Will Anderson Jr. leads the NFL in tackles for loss after five weeks of the 2026 regular season. The Houston Texans defensive end has 11.5, three and a half more than anyone else, and he has done it while also sitting alone atop the sack board at 7.5.
Buffalo’s Greg Rousseau is second with 8.0 tackles for loss and has forced three fumbles — the only player among the top three on this board with more than one forced fumble. Green Bay’s Edgerrin Cooper is third with 7.0 in only four games.
Tackles for loss leaders after Week 5
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | TFL | Sacks | TFL minus sacks | Solo | Total | FF | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Will Anderson Jr. | HOU | DE | 11.5 | 7.5 | 4.0 | 16 | 27 | 1 | 5 |
| 2 | Greg Rousseau | BUF | LB | 8.0 | 6.0 | 2.0 | 14 | 20 | 3 | 5 |
| 3 | Edgerrin Cooper | GB | LB | 7.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 18 | 30 | 0 | 4 |
| 4 | T.J. Watt | PIT | LB | 6.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 5 |
| 5 | Elijah Ponder | NE | LB | 6.5 | 4.5 | 2.0 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Kyle Van Noy | MIN | LB | 6.5 | 1.5 | 5.0 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 7 | David Bailey | NYJ | LB | 6.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 17 | 25 | 1 | 5 |
| 8 | Mason Graham | CLE | DT | 6.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 8 | 15 | 0 | 4 |
| 9 | Dexter Lawrence II | CIN | DT | 6.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 9 | 14 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | Payton Wilson | PIT | LB | 6.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | 25 | 46 | 0 | 5 |
| 11 | Dallas Turner | MIN | LB | 5.5 | 5.5 | 0.0 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 5 |
| 12 | Blake Cashman | MIN | LB | 5.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 22 | 42 | 0 | 5 |
| 13 | DJ Wonnum | DET | LB | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| 14 | DeForest Buckner | IND | DT | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 8 | 24 | 0 | 5 |
| 15 | Andrew Van Ginkel | MIN | LB | 5.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 8 | 14 | 1 | 5 |
T.J. Watt and New England’s Elijah Ponder are tied for fourth at 6.5. A group of six players sits at 6.0, including Pittsburgh’s Payton Wilson, who has stacked 6.0 tackles for loss with only 1.0 sack — a different shape of disruptor than the edge rushers above him.
Anderson’s board is not just a sack list. Four of his 11.5 tackles for loss come on plays that were not sacks, so he is beating blockers into the backfield on early downs as well as finishing at the quarterback. Cooper has the same 4.0 non-sack tackles for loss in one fewer game.
Greg Rousseau game by game
| Week | Opponent | TFL | Sacks | Solo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | at Houston | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | Detroit | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | LA Chargers | 4 | 2 | 5 | 8 |
| 4 | New England | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 5 | at LA Rams | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Rousseau’s biggest day was Week 3 against the Chargers: 4.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. He also had 2.0 tackles for loss in each of the first two weeks. The last two games were quieter on the tackle-for-loss sheet, but his three forced fumbles still lead the league (tied with five other players).
Will Anderson Jr. sack production by week
| Week | Opponent | Sacks | Solo | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Buffalo | 0.5 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Cincinnati | 1 | 4 | 8 |
| 3 | at Indianapolis | 2.5 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Dallas | 0.5 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | at Tennessee | 3 | 3 | 4 |
Anderson’s sack total matches the official season number at 7.5. The heaviest finish came at Tennessee in Week 5 (3.0 sacks). He also had 2.5 at Indianapolis in Week 3. His 11.5 tackles for loss are the official season total; box scores track whole-number tackles for loss only, so week-by-week tackle-for-loss splits are not shown here.
Most tackles for loss that were not sacks (minimum 5.0 TFL)
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | TFL minus sacks | TFL | Sacks | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kyle Van Noy | MIN | LB | 5.0 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 5 |
| 2 | Payton Wilson | PIT | LB | 5.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 3 | Drue Tranquill | KC | LB | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 4 |
| 4 | Zack Baun | PHI | LB | 5.0 | 5.0 | 0.0 | 4 |
| 5 | Will Anderson Jr. | HOU | DE | 4.0 | 11.5 | 7.5 | 5 |
| 6 | Edgerrin Cooper | GB | LB | 4.0 | 7.0 | 3.0 | 4 |
| 7 | Trenton Simpson | BAL | LB | 4.0 | 5.0 | 1.0 | 5 |
| 8 | Dexter Lawrence II | CIN | DT | 3.0 | 6.0 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 9 | Blake Cashman | MIN | LB | 3.0 | 5.5 | 2.5 | 5 |
| 10 | Zach Sieler | MIA | DT | 3.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 5 |
Among players with at least 5.0 tackles for loss, four sit at 5.0 non-sack tackles for loss: Minnesota’s Kyle Van Noy, Pittsburgh’s Payton Wilson, Kansas City’s Drue Tranquill and Philadelphia’s Zack Baun — run-game wreckers more than pure sack hunters. Anderson and Cooper both have 4.0. Rousseau’s profile is the opposite end of that spectrum: 6.0 of his 8.0 tackles for loss are sacks.
Forced fumbles among the tackle-for-loss leaders
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | TFL | FF | Sacks | G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greg Rousseau | BUF | LB | 8.0 | 3 | 6.0 | 5 |
| 2 | Jalen Carter | PHI | DT | 5.0 | 3 | 3.0 | 5 |
| 3 | Dallas Turner | MIN | LB | 5.5 | 2 | 5.5 | 5 |
| 4 | Austin Booker | CHI | DE | 5.0 | 2 | 4.0 | 5 |
| 5 | Will Anderson Jr. | HOU | DE | 11.5 | 1 | 7.5 | 5 |
| 6 | T.J. Watt | PIT | LB | 6.5 | 1 | 4.5 | 5 |
| 7 | Elijah Ponder | NE | LB | 6.5 | 1 | 4.5 | 5 |
| 8 | David Bailey | NYJ | LB | 6.0 | 1 | 5.0 | 5 |
| 9 | Andrew Van Ginkel | MIN | LB | 5.0 | 1 | 4.0 | 5 |
| 10 | Jonathan Allen | CIN | DT | 5.0 | 1 | 3.0 | 5 |
Rousseau is the clear standout in this cross-check: 8.0 tackles for loss and 3 forced fumbles. Minnesota’s Dallas Turner has 5.5 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles. Anderson has one forced fumble and one recovery to go with the tackle-for-loss lead.
Anderson and the Texans visit Jacksonville on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. ET (4:30 p.m. Cairo) in London. Rousseau and Buffalo play at Las Vegas at 4:25 p.m. ET (11:25 p.m. Cairo). Cooper’s Packers host Dallas on Sunday night.
Tackles for loss are plays credited when a defender stops a ball carrier behind the line of scrimmage, including sacks. Totals cover every regular-season game through Monday night of Week 5 and do not include Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game.
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