Defensive tackle is one of the weakest position groups on the Las Vegas Raiders’ roster heading into the 2026 season, begging the question of whether the Raiders have a Top 5 interior defender in the AFC West. What gives Las Vegas hope is that the Denver Broncos’, Kansas City Chiefs’ and Los Angeles Chargers’ rosters aren’t exactly flush with talent at the position, either.
All stats referenced below are from the regular season unless otherwise noted.
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1. Chris Jones, Chiefs
2025 Stats: 29 tackles, 12 TFLs, 7.0 sacks (17 games)
Jones has been the top defensive tackle in the division for several years now and remains at the mountain peak in 2026. He’s still a productive pass rusher, ranking third at the position in the entire league with 63 pressures last season, per Pro Football Focus. However, the 32-year-old has been regressing, showing little interest in defending the run and failing to record double-digit sacks over the last two years. So, Jones is losing his grip on the top spot, opening the door for someone else to replace him with a big campaign this fall.
2. Zach Allen, Broncos
2025 Stats: 38 tackles, 4 TFLs, 7.0 sacks (17 games)
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It’s been nice to see Allen get some post-season recognition, earning second- and first-team All-Pro bids over the last two seasons, respectively. He’s one of the best interior pass-rushers in the game and led all NFL defensive tackles with 73 pressures last year, per PFF, which was two fewer than he had the year before. What keeps the seven-year pro from overtaking Jones is that he also has issues against the run and doesn’t have the long track record as a pass-rusher that Jones has. But that could change with one more strong performance from Allen.
3. Teair Tart, Chargers
Teair Tart
2025 Stats: 32 tackles, 4 TFLs, 0 sacks (17 games)
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There’s a significant drop-off in talent after Jones and Allen, but Tart has done a solid job of establishing himself as a starter in Los Angeles over the last couple of seasons. He’s stood out the most as a run defender, ranking ninth among interior defenders league-wide with a 73.3 PFF run defense grade in 2025. The six-year pro also posted 20 defensive stops at a 9.0 percent rate, which were tied for 25th and 21st among NFL DTs, and tied for second and third in the AFC West. As the lack of sacks suggests, Tart isn’t much of a pass-rusher, but he did have a few wins with finesse moves last year and has potential to grow as a power rusher if he keeps his pads down more consistently.
4. D.J. Jones, Broncos
2025 Stats: 39 tackles, 4 TFLs, 3.0 sacks (16 games)
On a similar note, Jones is the only defensive tackle in the division to outpace Tart as a run defender last season. The former posted a 74.5 run defense grade with 23 stops at an 11.1 percent clip, finishing seventh, tied for 18th and sixth among NFL interior defenders. However, despite notching a few sacks, his pass-rush production primarily comes via clean-ups or Denver’s scheme (i.e., stunts and line games), rather than the nine-year pro winning one-on-one matchups consistently. In other words, Jones benefits from playing on a defensive line that’s filled with quality pass-rushers and has been one of the NFL’s best over the last couple of seasons.
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5. Malcolm Roach, Broncos
2025 Stats: 41 tackles, 3 TFLs, 4 sacks (12 games)
While Roach has primarily been a rotational player throughout his career with just eight starts in six seasons, he has a great opportunity to crack the Broncos’ starting lineup this season with John Franklin-Myers leaving in free agency. All the veteran has to do is hold off rookie third-round pick Tyler Onyedim and 2025 third-rounder Sai’vion Jones. Roach also has decent production, considering his limited playing time thus far, in both phases of the game to help transition into a bigger role moving forward. He notched 16 pressures and 22 defensive stops in just 12 games with two starts last season.
The elephant in the room here is that the Raiders aren’t represented above. That’s the result of Adam Butler having a down year and being more of a role player for the majority of his career, and the rest of the position group being young, unproven players. Thomas Booker IV and Jonah Laulu had the best chance to make it from Las Vegas, but those two just aren’t consistent enough to supplant anyone above.
So, there are plenty of interior defenders who have something to prove in Las Vegas this fall.
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