The Best Defensive End Duos With Neither Enshrined in Canton

By John Turney 

A couple of weeks ago on X (formerly Twitter) I found myself in a discussion with some followers on top defensive end duos ... that is, duos that didn't have either player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We bounced some names around and got many of them -- the usual suspects, if you will. But after giving it more thought, I realized we missed a few.

So today I'm here to finish the discussion with a more complete list.  Now before we get started, a few ground rules:

-- Omitted are recent duos where one or both individuals have modern-era eligibility. So that makes players of this century ineligible. They can be addressed at a later date.

-- A minimum of four years as a starting pair is required to be considered.

-- Pairs where one edge rusher was an end and the other an outside linebacker in base defense ... but an end in pass-rush packages ... are not included. I limited it to hand-in-dirt guys on all downs.

I only looked at the years together and if they were All-Pro or named to Pro Bowls, their sack totals (noting that before 1982 sacks were not official) and team success -- both in winning, especially Super Bowls. I also considered if the tandems were part of defenses that could stop the run and pressure opposing quarterbacks.

With those caveats, here are my top 15:

Rank, name (left end listed first), team, seasons as a duo

15 (tie). William Fuller and Sean Jones—Houston Oilers, 1990-1993.

William Fuller (#95) and Sean Jones (#96)

Fuller and Jones combined for 113-1/2 sacks from 1988-93, but that counts two years they weren't starting together. After he arrived in Houston, Jones spent the first two years primarily as a third-down rusher. The Oilers played a 3-4 scheme, but in nickel defense they used four defensive linemen, with Jones coming off the bench.

But from 1990-93, Fuller and Jones were bookends ... and good ones at that. However, in an era with Reggie White, Bruce Smith, Chris Doleman, Richard Dent, Charles Haley and others, All-Pro and Pro Bowl slots were hard to secure. So these two gained little notice on that front.

Still, Fuller went to a Pro Bowl in 1991 and Jones in 1993.  Both signed elsewhere in 1994, breaking up the duo after just four years as starters and six together. Had they been paired longer, they'd be higher on my list,

15 (tie). Art Still and Mike Bell—Kansas City Chiefs, 1981-85, 1986.

Art Still and Mike Bell (#99)

These two never really got to reach their potential, but they were as talented as any on this list, though only in one year (1984). Injuries and off-the-field incidents (Bell served prison time on drug charges) got in the way the other seasons.

Both were second-overall draft picks (Still in 1978 and Bell in 1979) and teammates from 1979-87 but only started six of their seasons as a matched set. However, they still combined for 85-1/2 sacks in years where they predominantly started together and over 100 when they were teammates but not full-time starters as a pair. 

Had the stars aligned for them, they might be more near the top of this list. 

14. Eddie Edwards and Ross Browner—Cincinnati Bengals, 1980-86.

Eddie Edwards (#73) and Ross Browner (#79)

These two played in a 3-4 defense when they were ends. However, for their first two years as teammates Edwards played inside and Browner was an end. Interestingly, in that alignment the pass rusher (Edwards) was on the left side and Browner, more of a power guy but the better pass rusher, was on the right.

In the years they were paired, Browner averaged just under seven sacks a year and Edwards just over nine. Browner had one 10-sack season and Edwards had three.

"Fast Eddie" and Ross never won an invitation to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl, and the only time Edwards was noticed was in 1981 when UPI voters made him second-team All-AFC -- the year the Bengals advanced to Super Bowl XVI.

13. Bob Dee and Larry Eisenhauer—Boston Patriots, 1961-67.

Bob Dee (#89) and Larry Eisenhauer (#72)

Largely forgotten, this was probably the best duo of defensive ends in the early AFL.  But their production does not match some of the pairs that came later.

Dee was a four-time AFL All-Star and Eisenhauer three, but it was the latter who gained more All-AFL selections. He made first-team three times, while Dee's top honor was second-team.

12. Barney Chavous and Lyle Alzado—Denver Broncos, 1973-75, 1977-78.

Barney Chavous (#79) and Lyle Alzado (#77)

They played mostly in a 3-4 defense, but early in their careers -- when the Broncos still used a 4-3 scheme -- Alzado often played defensive tackle. Additionally, Alzado essentially missed the entire 1976 season. So those factors put them lower on my list. 

Both were extremely good vs. the run, and both were solid pass rushers, especially Alzado. Their peak was during the early "Orange Crush" years, including 1977 when the Broncos won the AFC championship and faced the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl XII. 

Alzado was first-team All-Pro in 1977, second-team in 1978 and a Pro Bowler both seasons. Chavous never went to a Pro Bowl nor was All-AFC, but he was one of the best players never to gain all-star notice.

11. Dave Pureifory and Bubba Baker—Detroit Lions, 1978-82. 

Dave Pureifory (#75) and Bubba Baker (#60)

Pureifory was a compact (6-1, 255) left end whom Jackie Slater said was one of the best players he faced. The "Tasmanian Devil" gave the Hall-of-Fame tackle fits because he could get so low that he took away his leverage.

And it wasn't only Slater. In his 63 starts in Detroit, Pureifory produced 36 sacks, with a high of 11-1/2 in 1981. 

As for Baker, there are few better pure pass rushers in NFL history. From his rookie year through his last as a Lion, Baker took down 74 quarterbacks including 23 in 1978 -- which would be a league record if the NFL officially tracked sacks then. 

Bubba was All-Pro that year and went to the first of three Pro Bowls. The work of Pureifory went unnoticed by All-Pro and Pro Bowl voters.

10. Jacob Green and Jeff Bryant—Seattle Seahawks, 1982-89. 

Jacob Green and Jeff Bryant (#72)

Like Browner and Edwards, these two were 3-4 ends, with roles a bit unorthodox: Green was the sack man and Bryant the run stuffer.

Green averaged 10 sacks a year and Bryant six.

Bryant's biggest honor came in 1984 when he was second-team All-AFC and produced more than 10 sacks (14-1/2) for the only time in his career. On the other hand, Green drew some form of "all" notice in 1983-87, including two Pro Bowls.

The Seahawks were a playoff team four times during their paired tenure.

9. Charles Mann and Dexter Manley—Washington Redskins, 1984-89.

Charles Mann (#71) and Dexter Manley (#72)

They were a matched set for six years in Washington, where they won a Super Bowl ring in 1987. In their six seasons as a pair, Manley averaged 12-1/2 sacks a year and Mann 9-1/2.

Manley was All-Pro once and a Pro Bowler once (1986). Mann went to three Pro Bowls in that span and was second-team All-Pro in 1987.

The dynamic Mann was an excellent all-around end, while Manley, who ran a 4.5 40 was the "sack man," with a high of 18-1/2 in his All-Pro season.

8. Ike Lassiter and Ben Davidson—Oakland Raiders, 1965-69. 

This pair dominated the AFL in the late 1960s. Davidson was cast off from a c

Ike Lasster  (#77) and Ben Davidson (#83)

ouple of NFL teams before arriving in Oakland, while Lassiter was acquired in 1965 to join him.

In six seasons together, Lassiter averaged (unofficially) 12.3 sacks a season and Davidson 8.3, and both were huge contributors to the single-season record of 67 sacks the Raiders had in 1967.

"Big Ben" was an All-AFL pick in 1967, a second-teamer in 1965 and went to three AFL All-Star Games. Lassiter's highest "all" was second-team All-AFL which he received three times 1966 (AP), 1968 (UPI) and 1969 (AP, UPI, NEA). 

Amazingly, when he had a personal-high of 17 sacks in 1967 he wasn't All-AFL or second-team All-AFL and wasn't even invited to an AFL All-Star game. In short, he was shut out in a year when he may have been the AFL's top defensive end.

7. Fred Cook and John Dutton—Baltimore Colts, 1974-78.

Fred Cook (#72) and John Dutton (#78)

Had these two spent more time together, they'd rank higher. But, after five years in Baltimore, Dutton felt he was underpaid and, following a holdout, was traded to Dallas.

Both were drafted in 1974 -- Dutton in the first round, Cook in the second -- and both started immediately. Their rookie years were ordinary, but from 1975-77 they were the elite edge rushers of the Colts' "Sack Pack," a defense that led the NFL in sacks those three years.

Cook was second-team All-AFC in 1976 and first-team All-AFC in 1977, but it was Dutton who gained the most recognition. He was All-Pro in 1976, second-team the year before and went to the Pro Bowl all three years of the Pack's reign of terror.

In 1975, Dutton and Cook put the NFL world on notice by combining for 33-1/2 sacks. Though opponents paid more attention to them the following season, they still totaled 24 sacks.

Dutton was a big, powerful end, while Cook was someone with so much quickness that coaches Ted Marchibroda and Maxie Baughan compared him to Deacon Jones. They should know. Marchibroda had been a Rams' assistant coach and Baughan a teammate in the late 1960s.

6. Gerry Philbin and Verlon Biggs—New York Jets, 1965-70.

Gerry Philbin (#81) and Verlon Biggs (#86)

Boy, were these guys good! Like Davidson and Lassiter, they were elite defensive ends in the latter half of the AFL's existence.

Philbin was on the all-time AFL team and a two-time All-AFL performer. Biggs was an All-AFL pick in 1966 and second-team a couple more times. However, Biggs went to three AFL All-Star games and Philbin just two.

The pair applied the pressure on Earl Morrall and Johnny Unitas in Super Bowl III, helping the Jets nail down the 16-7 upset that put the AFL on the map after years where the rival league was considered inferior to the NFL.

Their unofficial sack numbers were terrific, with Biggs averaging 9.8 sacks a season and Philbin 9.6 when they were a duo. Not only that but from 1968-70, their last three seasons together, they were part of a dominant run defense that allowed just 90.6 yards a game.

At 6-2, 245, Philbin was undersized but compensated for it with intensity, hustle and determination. Biggs was huge for his era, weighing around 275 pounds on a 6-4 frame -- a size difference that frustrated Philbin, who once remarked that, were he that big, "people would have to pay me to let them live." 

5. Vern Den Herder and Bill Stanfill—Miami Dolphins, 1972-76.

Vern Den Herder (#83) and Bill Stanfill (#84)

The"No Name Defense" actually had some pretty big names, and two of them were Bill Stanfill and Vern Den Herder. They started as a pair from 1972-76, though Stanfill missed time with injuries the final two years.

Stanfill was All-Pro in 1972 (AP) and 1973 (PFWA, NEA), second-team in 1974 (PFWA, NEA) and a Pro Bowler all three years. Den Herder was All-AFC in 1972 but caught the eye of Paul Zimmerman in his 11-sack 1975 season when "Dr. Z" put him on his personal All-Pro team.

In their five seasons together, they combined for six double-digit sack years (in 14-game seasons, no less), with Stanfill's 18-1/2 in 1973 the high.

4. Paul Wiggin and Bill Glass—Cleveland Browns, 1962-67.

Paul Wiggin (#74) and Bill Glass (#80)

This pair might surprise some, but they started together from 1962-67 and helped the Browns win an NFL title in 1964. In six seasons together, they combined for 118 sacks and five Pro Bowls.

Glass reached second-team All-Pro status three times in an era when defensive ends were competing for slots with Hall-of-Famers Gino Marchetti, Willie Davis and Deacon Jones. Yet, for most fans (especially younger ones), they were ... and still are ... under-the-radar players. They're all but forgotten when great duos are mentioned, but they put on pass-rush clinics every Sunday.

Wiggin went on to be an NFL coach and was famous for showing his players films of pass-rush moves and techniques. Teaching pass rushers was his passion. Conversely, when Jack Youngblood entered the NFL in 1971, teammates Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones handed him canisters to study. Youngblood recounts that those films included not just Deacon but other ends like Marchetti, Davis ... and Bill Glass.  Yes, Bill Glass.

He was a technician. Wiggin was the teacher of techniques. And they were good, worthy of this ranking.

3. Tommy Hart and Cedrick Hardman—San Francisco 49ers, 1971-77.

Tommy Hart (#53) and Cedrick Hardman (#77)

This was an excellent pair of non-Hall-of-Fame ends from 1971-77, though you could count part of 1970. After beginning his rookie year as a rotational player, Hardman became a starter later in the season. Then he and Hart were a dynamic duo from then on. 

Hampered early when then-coach Dick Nolan had them playing the Flex Defense on run downs, the two excelled when it came time to rush the passer. Their best year together was 1976 when defensive-line guru Floyd Peters arrived, installed a rush-first mentality and created the "Gold Rush" defense that led the NFL with 61 sacks (still the single-season team record). 

Hart and Hardman combined for 28-1/2 sacks that year. In 1972 they combined for 27 sacks. In their eight years together Hardman averaged 12 sacks a season; Hart nine. Hart was All-Pro in 1976 and Hardman was second-team All-Pro in 1971 (PFWA) and 1975 (NEA).

2. Ed "Too Tall" Jones and Harvey Martin—1975-78, 1980-83.

Ed Jones (#72) and Harvey Martin (#79)

They were together for a decade and paired as starters for eight. When Jones was the first overall draft pick in 1974, he became the Cowboys' right defensive end in passing situations and Martin the left. But in 1975 both were starters, with Jones moving to the left side and Martin to the right, and both flourished. 

At first, Martin was the star, voted second-team All-Pro in 1976 and everyone's All-Pro and NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1977. He was also co-MVP of Super Bowl XII, a 27-10 win over the Denver Broncos. But when the 1980s rolled around -- after he'd taken a year off to be a pro boxer -- it was "Too Tall" who was the All-Pro and gained the most attention. 

Martin was the better pass rusher, while Jones excelled vs. the run. Martin had 20 sacks in 1977 and in two other seasons 14-1/2 in each-- reflecting how elite he was as an edge rusher. Jones didn't produce double-digit sacks until after Martin retired. Even if he didn't, he was adept at batting down passes -- which can happen when you stand 6-9. 

1. L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White—Pittsburgh Steelers, 1971-78.

L.C. Greenwood (#68) and Dwight White (#78)

These were the bookends on the "Steel Curtain" defensive line for three of the four Super Bowl champions. The only reason they didn't make it four straight was that White was injured for part of the 1979 season and lost his starting job.

They each played in 18 playoff games and were an integral part of the Steelers' success in the 1970s. Though they didn't produce a lot of sacks, they were excellent pass rushers. It's just that the Steelers had tackles named "Mean" Joe Green and Ernie "Fats" Holmes who could take down passers, too.

Greenwood and Holmes were fine two-way ends, playing the run and pass, and were part of a defense that crushed opposing NFL running games. White made first- or second-team All-AFC from 1972-75 and went to the Pro Bowl in 1972 and 1973 ... making the all-star event one year before Greenwood's first visit.

However, Greenwood was a six-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro. He also could make a case as Defensive MVP in Super Bowls IX and X had there been such an award. He was that dominant in those games.

Greenwood has also been a six-time finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Of the 32 players listed, he probably has the best chance of getting a bust in Canton.

                           ************************************************

That's it, the top 15 ... well, 16. The final two tied. I just could not leave either off the list.

So who's missing?

Here are my honorable mentions, though it's not a complete list: Packers' Clarence Williams and Alden Roche; Ben Willams and Sherman White of the Bills; Tony Cline and Horace Jones from the early 1970s' Raiders; and another pair of Packers who followed Williams and Roche -- Mike Butler and Ezra Johnson.

All were good but lacked in something -- usually longevity -- that put them a notch below the top defensive-end duos.