Non-US Players Who Could Shine in 2026 NFL

The NFL likes to call itself America’s game, but a growing number of the players holding down starting jobs across the league were not born anywhere near the United States. Some arrived through the league’s International Player Pathway program, others simply grew up somewhere else before their families relocated stateside, and a few have built genuine star-level careers without much fanfare about where they came from. 

Here is a look at some of the non-American players who could have a real say in how the 2026 season plays out.

Alaric Jackson, Los Angeles Rams

Take a look at the American football odds for the 2026 season, and you’ll see that the Los Angeles Rams are at the top of the list. The reason lies in the Matthew Stafford/Puka Nacua connection: the QB’s going to throw the ball, and the WR is going to catch it and score lots of TDs in 2026. That’s the idea, at least, but to execute it, they’ll need help from their offensive linemen, one of whom is Alaric Jackson.

Jackson was born in Windsor, Ontario, and holds dual Canadian-American citizenship, which makes him one of the more understated international success stories in the league right now. He went undrafted out of Iowa in 2021, made the Rams’ roster anyway, and has since become an entrenched starter at left tackle, protecting Stafford’s blind side on a team many books list among the favorites to win it all this season. Jackson signed a three-year, $57 million extension last year, proof that his path from undrafted free agent to one of the league’s better tackles was no fluke.

Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals

Brown, born and raised in London, Ontario, turned in one of the most productive seasons of any running back in football last year, racking up 1,456 yards from scrimmage and setting the all-time NFL record for scrimmage yards by a Canadian-born player in a single season. He and his twin brother Sydney, now with the Philadelphia Eagles, both came through the same household in London before starring at Illinois. Chase heads into 2026 as Cincinnati’s unquestioned lead back, and if the Bengals’ offense clicks the way it is capable of, he could push for a Pro Bowl bid.

Jordan Mailata, Philadelphia Eagles

Mailata’s story remains one of the most remarkable in modern NFL history. The Australian had never played organized football before joining the league through the International Player Pathway program, having come from a rugby league background, and he has since developed into one of the better starting left tackles in the entire league for an Eagles team that has been a fixture in the NFC’s upper tier. Few players from the Pathway program have made the leap from complete outsider to legitimate starter as convincingly as Mailata has.

Danielle Hunter, Houston Texans

Hunter was born in St. Catherine, Jamaica, and moved to Katy, Texas at age eight, a route that eventually led to a college career at LSU and a long, productive run with the Minnesota Vikings before he signed with the Texans in 2024. He is now one of the highest-paid edge rushers in football on a one-year, $40 million extension, and he became one of the fastest players in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks. Paired with Will Anderson Jr., Hunter gives Houston one of the most dangerous edge-rushing duos anywhere in the league heading into 2026.

Anyone Else?

These guys barely scratch the surface of how international the modern NFL roster has become, and that trend shows no sign of slowing down. For a closer look at just how many international players have carved out real NFL careers against long odds, this rundown of overseas players who made it in the NFL is a good place to keep exploring the full list.