Canal Street Chronicles
Discovering where the best defensive backfields are.
To round out the defensive portion of our division rankings series, we will examine the all-important safety position. Here’s how they stacked up:
Kevin Byard III leads Chicago’s safeties. He is a quality, productive player in the league who managed seven pass deflections in 2024 in addition to one interception. In complement, the Bears have former second-round pick Jaquan Brisker across the field.
The Lions have the top one-two punch in the NFL with Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch prowling the field. Joseph led the NFL with nine interceptions while Branch had four. Both are arguably top-five players at the position, and Detroit having both on the same team is unfair to opposing offenses.
Green Bay’s Xavier McKinney played his first season with the Packers in 2024 after spending his first four seasons with the New York Giants. He finished last year with eight interceptions, good for second in the league. Evan Williams holds down the SS spot.
Harrison Smith and Josh Mettelus combined for five INTs last season in Minnesota. The tandem is going into their sixth year of playing together and has since been a consistent bright spot for the Vikings.
Arizona’s Budda Baker finished second in the league with 95 solo tackles. The safety flies around the field and seems to always be part of the play. Baker shares the field with SS Jalen Thompson.
Los Angeles has a pair of same-name teammates that roam for the Rams’ defense. Kamren Curl and Kamren Kinchens both played in their first season with LA in 2024. Kinchens was a rookie while Curl joined the team from Washington.
The 49ers' safety situation is of concern with Malik Mustapha not expected to be available at the beginning of the season. Mustapha went down last year in the final game of the regular season and had surgery to repair a torn graft in his right knee. Ji’Ayir Brown and Marques Sigle, a fifth-round pick in April’s draft, will attempt to make up for the void.
Seattle’s Coby Bryant and Julian Love both saw improved play at the safety position under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. The former defensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens would hope to see continued growth from the duo.
Jessie Bates III is the anchor to the Falcons’ defensive backfield. Bates has been one of the top safeties in the league for a few years now and will look to continue that pattern into 2025. Jordan Fuller covers the FS position for Atlanta.
Carolina signed S Tre’von Moehrig to a new three-year contract this offseason. After spending the previous four seasons in Las Vegas, Moehrig will look to make an immediate impact in a porous Panther...
