The Los Angeles Rams revamped their defense this offseason, adding Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, and Jaylen Watson to a unit that already ranked top-five in PFN’s Defense Impact metric last season.
While the Rams have a strong argument for the title of the NFL’s best defense, PFN’s Ian Cummings decided to go in a different direction when he ranked his top-five defenses on the latest episode of “The Hot List.”
Texans Edge Out Rams As NFL’s Best Defense Entering 2026 Season
The Houston Texans are Cummings’ pick for the NFL’s top defense entering the 2026 campaign. Last season, the Rams had the No. 5-ranked defense while the Texans were No. 2 in PFN’s Defense Impact metric (trailing only the Denver Broncos). Both teams got better this offseason, but Cummings believes the Texans have the edge.
“You could argue that the only reason the Texans have made noise in the playoffs the last few years is because of their defense, in spite of their offense, and the unit only got better in the 2026 offseason,” Cummings said.
Last season, the Texans led the NFL in yards allowed at 277.2 per game, finished second in points allowed at 17.4, and forced 29 turnovers (which tied for third). Now, DeMeco Ryans returns the core of that group, plus some key additions.
“They added DT Kayden McDonald in the 2026 NFL draft, and they signed Reed Blankenship, a very dependable safety from the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency,” Cumming said.
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Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter combined for 27 sacks last year, and each ranked among the NFL’s top pressure generators. Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter form one of the league’s best cornerback tandems, and safety Calen Bullock keeps climbing.
Cummings summed it up: “The Texans don’t have any holes on the defensive side. The elite pieces are there, the blue-chip players are there, and they still just got better in 2026… The Texans have all of the makings of a top-tier, [No.] 1 defense.”
Why Aren’t the Rams No. 1 After the Myles Garrett Trade?
Los Angeles ranked 10th in scoring last season, allowing 20.4 points per game. Now, they add Garrett, whose 23 sacks broke the single-season record last year while playing for a Cleveland Browns team that rarely held a lead.
Cummings called Garrett “the best trump card you could hope to have on the defensive side.”
While everyone talks about his sacks, Cummings notes that he also draws double teams, sets a hard edge in the run game, and lets Los Angeles keep two safeties deep without softening the pass rush, on a defense that already ran dime at the league’s highest rate. The Rams also fixed their one real weakness, trading for McDuffie and signing Watson to firm up the back end.
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“This unit has improved tenfold in just one offseason… and this is a defense that was already really good in 2025,” Cummings notes. “They had seven players who finished in the top 20 in PFN Impact scoring.”
So, why aren’t the Rams ranked No. 1? Houston got the edge in Cummings’ rankings because of their continuity and system, but he notes that the Rams could dethrone them by the end of the season if all goes according to plan for Garrett and Co. (and if a certain somebody comes out of retirement).
“The best defense in the league is attainable for them,” Cummings acknowledged.
