Azeez Al-Shaair

"Aug 25, 2026, 07:48 AM ETAt least one in four NFL players who died between 2016 and 2021 had the degenerative brain disease known as CTE, a new study has revealed.The study, published Tuesday by the British Medical Journal, focused on how common chronic traumatic encephalopathy might be among NFL players. What it found is that of the 878 players who appeared in at least one NFL game and died in that six-year period, at least 25% had CTE.CTE can be diagnosed only after death, so most research has depended on brains donated by players or their families. This study drew on samples donated between 2008 and 2021, 93% of which had been diagnosed with CTE, then narrowed the sample based on when donations were highest and factored in demographic data and information from death certificates.The estimate of 25% is on the "low end," said Dr. Daniel Daneshvar, the study's lead author. The study found that the maximum possible prevalence of CTE was around 97%, but the true rate "is somewhere in the middle," Daneshvar said.The NFL "continuously strives to make the game of football safer, including by implementing strategies to reduce concussions and head impacts," the league said in a statement. "The NFL remains committed to ensuring that the NFL community has access to a robust -- and expanding -- set of resources to enhance their physical and mental well-being."Texans linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, who's entering his eighth NFL season, was asked recently about whether he worried about getting CTE."The reality of the game is that it's aggressive. It's violent," he said. "We're out here running at each other. These are the best athletes in the world playing on one field. You're going full speed running into each other. That's the type of stuff that can happen."When asked whether he worried about life after football, Al-Shaair said, "That's the reality of the game. I think we all know what we sign up for. ... You have to make sure that you're taking care of your body, doing the things that you can off the field to give yourself the best chance to stay healthy."The study also looked at the link between CTE and dementia, and found that more than 90% of samples of the most advanced stage of CTE, Stage IV, were also diagnosed with dementia.Daneshvar noted that since the biggest predictor or CTE is the cumulative force of hits to the head, that risk can be mitigated by things such as eliminating hits during practices, and children not playing tackle football.The study's researchers hope to have a study in the coming months that estimates the overall rate of CTE in all NFL players at the time of their death.ESPN's Kevin Seifert contributed to this report."

"The 49ers bring back a dynamic duo: Fred Warner‘s return, coupled with the re-signing of Dre Greenlaw, net San Francisco the top spot on the list. The Bears crack the top five: Chicago's addition of Devin Bush forms a strong tandem with T.J. Edwards. Save on PFF+ for 5 Days Only: Get a full year of PFF+ for just $89.99 before the limited-time offer ends Aug. 25. As we wrap up our positional rankings series, it’s time to look at the linebacker groups throughout the NFL. It’s a position group that isn’t particularly easy to rank because there are teams with one true standout, others with two solid starters and some with rookies who we just don’t know enough about yet projected to start. Here are our linebacker rankings ahead of the 2026 season. 1. San Francisco 49ers In Fred Warner, the 49ers have the best linebacker in football, with the former BYU standout ranking inside the top-two linebackers in the league in terms of PFF grade in each of the past four seasons. They also return Dre Greenlaw next to him, and he looked to be close to his old self when he got back onto the field in 2025. Greenlaw missed most of the previous season-and-a-half after an Achilles injury in the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. 2. Philadelphia Eagles This group is headlined by Zack Baun, whose career has been transformed after a full-time move to off-ball linebacker when he joined the Eagles in 2024. He has earned a PFF coverage grade above 80.0 in each of the past two seasons, and led the position in PFF grade in 2024. He’s joined by 2025 first-round draft pick Jihaad Campbell, who had a good rookie season. The former Alabama star missed just 7.4% of his tackles as a rookie, and the expectation will be that he can make an even bigger impact in 2026. 3. Houston Texans Azeez Al-Shaair is coming off a career year in terms of PFF grade, with the 75.9 PFF mark he produced in 2025 ranking 17th at the position. He is one of the most well-rounded linebackers in the NFL, and was one of just six players at the position to receive a PFF run-defense grade of 80.0 or better, and a PFF coverage grade above 65.0. Henry To'oTo'o is a solid partner for him at the second level, with his 65.1 PFF grade placing 38th at the position. 4. Seattle Seahawks The Seahawks had three linebackers play 300 or more snaps in 2025, and all three earned PFF grades above 60.0. Tyrice Knight was the highest-graded of the three, with his 78.8 PFF grade ranking ninth at the position, though it came on a smaller sample size of just 327 snaps. Drake Thomas placed 23rd with a 72.9 PFF grade, while Ernest Jones’ 76.5 PFF run-defense grade sat 22nd. 5. Chicago Bears The addition of Devin Bush gives the Bears’ linebackers a boost, with the 10th overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft blossoming after struggling in his first five seasons in the league. He was the one of just two linebackers to receive PFF grades above 80.0 both against the run and in coverage in 2025, with the other being Warner. T.J. Edwards remains solid next to him, with his 70.1 PFF grade slotting 28th at the position a year ago. 6. New York Jets Demario Davis returns to the Jets in 2026, and despite his advancing age, he has continued to grade well. In 2025 with the New Orleans Saints, he earned a 89.3 PFF run-defense grade and a 70.4 PFF coverage grade. Next to him is Jamien Sherwood, who has arguably been the Jets’ breakout player over the past two seasons. Although Sherwood is on the smaller side, he has impressed against the run with an 82.0 PFF run-defense grade last season. 7. Miami Dolphins Jordyn Brooks is coming off a season that saw him rank third in the league with a 92.0 PFF run-defense grade, helping him reach a career-high 77.9 PFF grade. He’s likely to have rookies playing alongside him in Jacob Rodriguez and Trey Moore, but the Dolphins do also have the veteran experience of Tyrel Dodson should those newcomers struggle. 8. Detroit Lions The Lions’ linebacking group is headlined by Jack Campbell, who has emerged as one of the best players in the NFL at the position over the past three seasons. His 93.0 PFF run-defense grade led all linebackers, as did his 69 tackles resulting in a defensive stop. Malcolm Rodriguez and Derrick Barnes figure to take the majority of snaps alongside him, with Barnes earning a 62.3 PFF grade as a starter last year, and Rodriguez netting a 74.4 PFF grade on 318 snaps in a rotational role the year prior. 9. Baltimore Ravens Roquan Smith played to a 74.1 PFF grade last season, and at 29 years old, it has prompted many to wonder if he’s on the downslope of his career. The Ravens’ defensive scheme asked a lot of him over the past two seasons, though, and a return to a scheme similar to the one we saw from Mike Macdonald in 2023 that saw Smith earn an 83.2 PFF coverage grade should help. Teddye Buchanan had started to improve before a season ending injury last season, with PFF grades above 60.0 in four of his final five starts, while Trenton Simpson took a step forward in his development in relief of Buchanan. 10. Carolina Panthers The Panthers made a splash at linebacker in free agency, picking up Devin Lloyd after another strong season from the former Jacksonville Jaguars standout. Lloyd ranked third at the position in terms of PFF grade, and placed inside the top 11 both as a run defender and in coverage. Next to him is Trevin Wallace, who has compiled PFF coverage grades of 64.2 and 64.5 in his first two seasons in the NFL. 11. Green Bay Packers Edgerrin Cooper has impressed since arriving in the NFL, notching PFF grades above 75.0 in his first two years. While his grade dropped from 85.6 as a rookie to 75.8 last year, it’s worth pointing out that it came on a sample size that was almost double that of his first year; the fact that he was still strong in a much bigger role is important. Zaire Franklin is expected to start next to him after a trade from the Indianapolis Colts. He’s coming off a career-low 38.0 PFF grade last season, but did record PFF grades above 60.0 the two seasons prior to 2025. If Franklin can get back to that level, then he is a perfectly adequate partner for Cooper. 12. Cleveland Browns The Browns lost Bush to free agency, which definitely hurts this group, but they also got a really strong showing from Carson Schwesinger as a rookie. The 33rd overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft compiled a 75.3 PFF grade in his first year out of UCLA. Cleveland added Quincy Williams to partner him in free agency, but his 45.5 PFF grade last year was the lowest he has earned in a season since 2021. If Williams can get back to the level we saw in 2023 and 2024, the Browns will be absolutely fine, but that is not guaranteed. 13. Jacksonville Jaguars The departure of Lloyd is a big knock for the Jaguars; if they had both him and Foyesade Oluokun, they would be contending for the best pairing in the NFL. Oluokun is still a very good linebacker, having earned PFF grades above 70.0 in three of his four seasons in Jacksonville. But losing Lloyd means that the Jaguars need to see Ventrell Miller in a bigger role, with the former Florida Gator securing a 72.6 PFF grade on 220 snaps last year. 14. Washington Commanders Frankie Luvu is coming off a season that saw him notch a career-low 53.7 PFF grade, missing 21.0% of the tackles he attempted. However, he earned PFF grades above 74.0 in three straight seasons between 2021 and 2023, so there is reason to expect a bounceback. Washington also added Sonny Styles with the seventh overall selection of the 2026 NFL Draft. He has looked solid in preseason so far, meriting a 74.7 PFF grade on 29 snaps through two weeks. Yet it’s just worth a reminder that linebacker is traditionally one of the positions that we see the biggest struggles from rookies. 15. Kansas City Chiefs Nick Bolton has earned PFF grades above 60.0 in all five of his seasons in the NFL, and he set a career high with a 78.9 PFF grade in 2025. Fellow Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill also established a personal best with 76.2 PFF grade last season. While the Chiefs will miss Leo Chenal as an early-down specialist, this is still a plus group. 16. Denver Broncos Alex Singleton’s 72.2 PFF grade in 2025 was the second-best of his career, and his highest since the 2022 season. He has always been a better run defender than in coverage, but Justin Strnad has emerged as the stronger coverage defender with a 71.1 PFF coverage grade next to him to help balance the pairing out. Read more Read morePFF Linebacker Rankings: The top 32 players ahead of the 2026 NFL season By Bradley Locker (opens in new tab) 17. Los Angeles Rams Nate Landman had a solid first season in Los Angeles, earning a 68.6 PFF grade on 1,224 snaps. He was effective against the run all season, but did have some issues in coverage in the playoffs, with PFF coverage grades below 50.0 in both of the Rams’ final two games. Next to him, Omar Speights had been quality since arriving in the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of LSU. But he too has had some issues in coverage, finishing with a sub-60.0 PFF coverage grade in each of his first two seasons in the league. 18. New Orleans Saints Kaden Elliss returns to the Saints after three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons and, alongside being a strong linebacker overall, also brings some pass-rush juice with 119 pressures over the past four seasons. Pete Werner is expected to start next to him but is coming off a career-low 57.2 PFF grade in 2025. 19. Minnesota Vikings Eric Wilson is a proven run defender, having earned a 72.9 PFF run-defense grade last year, but has struggled in coverage throughout his career. His 36.5 PFF coverage grade in 2025 was a career low, and he hasn’t finished with a PFF coverage grade above 60.0 since the 2020 season. Blake Cashman has churned out PFF run-defense marks above 75.0 in each of the past three seasons, but he too set a career low with a 48.6 coverage grade last year. 20. Atlanta Falcons The departure of Elliss hurts this group, even with the emergence of Divine Deablo. He set a career high with a 77.7 PFF grade in 2025 and had PFF grades above 70.0 both against the run and in coverage. Christian Harris comes in to replace Elliss via free agency, and if he can perform like he did in 2023 — when he earned a 65.0 PFF grade— then the Falcons will be better than this ranking. But, Harris has played just 273 snaps over the past two seasons. 21. New England Patriots Robert Spillane is one of the best run defenders in the NFL, receiving PFF run-defense grades above 84.0 in each of the past three seasons, but he has recorded a PFF coverage grade above 60.0 just once in his career. Christian Elliss will start next to him again, coming off a season that saw him conclude with a 64.1 PFF grade. 22. Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Lavonte David era is over in Tampa Bay, with Alex Anzalone and rookie Josiah Trotter expected to start when the 2026 season begins. Anzalone has developed into a fair starter over the course of his career with PFF grades above 65.0 in each of the past three seasons. Trotter was an excellent run defender in college but yielded sub-50.0 PFF coverage grades in each of the past two campaigns. 23. Los Angeles Chargers Denzel Perryman returned to the Chargers ahead of the 2024 season, but has compiled PFF grades below 63.0 in each of those two seasons. Next to him, Daiyan Henley took a step back in 2025 with a 57.3 PFF grade after playing to a 69.5 grade in his second season in the NFL in 2024. If Henley can bounce back, then Los Angeles should outproduce this ranking. But if not, then the second level of the Chargers’ defense could give them serious problems. 24. Tennessee Titans Cedric Gray took a big step forward in his second season with a 78.9 PFF grade. That was driven heavily by a 92.7 PFF run-defense grade that trailed only Jack Campbell at the position. His 59.0 PFF coverage grade shows that there is still some room to grow, and if he can improve on that, then the Titans will shoot up these rankings. Cody Barton is expected to start next to him, but he has produced a PFF grade above 60.0 just once in his NFL career. 25. Pittsburgh Steelers Patrick Queen has disappointed since signing with the Steelers and is coming off a season that saw him earn a 43.5 PFF grade, tied for the second-lowest in his career. He allowed 829 yards in coverage in 2025, 96 more than any other linebacker in the regular season and playoffs. A Payton Wilson bounceback would see the Steelers rise from this. The third-year linebacker out of NC State impressed as a rookie but tallied a 54.0 PFF grade in 2025. 26. Dallas Cowboys There have been flashes from DeMarvion Overshown, but he has been on the field for just 926 snaps in his NFL career to date, and hasn’t yet had a season with either a PFF coverage or run-defense grade above 65.0. The Cowboys traded for Dee Winters to start next to him, and Winters is coming off a season that saw him earn a 60.1 PFF grade on 1,038 snaps. 27. New York Giants Tremaine Edmunds joined the Giants in free agency, coming off somewhat of a rebound year that saw him record an 80.6 PFF run-defense grade and a 52.9 PFF coverage grade. New York also drafted Arvell Reese with the fifth overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he has looked really good in limited work, playing to an 88.2 PFF grade on just 22 snaps. Yet as noted earlier, we know that linebacker is traditionally a position that sees players take some time to get acclimated in the regular season, so this could be a group that sees a leap in the second half of the year. 28. Las Vegas Raiders The Raiders added a pair of starting linebackers in free agency in Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean. Dean had a really strong showing in 2024 with a 77.4 PFF grade, and looked back to his best by the end of 2025 after dealing with an injury. Walker was a first-round draft pick back in 2022 but has never played a season with a PFF grade above 60.0. 29. Buffalo Bills The Bills return a pair of starters at linebacker who earned sub-60.0 PFF grades in 2025. Terrel Bernard missed 17.9% of the tackles he attempted and was responsible for a 46.7 PFF coverage grade last season. Dorian Williams didn’t fare any better, missing 18.2% of his tackles with a 47.0 PFF coverage grade. 30. Arizona Cardinals Mack Wilson and Cody Simon return as starters for the Cardinals after a tough 2025 season. Wilson earned a 60.1 PFF grade, missing 16.4% of his tackles, while Simon missed 19.0% of his tackles and garnered a 56.1 PFF grade. It wouldn’t be a huge shock to see Jack Gibbens, who missed just 8.6% of his tackles, move into a starting role before the end of the season. 31. Cincinnati Bengals The Bengals had two of the six lowest-graded linebackers in the NFL last season in Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight Jr. Carter produced only a 39.5 PFF grade, and Knight wasn’t much better at 40.4. In fairness, it is worth noting that there were some flashes at the end of the year, with Knight recording PFF grades of 80.7 and 71.6 in the final two games of the season, and Carter producing a PFF grade above 60.0 in two of the final three contests. As the pair heads into their second season, some improvement should be expected. 32. Indianapolis Colts There are reasons for optimism for the Colts at the linebacker position, just perhaps not this season. Akeem Davis-Gaither is expected to open the season as a starter coming off a season that saw him finish with a 49.9 PFF grade for the Arizona Cardinals. Rookie CJ Allen will start next to him, but he generated a 32.2 PFF coverage grade in his only action of the preseason so far. It is likely that there will be some growing pains as he adapts to life in the NFL."

"AUGUST 14: To’oTo’o received $12.24MM in guarantees, per Wilson. That includes a $6MM signing bonus. His base salaries for 2026 and ’27 are guaranteed in full, and up to $250K in annual per-game roster bonuses are present in the pact as well. AUGUST 6: The Texans have worked out another deal with a key member of their defense. Linebacker Henry To’oTo’o has agreed to a two-year extension, Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network report. This is a $16MM pact, per the report. The deal can reach a maximum of $17MM, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adds. To’oTo’o was set to be a pending 2027 free agent. Instead, he will now remain under team control through the 2028 campaign with a raise in hand. Selected in the fifth round of the 2023 draft, To’oTo’o handled a notable defensive role during his rookie campaign with a 43% snap share. That figure jumped to 85% the following year, with To’oTo’o starting all 15 of his appearances. Last season, he saw a slight drop in playing time but still logged over 800 defensive snaps while chipping in on special teams. A similar workload can be expected moving forward. At an average annual value of $8MM, this deal is certainly not the most lucrative signed by the Texans with one of their linebackers in 2026. Azeez Al-Shaair landed $18MM in AAV earlier this offseason, and he will be counted on as an anchor at the second level of Houston’s defense for years to come. E.J. Speed was added on a one-year Texans deal in 2025, and he re-upped on a two-year pact this spring. The linebacking corps will benefit from plenty of stability this year and beyond thanks to those commitments and this To’oTo’o extension. The Alabama product topped 100 tackles in 2024 and managed 95 last season. To’oTo’o has added four sacks and seven pass deflections over the past two years, making him an impactful role player on Houston’s defense. At the age of 25, he is seen by the team as an ascending player worth retaining on a multiyear pact. Even so, To’oTo’o will still be able to test the open market relatively soon given the short length of this extension. Houston ranked second in the NFL in scoring defense last season, and the team will aim to remain elite in that capacity in 2026 and beyond. To’oTo’o figures to have an important role in that effort, and his play over the coming years will dictate his ability to secure another raise on his third contract. View Comments (5)"