The only thing better than one star player is two star players. When both of them shine at the same position, life becomes extremely difficult for opponents. In a league like the NFL that features the best in the world at their craft, it is not uncommon for two of the top 32 at one position to land on the same roster. When that occurs, teams boast decided advantages over the groups whose jobs it is to stop them.
Look at a couple examples from past seasons. For years, the Detroit Lions wreaked havoc on defenses with what was unquestionably the best running back tandem the league had to offer. Jahmyr Gibbs remains in town, but after the David Montgomery trade, there is room for another dynamic duo to take that group's place among the most formidable in the NFL. The same goes for Detroit's safeties. If healthy, Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch would be the best one-two punch at their position. Instead, Achilles and knee injuries may never make them the same again.
In addition to the regulars, a few new pairs emerged this offseason and promise to take the league by storm in 2026. One team alone boasts three of the 10 most formidable duos after its splashy moves this spring and summer.
The Los Angeles Rams trading for Myles Garrett altered the league's power structure and helped them build the most feared pass-rushing unit that exists. A couple of other position groups on this roster also rank among the league standards. It is no wonder the Rams are Super Bowl favorites.
Here are the 10 greatest dynamic duos in the NFL this season.
Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, Texans
Very rarely will a team roster two of the top five players in the league at one position. One can easily argue that there are five more talented edge rushers than Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, but from a pure production standpoint, they both stood in the most elite tier among last season's pocket disruptors.
2025 NFL edge rusher grades, per PFF
PlayerTeamPass-rush gradeMyles Garrett
93.3
92.9
Will Anderson Jr.
92.8
Lions
92.1
Danielle Hunter
Texans
90.8
The Houston Texans were a top-two defense in the NFL last year by scoring and yardage, and opposing quarterbacks logged an average passer rating of 76.1 against them, good for the second-lowest mark against any team. Anderson and Hunter were the engines of that machine. They play wonderfully off each other and could be even more dangerous in 2026, as an improved run-stopping unit should help force even more obvious passing situations.
Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, Rams
As long as Puka Nacua sustains the historically productive start to his career, the 2025 and 2026 Rams will be remembered as teams that featured two future Hall of Famers atop their wide receiver groups. Matthew Stafford could not ask for much more elite weapons than Nacua and Davante Adams on his quest for a second Super Bowl.
Take last year's numbers as evidence that even in the latter years of his career, Adams remains a difference-making target in the most lethal passing offense in the NFL. His 14 touchdowns not only led the league, but they also matched the second-highest total of his impeccable career. For one of the receivers to pace all wideouts in scoring and for the other, Nacua, to lead the league in yards per game made them as complementary as any tandem in the pros. If they even come close to replicating those league-leading achievements in 2026, essentially every other team will be envious of the pass-catching situation in Los Angeles.
Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, Bengals
Multiple times in the last three years has Tee Higgins emphasized that he wants to stay with the Cincinnati Bengals, which is commendable considering he could be a No. 1 receiver on many other teams. It is almost unfair to call him an understudy to Ja'Marr Chase -- he even outdid his superstar teammate in touchdowns last season with 11 -- as he is arguably the best second option the NFL has to offer. Consider this: Higgins logged back-to-back 10-touchdown seasons despite his running mate pacing the NFL in targets both years.
Pairing that kind of talent with a perennial first-team All-Pro and putting Joe Burrow behind center to throw to them gives the Bengals the foundation for a potential Super Bowl roster. If the offseason additions on defense elevate what has been an extremely porous group of late, Chase and Higgins could find themselves catching passes deep into the winter.
Myles Garrett and Byron Young, Rams
The earth-shattering trade that sent Myles Garrett to the Rams was the kind of transaction that can singlehandedly take a team from one tier and place them in the next. Los Angeles already had five Infinity Stones on its defense and picked up the final one with that deal with the Cleveland Browns. The single-season sack record holder and two-time Defensive Player of the Year elevates a pass-rushing unit that was quite fearsome even before his arrival.
Jared Verse was the big name in that group before he was shipped off to the AFC North, but Byron Young leveled up last season to become a first-time Pro Bowler with 12 sacks of his own. Take a look below at the kind of athleticism he offers and imagine what is possible when Garrett commands double teams on the other end of the line of scrimmage.
Byron Young didn't waste much time to get his first sack of the season 💪 HOUvsLAR on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/pIGjqXgp5n
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
That Young remains on his rookie contract is part of the reason why the Rams could afford Garrett. He will be due for a huge raise next offseason, so Los Angeles ought to enjoy what is probably the only year of this duo together.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, Cowboys
While his expiring contract and the fact he will play the 2026 season on the franchise tag raise questions about his long-term future with the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones has not traded George Pickens yet, which sets Dallas up for another season with an electric one-two punch downfield. Although there was some concern over whether there were enough targets to go around heading into Pickens' first year in the same group as CeeDee Lamb, the latter seemed perfectly content to cede a little bit of production for the betterment of the offense.
That chemistry remains present in 2026 and gives the Cowboys a strong chance to repeat as a top-two passing attack in the NFL. Dak Prescott was able to facilitate a career year for Pickens while also helping Lamb log his fifth consecutive 1,000-yard season. It is reasonable to ask for a combined 2,500 yards and something in the realm of 15 touchdowns between the two in their second campaign together. Assuming the defense takes a step forward this year (how could it not?), Lamb and Pickens might get to shine on the postseason stage this time around, too.
Kyren Williams and Blake Corum, Rams
The first image that comes to mind with regard to the Rams' offense is always going to be the passing game. What makes this unit so lethal is that it pairs the most productive aerial assault in the NFL with one of the league's best backfield tandems. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum last season became the first teammates since at least 1950 to string together three consecutive games with at least 70 rushing yards and a touchdown apiece, according to league research.
NFL's top running back tandems: Falcons bolster elite backfield with Brian Robinson Jr. signing Carter Bahns
Corum found his footing last season, and the benefit to the Rams was two-fold. Not only did his emergence help Sean McVay keep Williams fresh after he accounted for an NFL-high 43% of the team's touches in 2024, but Corum also proved additive to a high-flying offense. Racking up 746 yards and six touchdowns in a unit that produced the NFL's sixth-leading rusher is quite telling of Corum's potential to handle a starter's workload later down the road.
Williams is the better receiver and pass blocker of the two, so even though he is ever so slightly less explosive and has a younger weapon breathing down his neck on the depth chart, his role as the top dog is safe.
Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, Eagles
It had been 21 years since the Philadelphia Eagles produced an All-Pro cornerback before last season. And then they boasted two of them in the same campaign. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean both secured the honor -- with the qualifier that DeJean was selected specifically as a slot cornerback. Both of the 2024 draft picks shined in their sophomore seasons and offer the Eagles at least two more years of highly affordable lockdown play downfield.
DeJean, who through 32 career games has never allowed a touchdown from the slot position, led all NFL slot cornerbacks in catch rate allowed (61.4%), passer rating allowed (55.4) and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.72) during his breakout season. Mitchell, meanwhile, posted the lowest catch rate allowed (42.4%) by a cornerback since 2021.
Philadelphia's 2024 draft has aged extraordinarily well with these top 40 picks producing at the top of their position extremely early in their careers.
Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr., Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons this offseason committed to handing the ball as many times as possible to players named "B. Robinson." They acquired Brian Robinson Jr. in free agency to add highly capable depth behind Bijan Robinson, placing a former three-year starter behind one of the most prolific ballcarriers in the league. Atlanta's quarterback situation might be murky, but at least the winner of that competition will have arguably the best running back tandem at his disposal, not to mention a couple of fantastic young receiving targets.
Bijan Robinson is now a two-time 1,400-yard rusher and will remain a perennial threat to lead all running backs in receiving yards for the foreseeable future. That on its own can carry a backfield to extreme heights. To have the luxury of a top-flight secondary option behind him gives the Falcons an embarrassment of riches.
Brian Robinson Jr. embraced the backup role at his last stop and still turned in 400 yards behind the highest-volume back there is in Christian McCaffery. Anything similar to that in 2026 will ensure the Atlanta offense keeps rolling on the few snaps where his position mate stands on the sideline.
Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper, Broncos
Only five teams in NFL history accumulated as many or more sacks as the 2025 Denver Broncos. It was far from a two-man show, but Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper did the heaviest lifting with a combined 22 regular-season sacks.
CBS Sports Bonitto is now an established star, having proved that his 2024 breakout was no fluke. He boasts two top 10 finishes in Defensive Player of the Year voting since becoming a full-time starter, and the highest paid defender in franchise history seems likely to earn himself another huge raise before long to become one of the NFL's top earners at the edge rusher position.
There is some uncertainty around the other half of the duo heading into 2026, though. If Cooper is on the field, the Broncos can count on the consistent pass rusher to flirt with double-digit sacks. But he has been arrested twice this offseason and faces several charges including domestic violence. Cooper's trial is expected to begin on July 22 and could coincide with the start of training camp.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, Lions
The Detroit Lions' offense was not the same without former coordinator Ben Johnson calling the shots and with subpar play in the trenches, but that did not slow down Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. The former remained a first-down machine in turning a career high in targets into 1,401 yards, while the latter enjoyed his best campaign to date in a 1,117-yard, seven-touchdown 2025 season.
St. Brown is as versatile as anyone at the top of the receiver position with his supreme ability to play in the slot and out wide, and he remains the go-to target in an offense that will be one of the best through the air so long as Jared Goff is around at quarterback.
Williams has all the tools to join him in stardom and is a hint of consistency away from becoming elite. Dan Campbell is a massive fan of his and made a concerted effort to feed him the ball after taking over the play-calling duties midway through last season. If new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing prioritizes him to a similar extent, the former first-round pick could eliminate his letdown outings (like the two last year in which he posted zero catches).
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