The safety position is one of the hardest to evaluate in today’s NFL, and the specific values of safeties will vary wildly from team to team, and from coach to coach.
Your defensive coordinator may play a ton of single-high stuff, and if that’s the case, your team would need that deep-third eraser who can roam the middle of the field and take off to prevent passes to either boundary. Or, you may have a quarters-heavy defense, in which case it’s more about working your part of the field, communicating with those around you, and working your way from deep to box to slot.
Add in the league’s increasing use of pre-snap to post-snap coverage switches, and it’s more true than ever — if you’re a safety, especially in deep coverage, where you started out on the field is not where you might wind up. So, your coverage keys change, and you really need to keep your wits about you against more spread formations and pre-snap motion than ever before.
Two players can be called safeties and play completely different positions — that’s probably the case with safeties than anywhere else on the field. For every Quandre Diggs, Jessie Bates III, Jordan Fuller, Rodney Thomas, or Antoine Winfield Jr. who played more than 900 snaps in the deep third last season, there are those multi-position guys who are just as important to their defenses. Take Kyle Hamilton, Xavier McKinney, Justin Reid, Harrison Smith, and Julian Blackmon. All five of those safeties played at least 300 snaps at three different positions last season — box, slot, and free.
So, when you’re out there looking for a safety, it really matters what your defense is, and how he best fits your playbook. More so than for most positions.
In this year’s edition of Touchdown Wire’s top players in the NFL lists, we start with the safety positions, and the top 11 safeties are included based on comprehensive tape study and metrics, as well as the effectiveness of the positional versatility they’re required to bring to the field.
Safety is a tough series of positions to play, and here are our 11 best in today’s NFL.
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).
1. Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens’ defense was pretty special under Mike Macdonald in 2023, and Hamilton was the guy who glued it all together. He played 492 snaps in the deep third, 463 in the box, and 302 in the slot. Hamilton was responsible for 12 tackles for loss, one forced fumble, 73 solo tackles, 40 stops, three sacks, and 16 total pressures. In coverage, he allowed 45 catches on 72 targets for 313 yards, 243 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 58.4.
All great numbers, but what sets Hamilton apart is his ability to play with the athleticism of a much smaller man at 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds. Basically, he’s a linebacker who can play press coverage like a top cornerback, and that is some “Planet Theory” stuff. This play against the Chargers proves the hypothesis — that Macdonald was comfortable putting Hamilton in press as he did here is pretty ridiculous.
And in just his second NFL season, the 14th overall pick in the 2022 draft proved to have the intellectual wherewithal to bait and beat some of the NFL’s better quarterbacks. And as is true of all the best coverage defenders in the league, Hamilton isn’t locked on his first read — he sees the entire field, and reacts accordingly.
Kyle Hamilton has every tool you could possibly want in a modern safety, and he uses all those tools at a very high level. That’s why he’s the NFL’s best safety right now.
2. Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Winfield got paid in a big way this offseason. The Buccaneers wanted their second-round pick in the 2020 draft to stick around for a while, so they gave him a four-year, $84.1 million contract with $45 million guaranteed. That makes him the NFL’s highest-paid safety in any designation you’d like. The Minnesota alum and son of the three-time Pro Bowl cornerback who played from 1999 through 2012 was all over the place for the Bucs last season, and to great effect.
In 2023, Winfield Jr. played 911 snaps at high safety, 226 in the box, and 203 in the slot. He had seven tackles for loss, six forced fumbles, 90 solo tackles, 27 stops, six sacks (the most for any safety in the league), and 20 total pressures. In coverage, he allowed 31 catches on 44 targets for 399 yards, 167 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, three interceptions, 10 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 85.3.
Winfield had to maximize his opportunities as a pass-rusher, and he certainly did that with his go-for-broke style, and awareness of how to beat blocks.
And if you want a safety who will make the most of any opportunity to take the ball away from an opponent and prevent big plays… well, not many do it better.
Winfield is a textbook example of the modern versatile safety, and that’s why he’s so high on this list.
3. Jabrill Peppers, New England Patriots
The Browns selected Peppers with the 25th overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Michigan, and it took a while for his coaches to figure out what to do with him. Back then, some coaches weren’t as attuned to the multi-position versatility guys like Peppers brought to the field, and it wasn’t until he was traded to the Giants in the 2019 Odell Beckham Jr. trade that he was able to show all he could do. 2021 was an injury-riddled season for Peppers, and as a result, he was available to the Patriots on a one-year deal that allowed him to ply his trade with a coaching staff that obviously understood defensive versatility more than most.
Peppers put together his career season in 2023, Bill Belichick’s final season, which makes sense. As much as New England’s offense was a disaster, that defense was still on point, and Peppers was a force multiplier. He played 563 snaps as a high safety, 296 in the box, and 242 in the slot. He had five tackles for loss, one forced fumble, 54 solo tackles, 28 stops, one sack, and five total pressures. In coverage, Peppers allowed 24 catches on 34 targets for 132 yards, 101 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 52.6 — third-best in the league among safeties playing at least 50% of their teams’ defensive snaps.
At this point in his career, Peppers combines fierce athleticism with outstanding on-field diagnostic skills, and that allows him to be one of the NFL’s most dominant range defenders.
Moreover, Peppers was a standout in the Belichick defenses because he could read through any route progression, and had the acuity to present quarterbacks with some interesting optical illusions.
Peppers is going into the final year of the two-year, $9 million contract he signed in 2023, which also makes him a Top 10 bargain, regardless of position.
4. Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers
The Packers had a desperate need to redefine their defense under Joe Barry, so out went Barry, in came new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley with a more modern and aggressive series of concepts, and in came Xavier McKinney as the centerpiece in free agency. Green Bay gave the former Giants defender, selected with the 36th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Alabama, a four-year, $67 million contract with $23 million guaranteed. That’s a lot of money for a position that’s often underpaid, but in 2023, McKinney proved his worth.
In 2023, McKinney played 594 snaps at high safety, 386 in the box, and 350 in the slot. He had two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, 94 solo tackles, 26 stops, no sacks and four total pressures. In coverage, he allowed 33 catches on 54 targets for 288 yards, 235 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 52.1.
McKinney will be especially valuable to his new team as a free-range guy in the deep third who can match and trail on deep routes, and can roam from the middle of the field to either boundary for breakups and interceptions.
Doubling McKinney’s importance is his knack for working receivers all the way through their routes as a short and intermediate defender. From press to box, McKinney knows how to get sticky in any kind of coverage.
The Packers went all-in on the safety position(s) this offseason, as they also selected Georgia’s Javon Bullard and Oregon State’s Kitan Oladapo in the draft. But it’s McKinney who looks to have the greatest effect right away.
5. Jessie Bates III, Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons gave Bates, the former standout Bengals safety, a four-year, $64.02 million contract with $36 million guaranteed before the 2023 season, and Bates really stood out for an Atlanta defense that came up short in other areas. Last season, Bates played 943 snaps at high safety (second-most in the NFL behind Quandre Diggs’ 1,113 for the Seahawks), 18 in the box, and 18 in the slot. So, he was perhaps the least positionally versatile player on our list, but when you have a guy who plays the deep third as well as he does, that’s where you want him most of the time.
In 2023, Bates had three tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 99 solo tackles, 29 stops, no sacks, and four total pressures. In coverage, he allowed 24 catches on 38 targets for 297 yards, 84 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, six interceptions, nine pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 74.0.
Bates can be a bit slow in his transitions at times, which is the only way you’re likely to beat him downfield. When everything is in front of him, he’s exceptionally tough to deal with, because he’ll come down to eliminate big plays, and he can lie in wait for the ball to come his way. Bates provided Bryce Young with the first two of more “Welcome to the NFL” moments than the Panthers’ rookie quarterback would have liked.
Moreover, Bates has few equals as a single-high safety who can roam from there in any direction, and that adds a lot to your coverage playbook.
Bates is capable of more than he showed in 2023, but as we said, when you have a true deep-third eraser, and you pay a lot of money for his services, why overthink it?
6. Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions
The Lions had some serious cornerback issues last season, and they’ve done as much as possible to correct them in the draft, especially with the first-round selection of Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold. There were far fewer problems with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s safety group between Ifeatu Melifonwu, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Kerby Joseph, who has become the tone-setter of that crew.
Last season, his second in the NFL after the Lions stole him in the third round of the 2022 draft out of Illinois, Joseph played 833 snaps at high safety, 111 in the box, and 97 in the slot. Joseph had a nice rookie season — he intercepted three Aaron Rodgers passes in two games against the Packers — but he was even better in 2023. That’s when he had one tackle for loss, 81 solo tackles, 10 stops, and one quarterback pressure. In coverage, where his value was most readily apparent, Joseph allowed 34 catches on 60 targets for 512 yards, 245 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, four interceptions, 13 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 57.1.
You don’t ask a safety to play that much deep third in his second season unless he has the tools to get it done. As Joseph played 742 snaps in the deep third in his rookie campaign, it was clear that the Lions trusted him back there from Day 1. And he’s responded with everything a modern defense needs in that capacity.
And while Joseph lines up in that deep third a ton, he was also a middle-field dominator with his ability to come down and demolish opposing targets — especially tight ends — on any kind of crosser over the middle.
Those routes are when you really didn’t want to see No. 31 breaking bad on you.
Joseph is one player for whom the arrow is pointing straight up, and that should only be accentuated by Detroit’s recent and intelligent investments in its cornerback group.
7. Geno Stone, Cincinnati Bengals
As was the case for multiple Ravens defensive players under Mike Macdonald, Stone had by far his best season in 2023. The 2020 seventh-round pick out of Iowa had been a bit player through his first three seasons, but got his shot in a new defense and absolutely made the most of it.
Last season, Stone played 890 snaps at deep safety, 72 in the box, and 69 in the slot. So this was another instance in which the player’s tram trusted him to be the last line of defense, and Stone responded marvelously. He had 50 solo tackles and 13 stops, but that wasn’t his game — Stone was there to make sure that Macdonald could deploy his other safeties (including the No. 1 player on our list) in other interesting ways. And as a deep-third defender, Stone allowed 28 catches on 42 targets for 197 yards, 145 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, seven interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 53.5.
Stone’s efficiency in coverage on a down-to-down basis was crucial, because a lot of defensive backs who grab a ton of interceptions can be vulnerable overall if they’re not in the right place. Stone was absolutely more than a flawed opportunist — out of nowhere, he proved to be that do-it-all deep guy.
One of the primary reasons for that is that Stone has developed a high-level knack for reading quarterbacks and disguising his intentions. When you can put a mad scientist like Joe Burrow in a bad spot, that’s saying something.
Stone is no longer Burrow’s problem because the Bengals signed Stone to a two-year, $14 million deal with $6 million guaranteed. Why a safety of this caliber got such a lowball deal is a mystery, but Cincinnati defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will undoubtedly take the spoils regardless.
8. Tyrann Mathieu, New Orleans Saints
Through the years, Tyrann Mathieu’s deployment metrics from season to season have been unpredictable, to say the least. The Cardinals picked Mathieu in the third round of the 2013 draft, and had him as a primary slot defender most of the time. One year with the Texans in 2018 had him more as a versatile rover — that was the first season in which Mathieu had at least 300 snaps at free, box, and slot. Mathieu signed with the Chiefs in 2019, just in time for Steve Spagnuolo to really let him bloom in that role. That got him a three-year, $27 million deal with the Saints in 2022.
Last season in Dennis Allen’s defense, Mathieu was more of a deep-third player, with 776 snaps as a high safety, 210 in the box, and 191 in the slot. He was good for 54 solo tackles and 19 stops. In coverage, he allowed 21 catches on 35 targets for 249 yards, 194 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, four interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 70.7.
2023 marked Mathieu’s highest rate of deployment in the deep third that he’s ever had, which is a pretty interesting construct for a 31-year-old guy. But he handled it with aplomb, showing the kind of route-matching and robber skills you’d expect from a much younger player.
And as he’s been for years, Mathieu was also hyper-athletic and aware when asked to do anything closer to the line of scrimmage or in the red zone.
Mathieu is one of several Saints players who have renegotiated their contracts to help the team with its annual “Where the hell did they get their cap room?” dance, but he still has two more seasons with the team. Don’t bet against him excelling all the way through that pact.
9. Tashaun Gipson Sr., Free Agent
Gipson has been around for a while — he started his NFL career as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns in 2012 — and he was a bit of a league afterthought when he joined the 49ers in 2022. Even then, he bounced from the practice squad to the active roster for a time, which is kind of nuts when you consider how well he’s played in San Francisco’s defenses over the last two seasons. In 2023, the 33-year-old Gipson continued to fool Father Time at a position where age generally doesn’t just come calling; it tends to break down the door.
In 2023, Gipson played 881 snaps at high safety, 224 in the box, and 193 in the slot. Only Justin Reid of the Chiefs and Antoine Winfield Jr. of the Buccaneers played more snaps among safeties than Gipson’s 1,219. The veteran had four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, 56 solo tackles, 15 stops, one sack, and eight total pressures. In coverage, he allowed 19 catches on 36 targets for 246 yards, 93 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 72.2.
Gipson isn’t going to break any land speed records on the field at this point in his career, but he’s an object example of the kind of player people mean when they talk about “football speed.” He’s smooth in his transitions, he reads routes like a psychic, and when the action’s in front of him, he understands how to get to Point B better than most.
At the line of scrimmage, Gipson’s knack for the ball allows him to break through run fits and stop plays from happening downfield. If the 49ers made him more of a box safety, you’d see more of this, but why do that when he’s so good as a deep defender?
Gipson’s most recent one-year, $2.9 million contract with the 49ers expired, and he’s still on the market for whatever reason… so some lucky team is going to get quite the bargain before the regular season begins.
10. Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts
Selected by the Colts in the third round of the 2020 draft out of Utah, Blackmon was enjoying a career season in 2023 before it was shut down by a shoulder injury in Week 16. That’s been an unfortunate story in Blackmon’s NFL career — he’s never played a full season among his four in the league, but he did re-sign with Indianapolis on a one-year, $3.7 million deal that allows him to try and stay healthy all the way through and cash in next year.
Based on performance alone, Blackmon’s bank account should be bigger. Last season, he played 472 snaps at high safety, 331 in the box, and 316 in the slot. He complied four tackles for loss, 72 solo tackles, 30 stops, and four quarterback pressures. In coverage, he allowed 31 catches on 44 targets for 365 yards, 207 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, four interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 57.5.
Blackmon can be deployed all over the field because he transitions so well between the slot, the box, and the deep third. And he can do all of that in the same play.
Blackmon is an acrobatic playmaker when the ball is in his area, and he was a step way from even more interceptions in 2023.
Hopefully, Blackmon’s health will match his talent in 2024 and beyond; it would be good for the Colts in the near term, and Blackmon can be one of the NFL’s top safeties. In fact, he already is.
11. Xavier Woods, Carolina Panthers
The 2023 Panthers were a disaster, ranking dead last in Total DVOA, 31st in Offensive DVOA, and 25th in Defensive DVOA. And their “reward” for their league-worst 2-15 record was to watch the Bears use their No. 1 overall pick because they traded that pick in 2023 to move up and select Bryce Young first overall in the 2023 draft.
Um, yikes.
One guy who didn’t get the memo was veteran safety Xavier Woods, who signed a three-year, $15 million deal with Carolina in 2022 and put together his best year to date in 2023 amongst all that stuff. Woods had a few good seasons with the Cowboys, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2017 draft out of Louisiana Tech, played one season with the Vikings in 2021, and then migrated to his current home.
Last season, Woods played 640 snaps as a high safety, 84 in the box, and 79 in the slot. He missed some time early in the season with a hamstring issue, but came back strong. Overall, he totaled four tackles for loss, 50 tackles, and 17 stops. In coverage, he allowed 18 catches on 25 targets for 132 yards, 63 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 50.7 — the lowest allowed among all safeties who played at least 50% of their teams’ defensive snaps.
Woods is an ideal safety for today’s NFL, because he’s a good single-high safety, but he also understands the coverage responsibilities tied to two-deep looks — especially quarters, which is quickly becoming de facto for the league these days.
Also, Woods was a real bomber when he was asked to drop from his deep responsibilities to nuke run fits.
The Panthers look to be in a long-term rebuild under new head coach Dave Canales, but Woods is already where he needs to be. It will be interesting to see what his 2024 season looks like, and what that allows him to do beyond that.
Honorable mention
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Derwin James Jr., Los Angeles Chargers
Quandre Diggs, Free Agent
Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins
Julian Love, Seattle Seahawks
