With the NFL’s increasing focus on the passing game, the “last line of defense” is becoming more and more important, and safeties are actually not considered a premium position in American football. True to their job description, however, in modern times the gentlemen not only have to eradicate the mistakes of their front people, they should also provide a whole series of impact plays themselves. We introduce some of the best duos on the position and see which NFL teams are on the “safe” side, at least in the secondary!
Adrian Amos & Darnell Savage (Green Bay Packers)
The physical Adrian Amos has spent his entire NFL career in NFC North, first with the Chicago Bears and for two years with their bitter rivals in Green Bay. He has to one of the most underrated players in the NFL develops and gives the Packers’ backfield a much-needed punch. His game is versatile, physical and reliable.
Former Terp Darnell Savage with his third interception in the last two games. pic.twitter.com/3D1QQKjUbO
— Matt Levine (@MattLevine__) December 7, 2020
Compared to Amos, colleague Savage (in English: “wild”) is more of a classic center fielder with a lot of range in the deep space. The former Maryland Terrapin makes up for his lack of athletic experience, making four interceptions and seven defended passes last season. In 2021 he should take another step forward in the NFL hierarchy.
Justin Simmons & Kareem Jackson (Denver Broncos)
Justin Simmons has been offseason since this NFL the highest paid safety in the leagueafter extending his contract with the Broncos by four years and a whopping $ 61 million. For many experts he is rightly so, not a few see him as the best professional in his position. While he had a few slip ups in the short passing game in 2020, almost no one is patrolling the deep end as confidently as he is. Simmons only allowed two catches for more than 20 yards and not a single touchdown.
As a former cornerback, Kareem Jackson used to benefit more from the game of safeties, today he is one himself and makes use of his former coverage talents even at an advanced age. Jackson is also not afraid to use his body against the running game, as shown by his 90 tackles in the past NFL season.
Jordan Poyer & Micah Hyde (Buffalo Bills)
Above all, their unpredictability makes the safety duo of the Bills one of the NFL’s top tandems. As a former slot cornerback, Micah Hyde mainly takes on deep coverage as free safety, but can also be used in many other positions. In 2020 he played 22 snaps in the defensive line, 284 in the box and 163 in the slot.
Thank you, Jordan Poyer (@ J_poyer21), for sharing your powerful story ???? https://t.co/lZZwhWcGEb
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) March 14, 2021
Jordan Poyer convinces with similar versatility, but feels a little more comfortable with the line of scrimmage than his partner. In 2020 he delivered an outstanding 124 tackles and at the same time contributed two forced fumbles, two interceptions and two sacks. His most important success, however, was probably the one against addiction. Poyer told his fans via Instagram that he was a former alcoholic has been dry for over a year now.
Quandre Diggs & Jamal Adams (Seattle Seahawks)
It was an enormous pricethat the Seahawks paid for Jamal Adams last year (including two first round draft picks) and based on that, the ex-Jet disappointed in its first NFL season in the Northwest. Injuries regularly limited his coverage, which is not his greatest strength anyway. 9.5 sacks and 24 quarterback pressures (15 more than the next best safety) in just twelve games, on the other hand, make it clear what an enormous impact the three-time pro bowler can have in the box.
The fact that Adams can enjoy these freedoms as a pass rusher with Head Coach Pete Carroll is mainly due to his neighbor Quandre Diggs. The 28-year-old Texan often operated as a single High Safety in cover 1 and only made 12 catches. In contrast, he was able to pick five interceptions from the air and made it into the Pro Bowl for the first time during his NFL career.
Marcus Williams & Malcolm Jenkins (New Orleans Saints)
The New Orleans Saints under Coordinator Dennis Allen are not the only ones who are secretly, quietly and quietly to one of the better defenses of the NFC developed, their Free Safety Marcus Williams has long been one of the premium defenders in his position. In the offseason he got the franchise tag from the Saints, also because he only made three missed tackles and made three interceptions at the same time last season.
Malcolm Jenkins has missed just two snaps since 2018 ????
He’s played 2,633 out of a possible 2,635 snaps since 2018 (99.9%) ???? pic.twitter.com/RpVVa9tsgi
– SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 9, 2020
His partner Malcolm Jenkins is now 33 years old, but his return to the “Big Easy” was a success. The two-time Super Bowl Champion spreads a lot of calm with his experience and can be used in various positions. Especially as “Robber” in the Underneath Coverage, he gave the Saints a lot of security in the middle of the field and contributed an impressive 91 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and ten blocked passes.
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