1
James Harrison | 80.5 sacks - 177 games
It wasn’t until 2007 — five years into his career — that James Harrison started to put up substantial sack numbers. Once he did, he went on a tear. He logged 8.5 sacks in ’07, 3.5 of which came versus the Baltimore Ravens. Deebo posted double-digit sacks in three consecutive seasons (2008-10).
2
Jason Gildon | 76.5 sacks - 157 games
Bridging the gap between Greg Lloyd/Kevin Greene era and the Harrison/LaMarr Woodley era was the great Jason Gildon. He was ferocious in his approach and recorded three seasons of double-digit sacks (1998, 2000-01). Amazingly enough, Gildon’s career-high 13.5 sacks didn’t come until near the end of his career in ’00. His numbers earned him two seasons in the top 10 of league sack artists. His 76.5 sacks were amassed over 157 games.
3
Joey Porter | 60 sacks - 121 games
Joey Porter played four seasons with Gildon, and the two wreaked havoc on quarterbacks. Peezy had two seasons with double-digit sacks (2000, 2005). Unfortunately, his career-high 17.5 sacks came two seasons after he left Pittsburgh for the Miami Dolphins.
4
Keith Willis | 59 sacks - 126 games
Keith Willis is the only defensive end in the top five. An undrafted college free agent out of Boston’s Northeastern University, Willis quietly racked up sack after sack on a Steelers team that mainly struggled during his tenure. In 1982 — his second season — Willis set what was then a team single-season record with 14 sacks. He would miss the entire 1988 season with a neck injury but returned the following year to start all 16 games and record 6.5 sacks.
5
LaMarr Woodley | 57 sacks - 94 games
LaMarr Woodley nearly reached Willis’ and Porter’s sack stats and did so in fewer games. He averaged a clip over a half-sack per game. Woodley amassed double-digit sacks in three straight seasons (2008-10), which earned him two seasons in the top 10 of league sack leaders. His career-high 13.5 sacks placed him third overall in 2009.
