
279. Jabaal Sheard .157
280. Greg Lloyd .157
281. Roy Barker .157
282. Richard Seymour .157
283. John Dutton .156
284. Henry Jordan* .156
285. Rob Ninkovich .155
286. Walter Johnson .155
287. Chike Okeafor .155
288. Chuck Walker .155
289. Eric Swann .154
290. Mike Bell .154
291. Brian Robison .153
292. Keith Hamilton .153
293. Jurrell Casey .153
294. Rob Burnett .153
295. Elois Grooms .151
296. Don Brumm .151
297. Mike Tilleman .150
298. John Baker* .150
299. Paul Smith .149
300. Joe Jones .149
301. Dana Stubblefield .147
302. Ted Washington .147
303. Keith Ferguson .146
304. Duane Clemons .146
305. Cortez Kennedy .145
306. Alonzo Spellman .145
307. Cornelius Bennett .145
308. Julian Peterson .145
309. Earl Edwards .145
310. Alex Brown .144
311. Ellis Johnson .144
312. Joe Ehrmann .144
313. Jerry Hughes .143
314. Larry Cole .143
315. Calvin Pace .142
316. Jeff Bryant .141
317. Don Smith .141
318. Broderick Thomas .140
319. Ben Williams .139
320. Jumpy Geathers .138
321. Louie Kelcher .138
322. Kevin Williams .137
323. Ron McDole .137
324. Eric Hicks .137
325. Kenard Lang .137
326. Adrian Clayborn .136
327. Rod Martin .136
328. Jim Flanigan .134
329. Carl Kammerer .134
330. Santana Dotson .134
331. Marco Coleman .134
332. Phillip Daniels .133
333. Brady Smith .132
334. Shane Dronett .131
335. Bryan Cox .131
336. Brent Williams .131
337. Robert Brazile .131
338. Chip Banks .130
339. Rufus Porter .129
340. Bill Pickel .128
341. Vonnie Holliday .128
342. Mike Fanning .127
343. Lou Michaels* .126
344. Gary Walker .126
345. Duane Bickett .126
346. Bill Gregory .125
347. Raylee Johnson .125
348. Marcellus Wiley .125
349. Kim Bokamper .124
350. Michael Johnson .124
351. Sean Gilbert .123
352. Reggie Williams .122
353. Clay Matthews .122
354. Anthony Pleasant .121
355. Aaron Smith .121
356. Raheem Brock .120
357. Chester McGlockton .120
358. Mike Vrabel .120
359. Clark Haggans .120
360. Roland Lakes .119
361. Ted Hendricks .119
362. Dan Wilkinson .119
363. Frank Warren .119
364. Whitney Paul .119
365. Dave Butz .118
366. Travis Hall .118
367. Charlie Krueger* .118
368. Mike Hartenstine .117
369. Cullen Jenkins .117
370. Juqua Parker .117
371. Ken Clarke .117
372. Kyle Williams .116
373. Marty Lyons .115
374. Mike Pitts .115
375. Darnell Dockett .113
376. Chidi Ahanotu .113
377. Roy Hilton .113
378. Antonio Smith .113
379. Derland Moore .111
380. Seth Joyner .111
381. Mo Lewis .111
382. Donnell Thompson .110
383. Marvin Washington .109
384. Mike Merriweather .108
385. Mark Mullaney .108
386. Jim Wilks .106
387. Micheal Barrow .106
388. Bobby Bell .104
389. Wilber Marshall .102
390. Chris Hanburger .102
391. Brian Urlacher .101
392. Randy Starks .099
393. Jessie Armstead .096
394. Monte Coleman .093
395. Sam Adams .092
396. Junior Seau .091
397. Karlos Dansby .089
398. Joe Nash .088
399. Tom Jackson .083
400. Ray Lewis .079