Top 10 Safeties In The NFL 2022
Top 10 Safeties In The NFL 2022. Safety is a crucial position in American football for its versatile roles and defensive strategies. Safeties line up in the ten to fifteen-yard range from the scrimmage line. Their role is to cover passes and tackle the ball in defense.
The National Football League (NFL) comprises talented safeties who can bring turning points in matches. Whether the free or strong safety, these players have shown remarkable performances over all these years.
Currently, no NFL matches are occurring according to their calendar. Thus, it is the best time to recollect and learn about the greatest safeties in the game. These names are according to research based on analytical parameters. The list tries to cover all safety styles, owing to the diversity of this position.
Thus, without further delay, let us read about the top 10 safeties in the NFL 2022.
Kevin Byard
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He is a brilliant player in the safety position with many achievements. The pass catchers at the opposition could not manage to perform well in front of him. They achieved only 63.5% success in hauling their targets. Kevin played marvelously and bagged 88 tackles, 13 pass breakups, and 5 interceptions.
In addition to covering passes, he is an excellent tackler. He is also titled the 2021 first-team All-Pro. Most of his tackling attempts are successful, with a failure rate of only 2.2% in the last season.
Byard has contributed immensely to the defensive back of the Titans in his career. Pro Football Focus (PFF) declared the team the best safety in coverage in the previous season. His favorite position seems to be the outfield spot manning, as he got 603 snaps there as a free safety.
Derwin James
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He is a strong player in the defense line-up of the Chargers. Due to health issues, he was restricted to playing five games only in 2019-20, and he displayed his remarkable skill at the position.
James excels in covering all positions, such as receivers, tight ends, and running backs. His greatest number of snaps is 361, which is in the box. The passer rating that this player has allowed is 68.4, which ranks five in the game statistics.
Jessie Bates II
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Another notable player is Bates playing for the Bengals with a passer rating of 35.6. In addition, the pass-receivers at the opposition could not manage more than 36.4% to haul their targets.
Despite being a bright player, there is some confusion about Jessie’s prospect in his current team. Notwithstanding, this footballer shows his talent outstandingly whenever he gets the chance.
Justin Simmons
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According to the PFF data, this player was tied in second ranking based on Approximate Value. Simmons has played in this position excellently in the last three NFL seasons. His performance has improved by many folds from the first half of his career. He gathered 639 snaps at the free safety position. Hopefully, the Broncos will explore more of this player’s gaming skills in the subsequent seasons.
Marcus Williams
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He is one of the most brilliant and versatile NFL safeties. PFF ranked him the seventh best player within eligible safeties in the last season. In the 16 games he played for the Saints, he allowed a passer rating of only 54.2.
Williams excels in the free safety position, unlike other players with versatile roles. Focusing on this category, he has logged 922 snaps for the defensive back of the Saints. Due to his hard work and talent, James recently signed a deal for five years with the Ravens worth $70 million.
Budda Baker
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This player is a conspicuous name in the strong safety department. He is a meticulous tackler and has led to 160 stops in his career of five years. By playing 17 games for the Cardinals, he has also bagged two sacks and 98 tackles.
The highest passer rating in his career is 78.6. Besides strong safety, Budda is also great in the free safety, box line-up, and slot positions.
Antoine Winfield Jr.
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Right from his career’s beginning, Winfield focused on his gameplay. Currently, he is one of the best young NFL safeties. PFF ranks him at number five for the eligible safeties. His incredible talent earned the Bucs the Super Bowl in his rookie year.
Antoine’s forte is in the free safety position and is rarely seen in the box line-up or slot. The passer rating, he allowed in the last NFL season was only 63.9. It is hard to believe from his statistics that the next season will just be his third.
Tyrann Mathieu
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This adept player is the fifth-best safety per PFF ranking. He also received the title of Pro Bowl nod for the second time in a row. His defensive gameplay resulted in 438 snaps in the box.
Tyrann’s rank based on his Approximate Value was eight last year. Recently, he parted ways from the Chiefs and is about to join the Saints. The latter can leverage Mathieu’s talent, and we hope to see some remarkable gameplay in the future.
Jordan Poyer
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This skillful footballer was titled the first-team All-Pro in the last NFL season. He was among the Buffalo secondary, and his team ranked at the top per the DVOA parameters. Poyer’s 16 games led to three sacks and five interceptions, both figures being the best in his career.
Adrian Amos
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This safety might be underrated, but his talent is not latent. He performed brilliantly in the last year, bagging 573 snaps as a free safety. He also had 317 and 141 snaps in the box and slot, respectively, indicating his versatility.
Amos has been playing for the Packers since 2018. He has shown his safety skills for at least 97% of the snaps from the defensive role. Thus, he is a consistent and mature player and an all-rounder in the safety roles.
All the safeties mentioned above have performed remarkably in their career, be it short or long. We wait eagerly to see more of their defensive gameplay and some great matches in the NFL 2022 season.