2024 best NFL linebackers: Fred Warner, Roquan Smith lead top 10 rankings

Training camps have reached the dog days, preseason is underway and Week 1 is arriving soon, so it's time to roll out our annual NFL positional rankings.

We're starting with off-ball linebackers. Members of the FOX Sports NFL staff listed their 10 best in order heading into the 2024 season. A first-place vote merited 10 points in our methodology and descended from there, down to a single point for 10th place. We then combined the scores to determine our rankings. 

The elite players at the center of NFL defenses are so well established that nine linebackers on this year's list were also in last year's rankings, including the top three in the exact same order.

San Francisco's Fred Warner and Baltimore's Roquan Smith are so clearly the best at their position, that they took the top two spots on all of our writers' ballots, with Warner atop five of those and Smith ranked first on the other two.

This isn't an easy position for young players to break into the top 10 — not one of our linebackers is still on his rookie contract, and Patrick Queen, who turns 25 this week, is the youngest of the group. Five of our top eight are 30 or older. 

We'll continue to roll out the best players at other positions between now and the start of the season. For now, here are the NFL's best off-ball linebackers.

2024 Top NFL Linebackers

1. Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers

Eric D. Williams: A three-time All-Pro in six NFL seasons, Warner has been a vocal leader and tone-setter in the middle of one of the best defenses in the league. San Francisco has finished in the top 10 in points allowed over the past three seasons, and Warner’s 765 tackles since he entered the league in 2018 ranks fourth overall. He had one of his best seasons statistically last year, finishing with 132 combined tackles — including six tackles for loss — four interceptions and four forced fumbles.

But what makes Warner special is the different ways he can impact the game, making plays from sideline to sideline as a run defender, dropping back into coverage to disrupt passes and affecting the quarterback as a blitzer.

"I think the biggest thing for me is to just be consistent with how I approach my work every single day," Warner said. "I’ve always tried to be a leader by example, first and foremost. All the other rah-rah stuff, that’s great for when it’s needed. But I’ve got to be the guy that the team relies on me to be every single day."

2023 rank: 1st

2. Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens

Carmen Vitali: In no other world would a team be OK with losing a guy like Patrick Queen, but the Ravens let it happen because they have Smith. That’s how much of an impact he can have on an entire team — just ask the Chicago Bears, whose fans still miss Smith despite having one of the better linebacker units in the league. 

Smith finished 2023 with the sixth-most tackles among qualified players while also recording 12 quarterback pressures and 75 run stops. He can do everything well and has taken on a leadership role with the Ravens, which isn’t quantifiable but is no less important.

2023 rank: 2nd

3. Demario Davis, New Orleans Saints

Greg Auman: Davis turned 35 in January, so there's an ageless aspect to his continued strong play that is as impressive as anything else we can say. How many players can boast zero Pro Bowls in their 20s, and now three in their 30s, as Davis has done? He matched a career high with 6.5 sacks in 2023, and finished one off his career high with 12 tackles for loss. New Orleans finished a tiebreaker short of a division title, but went 9-8 with Davis leading the way on a defense that finished in the top 10 in points allowed.

We keep using phrases like "inevitable decline" and "not an old man's position," but Davis continues to show his durability and perform at a high level at an age where few linebackers are still doing anything. He and Cam Jordan are both 35, so this feels a bit like a potential swan song for them as the cornerstones of this Saints defense, but Davis has been defying the odds for years.

2023 rank: 3rd

4. Lavonte David, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Auman: David is only a year behind Davis, having turned 34 in January, and he too continues to play without any appreciable dropoff as a do-it-all linebacker for a three-time defending division champ. To say David is perpetually underappreciated is almost cliché now, but you'd be hard-pressed to find a player at any position with his body of work and just a single Pro Bowl nod to show for it.

The key to appreciating David's uniqueness is to accept that tackles for loss isn't a sexy stat, but it's a hugely important stat, and David is one of the NFL's best all-time among non-edge rushers. He had 17 tackles for loss last year, his most in a decade, including 4.5 sacks, his most since 2016, while leading the Bucs with 134 total tackles. There is a leadership and reliability to David that has transcended five head coaches in his time in Tampa, and he remains the heart of their defense as they seek another trip to the playoffs.

2023 rank: 5th (+1)

5. C.J. Mosley, New York Jets

Henry McKenna: In his past three seasons at the center of the Jets defense, Mosley has at least 150 tackles per season. New York has plenty of flashier players, like cornerback Sauce Gardner and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams. That’s, in part, because Mosley doesn’t rush the passer or generate sacks at a high clip. 

He’s a big part of the Jets’ run defense, though that’s hardly what they limit him to. Mosley is the brains of the operation, with the ability to run audibles within the New York defense. With help from Quincy Williams, the Jets allowed just 4.1 yards per carry last season. Mosley also had his best season in coverage, according to PFF, with 53 catches allowed for 570 yards, a touchdown, an interception and five pass breakups. 

2023 rank: 7th (+2)

6. Patrick Queen, Pittsburgh Steelers

Williams: Entering his fifth NFL season, Queen has enjoyed a quick rise into one of the best inside linebackers in the league. He has at least 100 tackles in three of his first four NFL seasons. The former Raven earned second-team All-Pro honors as one of the leaders of the best defense in the league last season. Queen finished with a career-high 133 tackles, along with 3.5 sacks and six pass breakups. 

After joining Baltimore’s AFC North rival this offseason — signing a three-year, $41 million free-agent deal with the Steelers — Queen will bring his signature energy and athleticism to the middle of Pittsburgh's defensive unit. 

2023 rank: unranked

7. Matt Milano, Buffalo Bills

McKenna: The emergence of Terrell Bernard helped mask Milano’s absence in Buffalo last season. The star linebacker broke his leg in October and was out for the rest of the season. But he is among the NFL’s elite, even if he didn’t finish with a statistically impressive season. "I think we’ve seen Matt be Matt," Bernard said of how Milano looks in training camp. 

The same guy who absolutely stole a pass away from Josh Jacobs last season? That man is dangerous. It's a huge asset when a competent player retakes his position at the middle of the defense. But Milano’s return will do more than that. Josh Allen called Milano "a ballhawk." The linebacker seems to make a few game-changing plays every season.

2023 rank: 4th (-3)

8. Bobby Wagner, Washington Commanders

Ben Arthur: The fact that Wagner, now 34, is still making lists like this speaks to his remarkable longevity. Sure, he may not be the athlete he was in his prime, but his IQ and savvy have kept him among the most effective middle linebackers in football. He registered an NFL-high 183 tackles in his return to the Seahawks last season, after a year with the Los Angeles Rams. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has made the Pro Bowl in nine of the past 10 seasons.

2023 rank: 6th (-2)

9. Quincy Williams, New York Jets

Vitali: Williams is a fun one because while he’s sent on blitzes just 9.6% of the time, he managed to record a 19.6% quarterback pressure rate, according to Next Gen Stats. That means he’s getting pressure even without an extra player trying to get to the quarterback. He’s also doing it from the second level, which is exactly what you want from your inside backers.

That’s really not even what he’s tasked with doing all that often, though. Williams has been a great run stopper for the Jets, ranking fourth in stop percentage, according to NGS. He has the second-most run stops in the league, behind only Bobby Wagner. If that’s not enough to make this list, I don’t know what is.

2023 rank: 10th (+1)

T-10. Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts

Arthur: Franklin slides under the radar nationally, due in large part to the market he plays in. But few off-ball linebackers have been better over the past two years. He’s been the heart and soul of Indianapolis’ defense since Shaquille Leonard fell out of the picture. 

A 2018 seventh-round pick who had primarily a special teams role the first three years of his career, Franklin has broken the Colts’ single-season tackles record in back-to-back seasons. His 346 tackles since 2022 rank second to the Jaguars’ Foye Oluokun (357). At age 27 and entering just his third season as a full-time starter, Franklin could continue ascending.

2023 rank: 8th (-2)

T-10. Bobby Okereke, New York Giants

Ralph Vacchiano: The Giants felt the 6-foot-2, 235-pound linebacker was an undiscovered gem when they signed him away from Indianapolis last year with a four-year, $40 million deal. Now, their secret is out after he led New York's defense with 149 tackles and even chipped in a career-best 2.5 sacks.

But so much of what the Giants love about Okereke goes beyond the numbers. He is a super-smart player with a knack for getting in the right position and getting others there, too — incredibly important for a defense that was alarmingly young last year and has a really young secondary this year. Okereke's leadership is also off the charts, according to his coaches and teammates.

The skills, of course, are still big. He’s tough, especially for a middle linebacker who is a bit undersized. He’s got excellent speed, which allows him to quickly plug holes and chase down runners toward the sidelines. He had 11 tackles for loss and six quarterbacks hits last season and probably needs more to move up this list. But the impact he has on games tends to go far beyond the stats.

2023 rank: unranked

Honorable mention

Tremaine Edmunds, Chicago Bears
Nick Bolton, Kansas City Chiefs
T.J. Edwards, Chicago Bears

These rankings were compiled by:

Ben Arthur (@benyarthur)
Greg Auman (@gregauman)
David Helman (@davidhelman)
Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis)
Eric D. Williams (@eric_d_williams)
Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano)
Carmen Vitali (@CarmieV)