Using Defensive Snap Count to Measure Pressure Efficiency

plasticman

plasticman

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Which player is more efficient?

Player A has 10 sacks in 600 snap.

Player B has 6 sacks in 200 snaps

Now, of course, the circumstances are completely different. One is the starter and will participate in expected running plays. A starter may also have a tendency to wear down more, whereas the other is obviously a rotational piece inserted specifically for a pass rush.

However, the purpose of this evaluation is to determine pressure efficiency with regard only to the circumstance of participation.

What I mean by "pressure efficiency" is the ability of a defender to harass the opponent behind the line of scrimmage thus creating negative offensive plays.

Traditionally, we go by raw numbers when it comes to sacks, quarterback hits and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. However, this does not consider the amount of opportunity given to each player to create these results.

I am using some stats that measure the average number of snap counts that it takes for a player to achieve one of the above results. Obviously, the lower the number the more frequently they are making this happen.

I am using a minimum of three sacks for these rankings. Unfortunately, as expected, this eliminates the majority of Cowboys D-line and LBers. Only five qualified and three of them are no longer with the team.

There were a total of 159 players that recorded three or more sacks in 2025 so if they are ranked above #40 then they are in the top quarter for that particular category.

This is the list of top 20 defenders when it comes to "snaps per sack". That is, what is the average amount of snaps they took in 2025 before they got a sack.

Rank Player
1 Myles Garrett
2 Al-Quadin Muhammad
3 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
4 Jadeveon Clowney
5 Josh Sweat
6 Von Miller
7 Danielle Hunter
8 Nik Bonitto
9 Brian Burns
10 Zach Harrison
11 Elijah Ponder
12 LaCale London
13 Chase Young
14 Brandon Dorlus
15 James Houston
16 Cameron Jordan
17 James Pearce
18 Tuli Tuipulotu
19 Micah Parsons
20 Will Anderson

You may want to note that at least four of these top players are unsigned veterans, including Clowney

Yes, that is Dorance Armstrong and I am not finished with him yet. Good to see James Houston in there. More about him too.

Here is the list for "snaps per tackle for a loss"

1 Myles Garrett
2 Jadeveon Clowney
3 Maxx Crosby
4 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
5 Will Anderson
6 Tuli Tuipulotu
7 LaCale London
8 Alex Wright
9 Brian Burns
10 Cameron Jordan
11 Josh Sweat
12 Alex Highsmith
13 Brandon Dorlus
14 Derek Barnett
15 Jeffery Simmons
16 Nick Herbig
17 Zach Harrison
18 Danielle Hunter
19 Nik Bonitto
20 Chase Young

Clowney makes another top appearance. He apparently made very good use of his snaps. So did Armstrong. Garrett was #1 in both categories. No one can say he only got his numbers because he was always in the game. He was the most efficient "pressure defender" in the NFL by a wide margin.

The next stat is snaps per QB hit:

1 Zach Allen
2 Myles Garrett
3 Al-Quadin Muhammad
4 James Houston
5 Nik Bonitto
6 Micah Parsons
7 Gregory Rousseau
8 Brian Burns
9 Von Miller
10 Odafe Oweh
11 Aidan Hutchinson
12 Jalyx Hunt
13 Byron Young
14 Osa Odighizuwa
15 Will Anderson
16 Josh Hines-Allen
17 Chris Jones
18 DeMarcus Lawrence
19 Jared Verse
20 Josh Sweat

The number of ex-Cowboys on this list is disconcerting. However, to see Houston on two of the three lists suggests that perhaps he should be given more snaps.

How could someone measure the overall effect of pressure using these three measurements? I've attempted to do so by using a formula that weighs each measurement. I decided to go 60% snaps per sack, 20% snaps per TFL and 20% snaps per QBhits.

So using this criteria I have attempted to identify the top most efficient defenders when it comes to pressuring the QB on a pass play. It is absolutely unofficial. Nonetheless, I think it paints a good picture of these player's contributions based on the frequency of their participation.

Top 20 Pressure Defenders in 2025.

1 Myles Garrett
2 Al-Quadin Muhammad
3 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
4 Brian Burns
5 Josh Sweat
6 Nik Bonitto
7 Jadeveon Clowney
8 Danielle Hunter
9 James Houston
10 Will Anderson
11 Tuli Tuipulotu
12 Von Miller
13 Micah Parsons
14 Chase Young
15 Alex Highsmith
16 Cameron Jordan
17 Odafe Oweh
18 Brandon Dorlus
19 Zach Harrison
20 Elijah Ponder

In addition, I realize that there are much different expectations for DTs and so I have a separate, complete list of all ranked DTs in this particular category. Again, three sacks to qualify. I've included their overall rank within the 159 players:

18 Brandon Dorlus
23 Jeffery Simmons
31 Maliek Collins
49 Chris Jones
60 DeForest Buckner
61 Jer'Zhan Newton
70 Milton Williams
74 Leonard Williams
85 Malcolm Roach
86 Arik Armstead
87 Byron Murphy
88 Darius Alexander
95 Jowon Briggs
98 Moro Ojomo
104 Zach Sieler
105 Osa Odighizuwa
106 Keeanu Benton
107 DaQuan Jones
108 Neville Gallimore
111 D.J. Jones
113 Adetomiwa Adebawore
115 Jordan Davis
118 Jaelan Phillips
121 Daron Payne
123 B.J. Hill
124 Derrick Brown
129 Jonah Laulu
130 Jalen Carter
131 Derrick Harmon
133 Sheldon Rankins
134 Ruke Orhorhoro
136 Tedarrell Slaton
137 Cameron Heyward
138 Nathan Shepherd
143 Kenny Clark
 
plasticman said:
Which player is more efficient?

Player A has 10 sacks in 600 snap.

Player B has 6 sacks in 200 snaps

Now, of course, the circumstances are completely different. One is the starter and will participate in expected running plays. A starter may also have a tendency to wear down more, whereas the other is obviously a rotational piece inserted specifically for a pass rush.

However, the purpose of this evaluation is to determine pressure efficiency with regard only to the circumstance of participation.

What I mean by "pressure efficiency" is the ability of a defender to harass the opponent behind the line of scrimmage thus creating negative offensive plays.

Traditionally, we go by raw numbers when it comes to sacks, quarterback hits and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. However, this does not consider the amount of opportunity given to each player to create these results.

I am using some stats that measure the average number of snap counts that it takes for a player to achieve one of the above results. Obviously, the lower the number the more frequently they are making this happen.

I am using a minimum of three sacks for these rankings. Unfortunately, as expected, this eliminates the majority of Cowboys D-line and LBers. Only five qualified and three of them are no longer with the team.

There were a total of 159 players that recorded three or more sacks in 2025 so if they are ranked above #40 then they are in the top quarter for that particular category.

This is the list of top 20 defenders when it comes to "snaps per sack". That is, what is the average amount of snaps they took in 2025 before they got a sack.

Rank Player
1 Myles Garrett
2 Al-Quadin Muhammad
3 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
4 Jadeveon Clowney
5 Josh Sweat
6 Von Miller
7 Danielle Hunter
8 Nik Bonitto
9 Brian Burns
10 Zach Harrison
11 Elijah Ponder
12 LaCale London
13 Chase Young
14 Brandon Dorlus
15 James Houston
16 Cameron Jordan
17 James Pearce
18 Tuli Tuipulotu
19 Micah Parsons
20 Will Anderson

You may want to note that at least four of these top players are unsigned veterans, including Clowney

Yes, that is Dorance Armstrong and I am not finished with him yet. Good to see James Houston in there. More about him too.

Here is the list for "snaps per tackle for a loss"

1 Myles Garrett
2 Jadeveon Clowney
3 Maxx Crosby
4 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
5 Will Anderson
6 Tuli Tuipulotu
7 LaCale London
8 Alex Wright
9 Brian Burns
10 Cameron Jordan
11 Josh Sweat
12 Alex Highsmith
13 Brandon Dorlus
14 Derek Barnett
15 Jeffery Simmons
16 Nick Herbig
17 Zach Harrison
18 Danielle Hunter
19 Nik Bonitto
20 Chase Young

Clowney makes another top appearance. He apparently made very good use of his snaps. So did Armstrong. Garrett was #1 in both categories. No one can say he only got his numbers because he was always in the game. He was the most efficient "pressure defender" in the NFL by a wide margin.

The next stat is snaps per QB hit:

1 Zach Allen
2 Myles Garrett
3 Al-Quadin Muhammad
4 James Houston
5 Nik Bonitto
6 Micah Parsons
7 Gregory Rousseau
8 Brian Burns
9 Von Miller
10 Odafe Oweh
11 Aidan Hutchinson
12 Jalyx Hunt
13 Byron Young
14 Osa Odighizuwa
15 Will Anderson
16 Josh Hines-Allen
17 Chris Jones
18 DeMarcus Lawrence
19 Jared Verse
20 Josh Sweat

The number of ex-Cowboys on this list is disconcerting. However, to see Houston on two of the three lists suggests that perhaps he should be given more snaps.

How could someone measure the overall effect of pressure using these three measurements? I've attempted to do so by using a formula that weighs each measurement. I decided to go 60% snaps per sack, 20% snaps per TFL and 20% snaps per QBhits.

So using this criteria I have attempted to identify the top most efficient defenders when it comes to pressuring the QB on a pass play. It is absolutely unofficial. Nonetheless, I think it paints a good picture of these player's contributions based on the frequency of their participation.

Top 20 Pressure Defenders in 2025.

1 Myles Garrett
2 Al-Quadin Muhammad
3 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
4 Brian Burns
5 Josh Sweat
6 Nik Bonitto
7 Jadeveon Clowney
8 Danielle Hunter
9 James Houston
10 Will Anderson
11 Tuli Tuipulotu
12 Von Miller
13 Micah Parsons
14 Chase Young
15 Alex Highsmith
16 Cameron Jordan
17 Odafe Oweh
18 Brandon Dorlus
19 Zach Harrison
20 Elijah Ponder

In addition, I realize that there are much different expectations for DTs and so I have a separate, complete list of all ranked DTs in this particular category. Again, three sacks to qualify. I've included their overall rank within the 159 players:

18 Brandon Dorlus
23 Jeffery Simmons
31 Maliek Collins
49 Chris Jones
60 DeForest Buckner
61 Jer'Zhan Newton
70 Milton Williams
74 Leonard Williams
85 Malcolm Roach
86 Arik Armstead
87 Byron Murphy
88 Darius Alexander
95 Jowon Briggs
98 Moro Ojomo
104 Zach Sieler
105 Osa Odighizuwa
106 Keeanu Benton
107 DaQuan Jones
108 Neville Gallimore
111 D.J. Jones
113 Adetomiwa Adebawore
115 Jordan Davis
118 Jaelan Phillips
121 Daron Payne
123 B.J. Hill
124 Derrick Brown
129 Jonah Laulu
130 Jalen Carter
131 Derrick Harmon
133 Sheldon Rankins
134 Ruke Orhorhoro
136 Tedarrell Slaton
137 Cameron Heyward
138 Nathan Shepherd
143 Kenny Clark
Click to expand...
Looks to me either your information it's missing data points or if you are accurate I it's pretty crazy that the Texans should've used this formula to not pay $50 million to Will Anderson Very good player but doesn't look like he's in the top of any of those categories... Those four didn't they pay Daniel Hunter like one year 40 million or something like that I mean I'm looking at that list they're on it but they're not jumping off it like they should have been paid that kind of money seems like they overreacted in which always ironic to me is the same players probably are not getting better in their careers they're probably gonna stay the same or start getting worse so you paid all these defenders that much money just to do the same thing they did last year and as good as that defense was they didn't get very far...


So yeah I mean I'm just kind of skimming right now I'll look into it deeper later but something is Askew when you look at now add in salaries and James Houston jumps way out there because if you take all the salaries away he might be sliding towards the top with Clowney meaning we should bring him back and just run it back because I think that our team is better with Parker's scheme and all these players will be a lot better in a by committee role to get pressures and sacks..

Very similar to what Seattle did with their defense don't make it top heavy make it deep..
 
Chasing6 said:
Not enough information given to answer the question.
Click to expand...
I don't think he asked a question I just think he shared some data with us and we make up our own minds on what it means or doesn't mean but I don't see a direct question to us so there's that and believe what you want Take the information and do with it what you want...
 
Analytics don't take into account the level of competition, situation of the play, etc etc. Just a small piece of the puzzle that I think too fans accept as truth in 2026.
 
Good topic that I hope turns into a 20 page thread. This is a major argument going on daily in teams analyics departments, I'm sure.

I think in general teams are starting to move more towards the effeciency metrics for players at most positions, and moving away from the traditional counting stats. What you do on a per snap basis is going to be more important to me....at least most of the time, there are certainly always going to be exceptions.

Typically I think some positions are easier to evaluate this way than others....A 600 yard WR who does it on 300 routes is vastly more imporatant than the 600 yard WR who does it on 600 routes.

It gets more complicated with defenders because as there is more duality in evaluating performance, and offenses have more flexibility to scheme out certain defenders, especially if the rest of the unit is fairly weak. You also have fewer data points when looking at smaller counting stats like TDs, sacks, etc. A guy like James Houston likely faced a relatively low double team rate, and with just 6 sacks we are literally looking at 1-2 plays that can completely skew the data. Two fewer sacks and hes off these lists. Two more sacks and hes likely on a Myles Garrett pace per play. Its a major reason why pressure rates and double team rates have become such imporatant data points. Win rates to some extent too, but I think the data points with that stat are still too new and subjective.
 
thunderpimp91 said:
Good topic that I hope turns into a 20 page thread. This is a major argument going on daily in teams analyics departments, I'm sure.

I think in general teams are starting to move more towards the effeciency metrics for players at most positions, and moving away from the traditional counting stats. What you do on a per snap basis is going to be more important to me....at least most of the time, there are certainly always going to be exceptions.

Typically I think some positions are easier to evaluate this way than others....A 600 yard WR who does it on 300 routes is vastly more imporatant than the 600 yard WR who does it on 600 routes.

It gets more complicated with defenders because as there is more duality in evaluating performance, and offenses have more flexibility to scheme out certain defenders, especially if the rest of the unit is fairly weak. You also have fewer data points when looking at smaller counting stats like TDs, sacks, etc. A guy like James Houston likely faced a relatively low double team rate, and with just 6 sacks we are literally looking at 1-2 plays that can completely skew the data. Two fewer sacks and hes off these lists. Two more sacks and hes likely on a Myles Garrett pace per play. Its a major reason why pressure rates and double team rates have become such imporatant data points. Win rates to some extent too, but I think the data points with that stat are still too new and subjective.
Click to expand...
That’s just it - with Houston. We have to use the data we have. One might project up or down, but that’s all it is - projection.
 
There is so much more to evaluating players than just raw stats. This is why someone like James Houston is not starting and making a huge salary. It seems implausible that every coach and GM in the league missed something with him.
 
Under Christian poker, the new defensive coordinator
It’s the nickel defense that he stresses above everything else
 
stilltheguru said:
Analytics don't take into account the level of competition, situation of the play, etc etc. Just a small piece of the puzzle that I think too fans accept as truth in 2026.
Click to expand...
There are many factors that can’t be really accounted for but over an entire 17 games these seem pretty respectable stats
 
plasticman said:
Which player is more efficient?

Player A has 10 sacks in 600 snap.

Player B has 6 sacks in 200 snaps

Now, of course, the circumstances are completely different. One is the starter and will participate in expected running plays. A starter may also have a tendency to wear down more, whereas the other is obviously a rotational piece inserted specifically for a pass rush.

However, the purpose of this evaluation is to determine pressure efficiency with regard only to the circumstance of participation.

What I mean by "pressure efficiency" is the ability of a defender to harass the opponent behind the line of scrimmage thus creating negative offensive plays.

Traditionally, we go by raw numbers when it comes to sacks, quarterback hits and tackles behind the line of scrimmage. However, this does not consider the amount of opportunity given to each player to create these results.

I am using some stats that measure the average number of snap counts that it takes for a player to achieve one of the above results. Obviously, the lower the number the more frequently they are making this happen.

I am using a minimum of three sacks for these rankings. Unfortunately, as expected, this eliminates the majority of Cowboys D-line and LBers. Only five qualified and three of them are no longer with the team.

There were a total of 159 players that recorded three or more sacks in 2025 so if they are ranked above #40 then they are in the top quarter for that particular category.

This is the list of top 20 defenders when it comes to "snaps per sack". That is, what is the average amount of snaps they took in 2025 before they got a sack.

Rank Player
1 Myles Garrett
2 Al-Quadin Muhammad
3 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
4 Jadeveon Clowney
5 Josh Sweat
6 Von Miller
7 Danielle Hunter
8 Nik Bonitto
9 Brian Burns
10 Zach Harrison
11 Elijah Ponder
12 LaCale London
13 Chase Young
14 Brandon Dorlus
15 James Houston
16 Cameron Jordan
17 James Pearce
18 Tuli Tuipulotu
19 Micah Parsons
20 Will Anderson

You may want to note that at least four of these top players are unsigned veterans, including Clowney

Yes, that is Dorance Armstrong and I am not finished with him yet. Good to see James Houston in there. More about him too.

Here is the list for "snaps per tackle for a loss"

1 Myles Garrett
2 Jadeveon Clowney
3 Maxx Crosby
4 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
5 Will Anderson
6 Tuli Tuipulotu
7 LaCale London
8 Alex Wright
9 Brian Burns
10 Cameron Jordan
11 Josh Sweat
12 Alex Highsmith
13 Brandon Dorlus
14 Derek Barnett
15 Jeffery Simmons
16 Nick Herbig
17 Zach Harrison
18 Danielle Hunter
19 Nik Bonitto
20 Chase Young

Clowney makes another top appearance. He apparently made very good use of his snaps. So did Armstrong. Garrett was #1 in both categories. No one can say he only got his numbers because he was always in the game. He was the most efficient "pressure defender" in the NFL by a wide margin.

The next stat is snaps per QB hit:

1 Zach Allen
2 Myles Garrett
3 Al-Quadin Muhammad
4 James Houston
5 Nik Bonitto
6 Micah Parsons
7 Gregory Rousseau
8 Brian Burns
9 Von Miller
10 Odafe Oweh
11 Aidan Hutchinson
12 Jalyx Hunt
13 Byron Young
14 Osa Odighizuwa
15 Will Anderson
16 Josh Hines-Allen
17 Chris Jones
18 DeMarcus Lawrence
19 Jared Verse
20 Josh Sweat

The number of ex-Cowboys on this list is disconcerting. However, to see Houston on two of the three lists suggests that perhaps he should be given more snaps.

How could someone measure the overall effect of pressure using these three measurements? I've attempted to do so by using a formula that weighs each measurement. I decided to go 60% snaps per sack, 20% snaps per TFL and 20% snaps per QBhits.

So using this criteria I have attempted to identify the top most efficient defenders when it comes to pressuring the QB on a pass play. It is absolutely unofficial. Nonetheless, I think it paints a good picture of these player's contributions based on the frequency of their participation.

Top 20 Pressure Defenders in 2025.

1 Myles Garrett
2 Al-Quadin Muhammad
3 Dorance Armstrong Jr.
4 Brian Burns
5 Josh Sweat
6 Nik Bonitto
7 Jadeveon Clowney
8 Danielle Hunter
9 James Houston
10 Will Anderson
11 Tuli Tuipulotu
12 Von Miller
13 Micah Parsons
14 Chase Young
15 Alex Highsmith
16 Cameron Jordan
17 Odafe Oweh
18 Brandon Dorlus
19 Zach Harrison
20 Elijah Ponder

In addition, I realize that there are much different expectations for DTs and so I have a separate, complete list of all ranked DTs in this particular category. Again, three sacks to qualify. I've included their overall rank within the 159 players:

18 Brandon Dorlus
23 Jeffery Simmons
31 Maliek Collins
49 Chris Jones
60 DeForest Buckner
61 Jer'Zhan Newton
70 Milton Williams
74 Leonard Williams
85 Malcolm Roach
86 Arik Armstead
87 Byron Murphy
88 Darius Alexander
95 Jowon Briggs
98 Moro Ojomo
104 Zach Sieler
105 Osa Odighizuwa
106 Keeanu Benton
107 DaQuan Jones
108 Neville Gallimore
111 D.J. Jones
113 Adetomiwa Adebawore
115 Jordan Davis
118 Jaelan Phillips
121 Daron Payne
123 B.J. Hill
124 Derrick Brown
129 Jonah Laulu
130 Jalen Carter
131 Derrick Harmon
133 Sheldon Rankins
134 Ruke Orhorhoro
136 Tedarrell Slaton
137 Cameron Heyward
138 Nathan Shepherd
143 Kenny Clark
Click to expand...
I got a question. Did you break all this down or find it somewhere?
 
conner01 said:
I got a question. Did you break all this down or find it somewhere?
Click to expand...
I came to realize that regular statistics are rather uneven, perhaps even unfair.

Efficiency cannot be measured by raw numbers because every player's opportunity is different. When I talk about "efficiency", I ask the question, "Which is more valuable, the productivity measured over a game, or the productivity measured while that player was on the field?"

In other words, did this player maximize his opportunities on the field?

In order to make the evaluation more "even", I used "snap counts", in this case, the number of plays in which a particular player was on defense.

So now, if I use the example at the top of my original post:

Player A had 10 sacks in 600 snaps or one sack for every 60 plays he was on the field.

Player B had 6 sacks in 200 snaps or one sack for every 33.3 plays he was on the field.

Player B, when he is on the field, has almost double the frequency of sacks than Player A, when he is on the field.

Now, I also noted that the difference in roles for each player is a significant part of the reason. Most likely, player A is a "three downs" starter and Player B is a pass rush specialist that comes in on 3rd and long, etc.

However, the point still focused on efficiency, what they do on the field when they are on the field and not how many times over the span of a game. Using the span of one play, or number of plays for a particular outcome, makes it even for all players.

No, you won't actually find this stat presented anywhere in the media but I wouldn't be surprised if it is one of a many several reports that coaches and GMs see exclusively.

Some form of this measurement is probably used assign the number of plays to each player. It might detect issues such as fatigue.

I mean, these guys hire top statistical analysts, computer programmers, etc, in order to find whatever advantage they can strategize that will improve the chances of winning.
 
Interesting topic.

Would be nice to see advanced snaps like the breakdown of snaps played and either the down or if the play was a run or pass.
Wonder if there's something through that AWS analytics that breaks that down, but probably behind a paywall
 
There are SO many variables
not just the team but who was in for that team on each play
game situation
who was injured
that is why analytics, no matter how detailed they are, will always miss things because no system will ever have all of the data
you would need probably a gig of data per player per game to really get it done.
 
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