2026 NFL Free Agent Rankings: Interior defensive linemen

NFL free agency is a year-round process, as teams scout opposing players to beat them during the season and perhaps sign them in the offseason.

As the 2025–26 NFL season comes to a close, free agency is coming into focus, and teams are beginning to evaluate potential targets to address roster deficiencies. Here are the top interior defensive linemen slated to hit free agency in 2026.

For now, each player’s profile includes three-year snap counts and three-year PFF grades, offering a broader, more stable view of performance than a single-season spike or dip.

Click here for PFF's full list of the top 250 free agents.

1. DJ Reader, Detroit Lions

Snaps: 1,684 | PFF grade: 76.3

Reader is now 31 years old and has not quite matched his peak form from his time in Cincinnati since arriving in Detroit, but he remains an above-average starter at the NFL level. His 68.4 PFF grade ranked 36th among interior defensive linemen this season, and he has never recorded a PFF pass-rush or run-defense grade below 60.0 in any season of his career.

2. Calais Campbell, Arizona Cardinals

Snaps: 1,852 | PFF grade: 84.4

Retirement seems to be afraid of Campbell, who has yet to show signs of slowing down through 18 NFL seasons. He has logged 30-plus quarterback pressures in all but two of those years, and his 72.2 PFF overall grade in 2025 made it 15 straight years of topping 70.0.

3. David Onyemata, Atlanta Falcons

Snaps: 1,794 | PFF grade: 81.8

Onyemata is entering his age-33 season, but his play remains firmly in the upper tier at the position after finishing eighth among 144 interior defenders in PFF overall grade (78.2). He generated 21 total pressures, including one sack and one quarterback hit, while his 74.2 run-defense grade again ranked inside the top 10 at the position. Across 10 NFL seasons, Onyemata has dipped below a 60.0 PFF grade just twice, making him one of the steadier veteran options at the position.

4. DaQuan Jones, Buffalo Bills

Snaps: 1,383 | PFF grade: 75.6

Jones delivered another productive season as a pass rusher with the Bills in 2025, earning a 72.0 PFF pass-rush grade alongside a 9.3% pass-rush win rate. He has also remained serviceable against the run, posting PFF run-defense grades of at least 63.5 in two of the past three seasons. At 34, Jones brings veteran presence beyond the locker room and continues to offer on-field impact.

5. John Franklin-Myers, Denver Broncos

Snaps: 1,764 | PFF grade: 73.7

Franklin-Myers has quietly been one of the anchors of Denver‘s defensive success over the past two seasons, generating 95 total pressures prior to the AFC Championship Game. Dating back to 2020, his 300 total pressures rank 21st among all NFL defenders. One of the league's more underrated defensive players, Franklin-Myers could turn that sustained production into a significant contract if he departs Denver.

6. Sebastian Joseph-Day, Tennessee Titans

Snaps: 1,589 | PFF grade: 67.3

Joseph-Day is a good rotational defensive lineman who earned PFF overall grades of 70.2 and 66.6 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, while playing just shy of 500 snaps each year for the Titans. He has racked up 118 pressures from 1,878 pass-rushing snaps throughout his career, and he would make for a solid third interior defender for most teams.