2026 Positional Spending Rankings: Team Defense

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To help pass the time from now until the start of training camp, we’ll be looking at where every team ranks in positional spending. We’ve hit each of the individual offensive positions; now it’s time to put it all together for a team-by-team look at which organizations are allocating the most to the defensive side of the ball in 2026. One note: rather than count dead money toward the positional groups, we will have it ranked separately in a post of its own. For example, Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa ‘s $55.4 million dead cap hit won’t count toward Miami’s quarterback spending, but it will be included in their league-leading $179 million dead cap figure. Here’s how each team’s offensive spending shakes out from most expensive to least expensive: Salary information via Over The Cap 1 – Pittsburgh Steelers: $195,380,982 Percentage of total cap: 64.87 percent 2025 rank: 1st Interior defensive line: 9.89 percent (16th) Edge rusher: 22.24 percent (1st) Linebacker: 11.97 percent (2nd) Cornerback: 15.28 percent (3rd) Safety: 5.49 percent (22nd) Top cap hit: T.J. Watt , $42,000,000 (13.94 percent) 2 – Baltimore Ravens: $187,411,395 Percentage of total cap: 62.22 percent 2025 rank: 11th Interior defensive line: 16.19 percent (6th) Edge rusher: 10.92 percent (14th) Linebacker: 13.5 percent (1st) Cornerback: 14.49 percent (5th) Safety: 7.12 percent (12th) Top cap hit: Roquan Smith , $32,718,750 (10.86 percent) 3 – Chicago Bears: $177,856,697 Percentage of total cap: 59.05 percent 2025 rank: 4th Interior defensive line: 9.87 percent (17th) Edge rusher: 17.65 percent (5th) Linebacker: 9.38 percent (5th) Cornerback: 17.52 percent (1st) Safety: 4.63 percent (25th) Top cap hit: Montez Sweat , $25,085,294 (8.33 percent) 4 – New York Giants: $174,736,940 Percentage of total cap: 58.01 percent 2025 rank: 2nd Interior defensive line: 7.3 (24th) Edge rusher: 21.63 percent (2nd) Linebacker: 4.36 percent (27th) Cornerback: 15.4 percent (2nd) Safety: 9.33 percent (5th) Top cap hit: Paulson Adebo , $24,199,390 (8.03 percent) 5 – New England Patriots: $168,991,830 Percentage of total cap: 56.11 percent 2025 rank: 5th Interior defensive line: 20.07 percent (1st) Edge rusher: 7.7 percent (24th) Linebacker: 8.73 percent (7th) Cornerback: 13.82 percent (7th) Safety: 5.72 percent (18th) Top cap hit: Milton Williams : $28,500,000 (9.46 percent) 6 – Washington Commanders: $165,818,330 Percentage of total cap: 55.05 percent 2025 rank: 7th Interior defensive line: 18.21 percent (3rd) Edge rusher: 18.29 percent (4th) Linebacker: 5.49 percent (20th) Cornerback: 4.96 percent (30th) Safety: 8.1 percent (11th) Top cap hit: Daron Payne , $27,950,000 (9.28 percent) 7 – Seattle Seahawks: $159,633,961 Percentage of total cap: 53 percent 2025 rank: 26th Interior defensive line: 16.22 percent (5th) Edge rusher: 15.09 percent (6th) Linebacker: 6.83 percent (13th) Cornerback: 8.11 percent (20th) Safety: 6.76 percent (14th) Top cap hit: Leonard Williams , $29,636,250 (9.84 percent) 8 – Kansas City Chiefs: $151,027,128 Percentage of total cap: 50.14 percent 2025 rank: 22nd Interior defensive line: 19.07 percent (2nd) Edge rusher: 5.87 percent (29th) Linebacker: 10.21 percent (3rd) Cornerback: 11.18 percent (11th) Safety: 3.79 percent (29th) Top cap hit: Chris Jones , $44,850,000 (14.89 percent) 9 – Las Vegas Raiders: $147,482,460 Percentage of total cap: 48.96 percent 2025 rank: 9th Interior defensive line: 6.22 percent (28th) Edge rusher: 20.06 percent (3rd) Linebacker: 7.91 percent (9th…