Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese each made 13 tackles on Thursday night, the most by any player in Washington’s 24–21 win over the Giants, and the two rookie linebackers from Ohio State moved into the top eight of the NFL tackle race. Reese, the No. 5 pick, went from 68 to 81 and is sixth. Styles, the No. 7 pick, went from 67 to 80 and is tied for seventh.
They are part of a rookie group that is now bunched together. Five first-year players are in the top 15, and only six tackles separate them: Tennessee’s Anthony Hill Jr. has 82, Reese 81, Styles 80, Miami’s Jacob Rodriguez 79 and Tampa Bay’s Josiah Trotter 76. Four of the top nine are rookies.
NFL tackle leaders through Thursday of Week 10
| Rank | Player | Team | Pos | G | Tackles | Per game | Week 10 (Cairo time) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Singleton | Denver | LB | 9 | 107 | 11.9 | Bye |
| 2 | Nakobe Dean | Las Vegas | LB | 9 | 99 | 11.0 | vs. Seattle, Sun 23:05 |
| 3 | Carson Schwesinger | Cleveland | LB | 9 | 89 | 9.9 | vs. Houston, Sun 20:00 |
| 4 | Ernest Jones IV | Seattle | LB | 9 | 88 | 9.8 | at Las Vegas, Sun 23:05 |
| 5 | Anthony Hill Jr. (R) | Tennessee | LB | 8 | 82 | 10.3 | vs. Jacksonville, Sun 20:00 |
| 6 | Arvell Reese (R) | NY Giants | LB | 9 | 81 | 9.0 | 13 vs. Washington (L 21–24) |
| T-7 | Nick Bolton | Kansas City | LB | 8 | 80 | 10.0 | at Atlanta, Sun 20:00 |
| T-7 | Sonny Styles (R) | Washington | LB | 9 | 80 | 8.9 | 13 at NY Giants (W 24–21) |
| 9 | Jacob Rodriguez (R) | Miami | LB | 8 | 79 | 9.9 | at Indianapolis, Sun 20:00 |
| T-10 | Fred Warner | San Francisco | LB | 8 | 77 | 9.6 | at Dallas, Sun 23:25 |
| T-10 | Jamien Sherwood | NY Jets | LB | 9 | 77 | 8.6 | vs. Buffalo, Sun 20:00 |
| T-12 | Blake Cashman | Minnesota | LB | 8 | 76 | 9.5 | at Green Bay, Sun 20:00 |
| T-12 | Dane Belton | NY Jets | S | 9 | 76 | 8.4 | vs. Buffalo, Sun 20:00 |
| T-12 | Evan Williams | Green Bay | S | 9 | 76 | 8.4 | vs. Minnesota, Sun 20:00 |
| T-12 | Josiah Trotter (R) | Tampa Bay | LB | 8 | 76 | 9.5 | Bye |
(R) marks a rookie. Denver’s Alex Singleton still leads with 107, eight ahead of Las Vegas’s Nakobe Dean at 99. Cleveland’s Carson Schwesinger, a second-year player, is third with 89.
Sonny Styles has 13 tackles in four of his last five games
Styles started slowly, with 20 tackles in his first four games. He has 60 in the five since, with 13 against the Giants in Week 5, 13 against San Francisco in Week 6, eight against Philadelphia in Week 8, 13 against the Rams in Week 9 and 13 more on Thursday. Washington had a bye in Week 7.
Reese had 12 tackles and three sacks in the Week 9 win at Philadelphia that earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week, then 13 on Thursday. His 25 over those two games are his best two-game total of the season, and his 4.5 sacks are the most among the five rookies on the list.
Styles stops a third-down play against the Giants. Video: NFL on X.
The rookie tackle race
| Player | Team | 2026 draft | G | Tackles | Per game | Best game | Sacks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anthony Hill Jr. | Tennessee | 2nd round, No. 60 | 8 | 82 | 10.3 | 16 | 0 |
| Arvell Reese | NY Giants | 1st round, No. 5 | 9 | 81 | 9.0 | 13 | 4.5 |
| Sonny Styles | Washington | 1st round, No. 7 | 9 | 80 | 8.9 | 13 | 1 |
| Jacob Rodriguez | Miami | 2nd round, No. 43 | 8 | 79 | 9.9 | 18 | 1 |
| Josiah Trotter | Tampa Bay | 2nd round, No. 46 | 8 | 76 | 9.5 | 13 | 1 |
Hill has the highest average of the group at 10.3 a game. He opened with 16 tackles against the Jets in Week 1 and had 14 against Cincinnati in Week 8, before Tennessee’s bye. Rodriguez has the biggest single game, 18 at Minnesota in Week 4, which is tied for the second-most by any player this season. Trotter has played eight of Tampa Bay’s nine games.
After those five, the next rookies on the tackle list are Atlanta linebacker Kendal Daniels with 61, Chicago safety Dillon Thieneman with 57 and Dallas safety Caleb Downs with 55.
What to watch in Week 10
Reese and Styles are done for the week, and both have long breaks. The Giants host Jacksonville on Sunday, November 22, and Washington hosts Cincinnati on Monday, November 23. Hill and the Titans host Jacksonville on Sunday at 20:00 Cairo time, and Rodriguez and the Dolphins play at Indianapolis at the same time. Tampa Bay is on a bye, so Trotter stays at 76.
Denver is also on a bye. Dean can pass Singleton with nine tackles when the Raiders host Seattle on Sunday at 23:05.
These totals match the league’s player statistics and a second, independent count. Thursday’s figures come from the Commanders-Giants box score.
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