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Linebackers account for the majority of tackles in NFL history. The top 12, as well as 17 of the top 20, in all-time tackles, all primarily played as linebackers, and most of them spent the majority of their NFL snaps in the middle linebacker position. Here are five players who have recorded more combined tackles, which accounts for being solo and assisted, than any other player of all time.
NFL career tackles leaders
#5 - Zach Thomas - 1,734 tackles
Zach Thomas played 12 seasons for the Miami Dolphins as their starting middle linebacker in a 4-3 defense before ending his career with the Dallas Cowboys for one season as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 defensive scheme. He eclipsed 125 tackles in ten different seasons throughout his career while also surpassing 150 tackles six times.
Among Zach Thomas' many accomplishments are being selected to seven Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pros. He is yet to be selected into the Hall of Fame, though many around the NFL believe he clearly deserves to be there. He was one of the most productive linebackers of all time and was one of the best defensive players of his generation.
#4 - Jessie Tuggle - 1,805 tackles
Jessie Tuggle spent all 14 seasons of his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons. He played the majority of his defensive snaps as a 4-3 middle linebacker but also logged time as an inside linebacker in a 3-4 system. His career peak was as consistent and solid as any other middle linebacker of all time.
In a nine-year stretch from the 1988 season to the 1996 season, Tuggle exceeded 100 tackles every season while eclipsing 150 six times and recording more than 200 tackles twice.
NFL all-time leaders in career tackles
#3 - Junior Seau - 1,847 tackles
Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau is one of the most dominant to ever play the game. He spent the prime 13 years of his 20-year career with the San Diego Chargers before joining both the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots later down the road.
Junior Seau finished in the top three for the Rookie of the Year award and then immediately followed that up with 12 consecutive Pro Bowl selections. He was also chosen as a first-team All-Pro linebacker six times while also finishing in the top ten for the Defensive Player of the Year award four times.
#2 - London Fletcher - 2,039 tackles
London Fletcher is one of the most consistently solid and reliable players in NFL history. He has never missed a single game in his entire 16 year career, consisting of playing 256 games while starting 240 of them, all as a middle or inside linebacker.
Fletcher put together an incredible stretch of 14 consecutive seasons, recording at least 100 tackles. During that run, he exceeded 125 tackles 12 different times while also surpassing 150 tackles twice. He is one of only two players in NFL history with more than 2,000 career tackles.
#1 - Ray Lewis - 2,059 tackles
Ray Lewis has the most tackles of all time and is one of the best defensive players in NFL history. During his legendary Hall of Fame career, he won two Defensive Player of the Year awards and also won a Super Bowl MVP award while winning two rings. He spent all 17 years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens as a 4-3 middle linebacker, being selected to 12 Pro Bowls and seven first-team All-Pros.
