Craig StoutJun 25, 2026
Craig Stout ranked their top 10 NFL defensive tackles for 2026 with Jeffrey Simmons first and Quinton Williams second, and predicted Chris Jones posts another top-five defensive tackle season while Simmons remains the league's best.
Said on air, transcribed by us · KC Sports Network (podcast)Hear the original
What Craig Stout said
our reading, beside the words we read it fromThis is still going to be a top five defensive tackle season for Chris Jones.
- Where it was said
- KC Sports Network (podcast)
- The episode
- KC Laboratory 6/24: Is Chris Jones Still the Best DT In The NFL? (2026 DT Rankings)
- The original
- Hear the original
- Read it wrong?
- Tell us and we will look
- 1Jeffery Simmons to finish top 1 at his position, by sacks“I expect Jeffrey Simmons to still be the best defensive tackle in football just like he was last year.”
- 2Chris Jones to finish top 5 at his position, by an unstated measure“This is still going to be a top five defensive tackle season for Chris Jones because that's just the player that he is”
- 3Top Player Lists“Number 10, Dexter Lawrence... Pela Carter is number nine on mine. Number eight is Osa Odigazuwa... problem causers... Kobe Turner... he moves up to number seven... Vita Vea, and number five, Zach Allen... standard bearers. This is Chris Jones at number four, Leonard Williams at number three... game wreckers. Number two, Quinton Williams and number one, Jeffrey Simmons.”
Box score
HitCloseMissWaiting| Verdict | Call | Kind | What happened | Score | Naive | Skill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeffery Simmons to finish top 1 at his position, by sacks1 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| Chris Jones to finish top 5 at his position, by an unstated measure2 | Positional Finishes | — | — | — | — | |
| “Number 10, Dexter Lawrence... Pela Carter is number nine on…”3 | Top Player Lists | — | — | — | — | |
| 3 calls · 3 waiting | — | — | ||||
How each call scored
3 checkable claims — 2 positional finishes and 1 top player list — each graded on its own rather than as one all-or-nothing call.
It names 3 players and teams, each linked to their own record.
None of them have settled yet — they grade once their results are in.
Of the 1 unsettled call enough other pundits have weighed in on, this one lands below the rest of the room.
Each call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same calls; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
Their call against the record
positional finishTheir call against what actually happened last time. Not yet settled.
1Positional FinishesJeffery SimmonsTennessee Titans
Jeffery Simmons to finish top 1 at his position, by sacks
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
2Positional FinishesChris Jones
Chris Jones to finish top 5 at his position, by an unstated measure
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
“Number 10, Dexter Lawrence... Pela Carter is number nine on mine. Number eight is Osa Odigazuwa... problem causers... Kobe Turner... he moves up to number seven... Vita Vea, and number five, Zach Allen... standard bearers. This is Chris Jones at number four, Leonard Williams at number three... game wreckers. Number two, Quinton Williams and number one, Jeffrey Simmons.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
Who this take is about
Others on the same people
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Sullivan says it would not surprise them if the Titans beat the Colts for their first win of the season, arguing the line is too big in the divisional matchup.
More positional finishes
The same kind of call, about other players and teams.
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