The three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time first-team All-Pro could have been considered the best ever if he’d stayed healthy. He still easily makes this cut.
Julius Peppers had more sacks (159.9) than anyone else has registered this century, but Ware was only 21 behind that despite playing 88 fewer games. They’re both Hall of Famers, but Ware peaked higher and has a ring as well as more first-team All-Pro honors.
Freshly retired, the only player from this century with eight first-team All-Pro nods is a no-brainer. He’d be on this team if it included the 20th century.
Even if you set aside the fact a bunch of his production came before 2000, the Hall of Famer was a first-team All-Pro in each of the first three seasons of this century. He also played an integral role in the Buccaneers’ 2002 Super Bowl campaign.
The seven-time first-team All-Pro earned six of those nods—as well as two Super Bowl wins—after the turn of the century. He was an absolute scene.
It feels odd passing on Luke Kuechly and Patrick Willis, but neither had Wagner’s longevity and neither got a ring. They peaked a little higher than Wagner, but only for very short spurts. Still, this is very open for debate.
The man was a Pro Bowler in 12 of the first 13 seasons of the century, intercepting 52 passes in the process. Bailey is a first-ballot Hall of Famer with an NFL record 203 passes defended. He’s a legend.
His peak wasn’t as long as Bailey’s but Sherman was one of the best players in the sport between 2012 and 2016. He was a high-impact superstar on a perennial contender and Super Bowl winner.
“Revis Island” was a thing in multiple cities for this seven-time Pro Bowler and Hall of Famer, although arguments can be made for HOFer Ronde Barber. Also, watch out for Jalen Ramsey in the years to come (he’s already a seven-time Pro Bowler at age 29).
The nine-time Pro Bowler and five-time first-team All-Pro was Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 and a key part of a Super Bowl winner in 2012.
When you thought of the safety position between about 2004 and about 2012, you thought of Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. This two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time first-team All-Pro was DPOY in 2010.
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