CBS Sports looks at the 2026 first-time defensive All-Pro candidates, with Jared Verse and Byron Murphy II in focus

The NFL’s All-Pro teams remain the league’s most direct measure of defensive dominance, separate from awards tied to single-game impact or quarterback-centric headlines. In a preview for 2026, CBS Sports framed its list around the idea that several younger defensive players are positioned to make the leap from “watch them” to “first-team” as the season unfolds.

CBS Sports’ premise includes a notable baseline from the prior year: there were 12 first-time All-Pros on defense, and that group included all four linebacker selections. The point of that framing is straightforward. If voters are willing to hand first-time honors across multiple linebacker spots, it stands to reason other defensive positions could also see new names break through when production and overall team context align.

Among the candidates CBS Sports spotlighted up front are Jared Verse and Byron Murphy II, identified in the projection as leading members of a “crop of rising defensive stars” that could earn first-team All-Pro recognition this season. The article’s structure is positional, using each spot on defense as a way to narrow down who has the profile to become the next “name on the ballot” for first-team honors.

Verse and Murphy II are treated in the piece as examples of players trending into the kind of full-season value All-Pro voters typically reward: week-to-week impact, game-changing ability against key opponents, and the consistency that turns a highlight player into an every-down defensive force. Rather than focusing on awards as a popularity contest, the projection emphasizes how defensive recognition often follows sustained performance.

CBS Sports also ties its broader defensive watch list to teams it describes as having young talent worth tracking, including the Cleveland Browns and the Seattle Seahawks. That framing matters because the All-Pro conversation does not happen in a vacuum. Defensive players usually receive the widest visibility when their units are functioning well enough for voters to see them as repeat problems for offenses, not just occasional disruptors.

Still, it is important to treat any “All-Pro prediction” as exactly that, particularly in late August, when preseason evaluations can influence how the league anticipates matchups and roles. The projection provides a starting point for who could stand out, but it does not replace the season’s evidence: how a player is used, how often opponents have to adjust, and whether the defense’s overall performance puts individual players in the clearest position to be credited.

What to watch next is less about the label “candidate” and more about which players separate themselves early in the 2026 season. If the voters’ pattern from the previous year holds, first-time All-Pros could again come from multiple levels of the defense, including the pass rush, the secondary, and linebacker rooms where voters have already shown openness to new honorees.

As the season progresses, the CBS Sports list becomes a useful checklist: when Verse, Murphy II, and the other positional standouts match their preseason projection with tangible, repeatable impact, they will be well-positioned for All-Pro consideration. If the underlying roles change or team defensive structure limits individual visibility, those candidates could fade quickly, even if they perform well enough to be valuable. Either way, the 2026 All-Pro race on defense should be defined by who earns that “first-team” clarity rather than who merely looks promising in August.