Identifying the NFL's best duos must be done on a sliding scale. Singular talents are easy to find, but two elite players holding down the same position on the same NFL roster is rare.
To be fair, at least eight NFL teams have an outside chance at two 1,000-yard receivers by the end of the league's first 17-game season, and several rosters are also equipped with a potent two-back setup in the run game. But those positions are loaded with talent in the draft each year. Getting two excellent offensive tackles, edge rushers or corners? There simply aren't enough great ones.
"That's why when ranking these you have to consider how far away the No. 2 option is from the great player, versus taking two really good players who might not be elite," an NFC exec said. "It's totally a preference thing."
We polled execs, scouts and coaches around the NFL to attempt to find consensus on the league's best duos at six key positions: wide receiver, running back, offensive tackle, edge rusher, cornerback and safety. While some results were clear-cut, other positions were incredibly difficult. Injuries leaguewide, of course, didn't help. Key players in some pairings are out for the season and affected the duo dynamic. Let's get to it, starting with a toss-up at a prime position.
Jump to:
WR | RB | OT | EDGE | CB | S
Wide receiver: Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
This became a narrow race between the Bucs' duo and Dallas' tandem of Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb. Evans and Godwin earned more first-place votes, though, and both of them earned top-10 billing in my yearly poll of league execs, scouts and coaches on the best players at each position.
With nine touchdowns on 66 targets entering Week 11, Evans led NFL wideouts in scoring ratio (7.3) among players with more than 50 targets. He had three games with multiple end zone trips.
"Evans is still that guy," an NFC exec said. "He's still such a matchup problem with size and speed ... [he] can overpower you. And Godwin is having a better year. They both play tough and physical, which helps in big games."
Godwin was tied for seventh in receptions (57) and ranked 12th in receiving yards (717) before the Monday Night Football matchup with the New York Giants. After problems with drops in the playoffs last season, Godwin had a modest three drops through his first nine games in 2021. It's worth pointing out that Tampa Bay also has Antonio Brown as its No. 3 option.
The Lamb-Cooper tandem has combined for 1,323 yards and 11 touchdowns, and both can stand on their own as No. 1 receivers. Cooper is more polarizing than Evans among NFL personnel, though he has shown toughness this year in playing through injuries and fighting through contact from physical defensive backs.
"[Lamb] is a bit more fluid to me," an NFC exec said. "Cooper, for as good as he is with his route running, still moves like a running back playing receiver."
Also frequently mentioned: Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins/Tyler Boyd (Cincinnati Bengals), Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings), Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks), Keenan Allen and Mike Williams (Los Angeles Chargers), Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley/Emmanuel Sanders (Buffalo Bills) and Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy/Tim Patrick (Denver Broncos).
The Los Angeles Rams, with Cooper Kupp, would have been in this mix before Robert Woods tore an ACL.
Running back: Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns
This one wasn't particularly close. Chubb and Hunt entered the year as the gold standard for tandems, and teams still believe that despite both missing time because of injuries and the reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Browns are more explosive when Chubb and Hunt are sharing the backfield. The duo was healthy for five games -- the first five weeks of the season -- and during that span, Cleveland averaged 28.4 points and 417.6 yards per game. Those totals would rank fourth and second in the NFL if sustained up through Week 11. Instead, Cleveland now ranks 19th in scoring (22.2) and 12th in yards (362.5).
Chubb is back in the lineup, and Hunt has a chance to return from a lingering calf issue in Week 12.
"We all know Chubb's great, but what's crazy is they have a Pro Bowl-caliber talent, in his prime, as their backup," an AFC scout said. "I'm surprised nobody has made a good enough offer to get him in a trade and have him as their feature back."
Aaron Jones-AJ Dillon (Green Bay Packers), Jonathan Taylor-Nyheim Hines (Indianapolis Colts) and Ezekiel Elliott-Tony Pollard (Dallas Cowboys) also saw some votes.
"Pollard should do well in free agency," the AFC scout said. "He can be an 800-to-1,000-yard rusher for someone."
Offensive tackle: Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans Saints
Tampa Bay kept this close because of how high evaluators are on right tackle Tristan Wirfs. The Bucs got more votes than Dallas' Tyron Smith and La'el Collins.
"That guy is one of the best," said an NFC defensive coach on Wirfs. "He's only getting better. High-level traits."
But those same evaluators view Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith as solid if unspectacular.
Meanwhile, Ramczyk and Armstead have been viewed as dual top-10 tackles for the past few years. Ramcyzk ranks first among tackles with a 94.5% pass block win rate. Armstead is 30th at 88.2%, but he missed a month of action with an elbow injury, and stats don't tell his whole story. He has left-tackle ability that can't be taught. Their Pro Football Focus ratings have also held up, with Ramczyk at 84.2 and Armstead at 78.6, compared to 80.7 for Donovan Smith and 76.9 for Wirfs.
"When both of those guys are in the lineup, they set a tone," an AFC exec said. "It's a different offense. Only question [with Armstead] is durability."
Armstead hasn't logged a full season since entering the league in 2013, but he showed durability with 29 games played from 2019 to 2020. Tyron Smith, meanwhile, got knocked more often in this process because he has missed at least three games each year since 2016, including 14 last season.
Not everyone is sold on the Saints' pairing, though. One coach whose team played New Orleans' front thought both players had slightly regressed this year. Either way, Ramczyk and Armstead stabilize the Saints' offense and play a large role in how coach Sean Payton finds success with various quarterbacks.
Edge rusher: Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney, Cleveland Browns
The Browns are already represented at tailback, but their edge-rushing duo can't be overlooked. Most agree that Garrett and Clowney compost the most dangerous group off the edge, despite Clowney's penchant for low sack totals each year.
"Garrett has been the biggest force in the game this year, so that's off the top," an AFC exec said. "And Clowney has never been a natural pass-rusher, but he is disruptive, so that opens things up for the rest of the defense."
The numbers bear that out. Despite 3.5 sacks through 11 games, Clowney's 26.2% pass rush win rate ranks second in the NFL -- behind Garrett (27.4%). Garrett also has a league-leading 13 sacks.
Two young tandems pushed Garrett-Clowney to the brink:
Maxx Crosby and Yannick Ngakoue (Las Vegas Raiders): "Those guys play their asses off every week," said an AFC defensive coach.
Brian Burns and Haason Reddick (Carolina Panthers): "Burns [has] unique burst and explosion. And [Reddick] is proving last year wasn't a fluke," said an NFL personnel evaluator.
Cornerback: Jalen Ramsey and Darious Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Most teams with a star cornerback don't have a counterpart on the other side. You're more likely to see a supporting actor there. Baltimore and New England had two No. 1 corners a year ago, but the Ravens' Marcus Peters is out for the year (opposite Marlon Humphrey), and the Patriots traded Stephon Gilmore to Carolina (opposite J.C. Jackson).
So which lockdown corner has the most stable option beside him? Some evaluators think that's Los Angeles, with Williams establishing himself as an ascending player. The Rams placed a first-round restricted tender on him during the offseason, and some opposing teams have Williams ranked as high as the eight-to-12 range in the corner pantheon, despite his slow start to the year.
"He'd probably be a top corner for 10-15 teams," an AFC exec said. "He's not far off from some of the good ones."
Williams missed time because of an ankle sprain, and he has allowed 27 catches on 39 targets as the nearest defender for 249 yards and two touchdowns this season. Not ideal. But it's worth noting the Rams have played a healthy dose of zone coverage this season, with Ramsey being used as a versatile option more often at the line of scrimmage, including reps at nickel. So those dynamics could impact Williams' numbers a bit. The Rams are in man coverage a league-low 28.3% of opponents' dropbacks.
Miami's Xavien Howard and Byron Jones make a compelling case, but Jones has allowed 49 receptions on 69 targets as the nearest defender, giving up a 110.1 passer rating. Howard has two interceptions through Miami's first 11 games, far off the pace of his previous two full seasons.
Injuries are a factor for Green Bay, which had a chance for the top spot because of emerging rookie Eric Stokes. But talented fourth-year corner Jaire Alexander has missed the past seven games.
The Saints' duo of Marshon Lattimore and Bradley Roby enticed some voters, but Roby has been a part-time player since New Orleans acquired him via trade, with a total of 103 defensive snaps in Weeks 7-10. That's not enough usage to be a top No. 2.
"[Roby has] always been really talented but hasn't put it all together," an NFC exec said. "Not sure what's going on there. They aren't playing him enough."
Safety: Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer, Buffalo Bills
If this exercise ranked solely on individual talent, Buffalo's duo might not be at the top. But chemistry, cohesion and team defense matter. And the Bills' duo of Hyde and Poyer has been the catalyst for one of the league's best defenses. It seems each makes at least one key play every week, with the two combining for seven interceptions, 14 pass deflections and two fumble recoveries on the season.
One AFC scout even said Poyer (four interceptions) has been the Bills' best defensive player, which is high praise considering Buffalo also has cornerback Tre'Davious White and linebacker Tremaine Edmunds. Opposing coaches lauded Hyde's and Poyer's versatility. They can line up in the nickel or play the deep part of the field.
"Not burners ... just really smart, good football players with instincts," the scout said about Buffalo's safety tandem. "They can play the run or play the ball in coverage."
Two other duos were also in the mix here. Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson (Broncos) got some votes. Simmons is among the game's best ball hawks, and Jackson is still playing at a high level at 33 years old. And the Seahawks' Jamal Adams and Quandre Diggs also got some love. Execs called Diggs "wildly underrated," and while Adams is still a splash playmaker, Seattle's issues at cornerback have often forced Adams away from the line of scrimmage, where he's most effective.
Among duos with an emerging young wingman alongside a star: Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson (Arizona Cardinals), and Kevin Byard and Amani Hooker (Tennessee Titans). They could be right there in a year or two.