Bobby Wagner has recorded the most solo tackles in the NFL since 2015, leading all defenders with 924 from the 2015 through 2025 regular seasons. Lavonte David ranks second with 852, while Demario Davis is third with 778.
This is an objective statistical leaderboard. Solo tackles determine the order, not position, awards, team success or an opinion about who was the best overall defender. The complete table extends to 50 players and includes games played, assists, combined tackles, sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries for additional context.
The top of the list belongs to linebackers, but the larger table also shows the remarkable tackling volume of safeties such as Budda Baker, Harrison Smith, Kevin Byard III and Jordan Poyer. For career-level context beyond this 11-season window, compare these names with the best linebackers in NFL history, the best safeties of all time and the broader best defensive players ever.
Last reviewed: August 7, 2026.
Table of Contents
Most Solo Tackles Since 2015: Key Facts
- Leader: Bobby Wagner, 924 solo tackles in 178 regular-season games.
- Second: Lavonte David, 852 solo tackles in 169 games.
- Third: Demario Davis, 778 solo tackles in 179 games.
- Largest combined-tackle total: Wagner, 1,636.
- Highest-ranked defensive back: Budda Baker, sixth with 678 solo tackles.
- Interception leader in the top 50: Kevin Byard III, 36.
- Sack and forced-fumble leader in the top 50: Khalil Mack, with 109 sacks and 35 forced fumbles.
Top 10 NFL Solo Tackle Leaders Since 2015
| Rank | Player | Solo TKL | GP | COMB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Wagner | 924 | 178 | 1,636 |
| 2 | Lavonte David | 852 | 169 | 1,286 |
| 3 | Demario Davis | 778 | 179 | 1,278 |
| 4 | Eric Kendricks | 732 | 150 | 1,180 |
| 5 | Roquan Smith | 692 | 125 | 1,135 |
| 6 | Budda Baker | 678 | 138 | 1,021 |
| 7 | Harrison Smith | 667 | 167 | 926 |
| 8 | Kevin Byard III | 655 | 164 | 972 |
| 9 | Foyesade Oluokun | 640 | 128 | 1,070 |
| 10 | Jordan Poyer | 614 | 153 | 933 |
Jordan Hicks also recorded 614 solo tackles, tying Jordan Poyer’s total at the top-10 cutoff. The source display lists Poyer tenth and Hicks eleventh.
Method, Scope and Stat Definitions
“Since 2015” means the 11 regular seasons beginning in 2015 and ending with the completed 2025 season. Postseason statistics are excluded. Players did not need to appear in all 11 seasons, which is why younger defenders can make the table with fewer games than long-tenured veterans.
Solo tackles alone determine placement. Sacks, interceptions, forced fumbles and other defensive statistics add context but do not move a player above someone with more solo tackles. Players with identical totals remain in the exact display order supplied by the source dataset. That order should not be treated as a performance tiebreaker.
- Solo TKL: tackles credited to one primary defender.
- GP: regular-season games played during the 2015-2025 window.
- AST: assisted tackles.
- COMB: solo tackles plus assists.
- SCK / Sack Yds: sacks and yards lost on those sacks.
- INT / INT Yds / INT TD: interceptions, interception-return yards and interception-return touchdowns.
- FF: forced fumbles.
- FR / FR TD: fumble recoveries and fumble-recovery touchdowns.
What Solo Tackles Measure and What They Miss
Solo tackles reward defenders who consistently finish plays without sharing credit. That usually favors every-down linebackers and safeties who work close to the line of scrimmage. Durability matters heavily because a player cannot build an 11-season total without staying on the field.
The statistic is still role-dependent. A linebacker playing behind a front that keeps blockers away from him will see more clean tackle opportunities than a cornerback whose best work prevents a target from being thrown. A safety can pile up tackles because he is an excellent run defender, because the defense asks him to play near the box or because too many plays are reaching the second level.
Tackle accounting can also vary between stat crews. That does not make the leaderboard useless, but it means small gaps should not be presented as perfect measures of defensive quality. The strongest use of this table is to identify sustained tackling volume, then use sacks, interceptions and takeaways to understand how each player created value beyond the tackle count.
The Top 10 Solo Tackle Leaders Since 2015
1. Bobby Wagner: 924 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 924 solo tackles, 712 assists, 1,636 combined tackles, 30.5 sacks and 10 interceptions in 178 games.
Wagner leads David by 72 solo tackles and every player in the dataset by at least 350 combined tackles. His total reflects far more than one monster season. He stayed available across the entire window and consistently handled the high-volume responsibilities of an every-down middle linebacker.
2. Lavonte David: 852 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 852 solo tackles, 434 assists, 1,286 combined tackles, 32.5 sacks, 8 interceptions and 27 forced fumbles in 169 games.
David paired the second-largest solo-tackle total with elite turnover production. His 27 forced fumbles trail only Mack within the top 50, and his 32.5 sacks show how often he created negative plays rather than simply cleaning up runs downfield.
3. Demario Davis: 778 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 778 solo tackles, 500 assists, 1,278 combined tackles and 40.5 sacks in 179 games.
Davis played the most games of anyone in the top 10 and finished only eight combined tackles behind David. His 40.5 sacks are easily the largest total among the top five, capturing the downhill pressure value that made him more disruptive than a standard tackle compiler.
4. Eric Kendricks: 732 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 732 solo tackles, 448 assists, 1,180 combined tackles, 21.5 sacks and 11 interceptions in 150 games.
Kendricks reached the top four while also producing double-digit interceptions. That balance matters because it shows a linebacker making plays in coverage as well as finishing runs. His 1,180 combined tackles are fourth in the dataset.
5. Roquan Smith: 692 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 692 solo tackles, 443 assists, 1,135 combined tackles, 21.5 sacks and 10 interceptions in 125 games.
Smith entered the NFL three seasons into the window yet still reached the top five. His 5.5 solo tackles per game are the best rate among the top 10, giving him the strongest blend of cumulative production and shortened-window pace in the leading group.
6. Budda Baker: 678 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 678 solo tackles, 343 assists, 1,021 combined tackles, 10 sacks and 8 interceptions in 138 games.
Baker is the highest-ranked defensive back and one of only seven players in the table to clear 1,000 combined tackles. His placement reflects an aggressive safety role that repeatedly puts him near the football, but the durability and finishing still separate him from every other defensive back.
7. Harrison Smith: 667 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 667 solo tackles, 259 assists, 926 combined tackles, 17.5 sacks, 29 interceptions and 11 forced fumbles in 167 games.
Smith has the most complete secondary stat line among the top 10. He ranks second among the group in interceptions, adds the most sacks of any top-10 defensive back and forced 11 fumbles. That range shows how much more he contributed than the tackle column alone reveals.
8. Kevin Byard III: 655 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 655 solo tackles, 317 assists, 972 combined tackles and a top-50-leading 36 interceptions in 164 games.
Byard combined high tackle volume with the best ball production in the full dataset. His 36 interceptions and 424 return yards lead every player in the top 50, making him the clearest example of a safety who accumulated tackles without sacrificing takeaway value.
9. Foyesade Oluokun: 640 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 640 solo tackles, 430 assists, 1,070 combined tackles, 11.5 sacks, 8 interceptions and 12 forced fumbles in 128 games.
Oluokun entered the league in 2018 and still became one of seven players to surpass 1,000 combined tackles. His five solo tackles per game and 12 forced fumbles give the résumé a strong rate-and-impact combination rather than longevity alone.
10. Jordan Poyer: 614 Solo Tackles
2015-2025 Stats: 614 solo tackles, 319 assists, 933 combined tackles, 12.5 sacks and 25 interceptions in 153 games.
Poyer closes the displayed top 10 with the same solo-tackle total as Jordan Hicks. His 25 interceptions distinguish his stat line and reinforce the two-way value of a safety who contributed as a tackler, coverage defender and occasional pressure player.
What the Complete Top 50 Reveals
- Linebackers control the top: Wagner, David, Davis, Kendricks and Smith occupy the first five positions. Six of the displayed top 10 are linebackers.
- Seven players cleared 1,000 combined tackles: Wagner, David, Davis, Kendricks, Smith, Baker and Oluokun.
- Byard owns the interception lead: his 36 interceptions top Mathieu’s 33 and Justin Simmons’ 32.
- Mack is the pressure outlier: 109 sacks and 35 forced fumbles tower over the rest of a leaderboard built primarily around linebackers and defensive backs.
- Deion Jones made his interceptions count: his five interception-return touchdowns lead the top 50.
- Several totals are tied: Poyer and Hicks have 614; Kenny Moore II, Kareem Jackson and Shaq Thompson have 498; Alex Singleton and Blake Martinez have 436; Jerome Baker and Mack have 422; Patrick Queen, T.J. Edwards and Joe Schobert have 418.
The table also illustrates why solo tackles should not be mistaken for an overall defender ranking. Corners such as Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay appear well below high-volume linebackers, but their primary job is preventing completions and eliminating passing windows. Mack ranks 46th in solo tackles while leading the entire group in sacks and forced fumbles. Different positions create value in different ways.
Complete Top 50 NFL Solo Tackle Leaders Since 2015
The complete table uses the exact supplied 1-to-50 display order. Solo tackles determine placement. Tied totals remain in source order and do not indicate that one tied player recorded more solo tackles than another.
| Rank | Player | Solo TKL | GP | AST | COMB | SCK | Sack Yds | INT | INT Yds | INT TD | FF | FR | FR TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Wagner | 924 | 178 | 712 | 1,636 | 30.5 | 186.5 | 10 | 143 | 1 | 7 | 11 | 3 |
| 2 | Lavonte David | 852 | 169 | 434 | 1,286 | 32.5 | 240.5 | 8 | 65 | 2 | 27 | 19 | 1 |
| 3 | Demario Davis | 778 | 179 | 500 | 1,278 | 40.5 | 281.5 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 |
| 4 | Eric Kendricks | 732 | 150 | 448 | 1,180 | 21.5 | 140.5 | 11 | 148 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 1 |
| 5 | Roquan Smith | 692 | 125 | 443 | 1,135 | 21.5 | 152.5 | 10 | 162 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 | Budda Baker | 678 | 138 | 343 | 1,021 | 10.0 | 75.5 | 8 | 245 | 0 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| 7 | Harrison Smith | 667 | 167 | 259 | 926 | 17.5 | 164 | 29 | 269 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 0 |
| 8 | Kevin Byard III | 655 | 164 | 317 | 972 | 6.0 | 54 | 36 | 424 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1 |
| 9 | Foyesade Oluokun | 640 | 128 | 430 | 1,070 | 11.5 | 70 | 8 | 169 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 0 |
| 10 | Jordan Poyer | 614 | 153 | 319 | 933 | 12.5 | 86 | 25 | 185 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 0 |
| 11 | Jordan Hicks | 614 | 134 | 338 | 952 | 16.5 | 106.5 | 13 | 206 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1 |
| 12 | C.J. Mosley | 599 | 117 | 351 | 950 | 9.0 | 67 | 10 | 151 | 2 | 9 | 8 | 1 |
| 13 | Fred Warner | 597 | 121 | 351 | 948 | 10.0 | 78 | 10 | 202 | 2 | 17 | 7 | 0 |
| 14 | Tyrann Mathieu | 585 | 154 | 147 | 732 | 10.0 | 68 | 33 | 514 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| 15 | De’Vondre Campbell Sr. | 551 | 128 | 307 | 858 | 9.5 | 69.5 | 7 | 94 | 1 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| 16 | Tremaine Edmunds | 549 | 119 | 351 | 900 | 8.5 | 51.5 | 14 | 98 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| 17 | Jessie Bates III | 535 | 130 | 276 | 811 | 1.0 | 1 | 27 | 384 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
| 18 | Adrian Amos | 533 | 143 | 124 | 657 | 6.0 | 27 | 10 | 202 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 19 | Denzel Perryman | 520 | 129 | 244 | 764 | 7.5 | 58.5 | 5 | 65 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 20 | Bobby Okereke | 510 | 110 | 295 | 805 | 7.5 | 48 | 7 | 143 | 0 | 11 | 8 | 0 |
| 21 | Kenny Moore II | 498 | 132 | 151 | 649 | 11.5 | 68 | 21 | 411 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| 22 | Kareem Jackson | 498 | 131 | 181 | 679 | 3.0 | 17 | 12 | 198 | 2 | 5 | 6 | 1 |
| 23 | Shaq Thompson | 498 | 135 | 298 | 796 | 13.0 | 79 | 3 | 51 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
| 24 | Jordyn Brooks | 494 | 97 | 345 | 839 | 13.0 | 80 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 25 | Vonn Bell | 493 | 139 | 253 | 746 | 9.5 | 72 | 8 | 133 | 0 | 16 | 12 | 1 |
| 26 | Deion Jones | 492 | 128 | 269 | 761 | 12.0 | 83.5 | 13 | 384 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 27 | Landon Collins | 489 | 100 | 202 | 691 | 11.0 | 78 | 12 | 149 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
| 28 | Logan Ryan | 487 | 122 | 191 | 678 | 11.5 | 86.5 | 12 | 116 | 0 | 12 | 4 | 0 |
| 29 | Jalen Ramsey | 485 | 152 | 137 | 622 | 6.0 | 52 | 25 | 269 | 1 | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| 30 | Quandre Diggs | 480 | 155 | 172 | 652 | 1.0 | 0 | 24 | 384 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| 31 | Justin Simmons | 479 | 134 | 187 | 666 | 4.5 | 43 | 32 | 442 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| 32 | Devin White | 474 | 100 | 285 | 759 | 25.5 | 193.5 | 4 | 41 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 2 |
| 33 | Darius Slay | 469 | 158 | 91 | 560 | 1.0 | 7 | 26 | 427 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
| 34 | Malcolm Jenkins | 464 | 112 | 141 | 605 | 9.0 | 76 | 12 | 314 | 4 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| 35 | Justin Reid | 461 | 121 | 191 | 652 | 6.5 | 45.5 | 11 | 296 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| 36 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | 459 | 120 | 231 | 690 | 1.0 | 9 | 21 | 415 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 1 |
| 37 | Zach Cunningham | 453 | 106 | 263 | 716 | 6.5 | 34.5 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
| 38 | Kwon Alexander | 449 | 109 | 194 | 643 | 13.5 | 59.5 | 9 | 123 | 1 | 13 | 6 | 0 |
| 39 | Devin McCourty | 444 | 128 | 139 | 583 | 2.0 | 24 | 18 | 310 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 40 | Christian Kirksey | 440 | 98 | 257 | 697 | 14.5 | 79.5 | 7 | 54 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 41 | Alex Singleton | 436 | 95 | 332 | 768 | 5.0 | 30 | 3 | 80 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 |
| 42 | Blake Martinez | 436 | 85 | 262 | 698 | 13.0 | 85 | 4 | 31 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 |
| 43 | Derwin James Jr. | 433 | 98 | 251 | 684 | 19.0 | 122 | 12 | 86 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 44 | Xavier Woods | 431 | 134 | 229 | 660 | 2.0 | 3 | 15 | 234 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| 45 | Jerome Baker | 422 | 121 | 257 | 679 | 26.0 | 195.5 | 5 | 82 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 46 | Khalil Mack | 422 | 163 | 164 | 586 | 109.0 | 778 | 3 | 66 | 2 | 35 | 13 | 0 |
| 47 | Germaine Pratt | 420 | 112 | 318 | 738 | 3.5 | 19.5 | 8 | 42 | 0 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
| 48 | Patrick Queen | 418 | 101 | 285 | 703 | 15.5 | 107.5 | 4 | 32 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| 49 | T.J. Edwards | 418 | 105 | 322 | 740 | 12.0 | 48 | 7 | 52 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 0 |
| 50 | Joe Schobert | 418 | 99 | 259 | 677 | 11.0 | 72 | 10 | 100 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 0 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Who has the most solo tackles in the NFL since 2015?
Bobby Wagner leads all NFL defenders with 924 solo tackles from the 2015 through 2025 regular seasons. He also leads the dataset with 1,636 combined tackles.
Who ranks second in solo tackles since 2015?
Lavonte David ranks second with 852 solo tackles. His stat line also includes 32.5 sacks, 8 interceptions and 27 forced fumbles during the window.
Which defensive back has the most solo tackles since 2015?
Budda Baker leads all defensive backs in the dataset with 678 solo tackles. He ranks sixth overall and is one of seven players to surpass 1,000 combined tackles.
Who has the most interceptions among the top 50 solo-tackle leaders?
Kevin Byard III leads with 36 interceptions. Tyrann Mathieu is second with 33, while Justin Simmons is third with 32.
Are playoff tackles included?
No. The leaderboard uses regular-season statistics from 2015 through the completed 2025 season. Postseason statistics are excluded.
How are ties handled?
Players with identical solo-tackle totals remain in the exact order shown in the supplied source data. The displayed order is not a statistical tiebreaker, so tied players should be treated as having the same tackle total.
Conclusion
Bobby Wagner is the clear solo-tackle leader of the 2015-2025 NFL window. His 924 solo tackles put him 72 ahead of Lavonte David, and his 1,636 combined tackles create an even larger gap over the field.
David and Demario Davis complete the top three, while Kendricks and Smith give linebackers a clean sweep of the first five positions. Baker, Harrison Smith, Byard and Poyer show how heavily involved elite safeties can be around the ball. The full table also adds important context: Mack dominates the pressure categories, Byard leads in interceptions and David stands out as a turnover creator.
The leaderboard answers a narrow question on purpose. It identifies the defenders who personally finished the most regular-season tackles since 2015. It does not claim that raw tackle volume alone determines the best defender of the era.
More NFL Rankings
- Best NFL Linebackers of All Time
- Best Safeties of All Time
- Best Cornerbacks of All Time
- Best Defensive Players in NFL History
- SOG Sports NFL Rankings Hub
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