His 2025 season was cut short by migraines, but Juanyeh Thomas continued to flash in limited playing time for the Dallas Cowboys. He's a versatile defender on the back end, whose talents mesh better in the box. He's not afraid to run the alley and take on blocks, but could improve his pursuit angles. His man coverage tools and technique are there, with smooth hips to transition quickly and mirror, making big slot reps easier. There's talent, but he hasn't played enough to develop the instincts and zone awareness against NFL competition to be a consistent defender on the back end. Thomas will be joining Lou Anarumo's defense in Indianapolis this season. If the migraine issue is taken care of, he'll have the chance to compete for a starting role.

Tough, versatile, and assignment sound. Traits that all backup/rotational NFL players need to maintain or ascend at their positions. Cam Lewis brings them in spades and will do whatever the defense asks of him. Not the most physically gifted player, his lack of length, recovery speed, and tackling consistency has made him more of a sub-package player to this point in his career. He showed excellent nickel versatility and the willingness to play in the box last season and will be looking to earn a role in Chicago.

After starting the first five games of the season, Jason Pinnock was relegated to the bench in San Francisco. He played 50% of the snaps once after Week 5 and played more as a "big nickel" for the 49ers. Pinnock moves downhill quickly, which is what makes him such an impactful blitzer, and he can get to the flat with power. The former day-three draft selection flashed as a man-coverage player but struggled to make an impact at the catch point and is prone to giving up space and not reading out routes. Pinnock is heading back to New York in the hopes of reclaiming his impact.

The coverage performance over the last few years is a big reason Donovan Wilson remains a free agent. He's a hard-hitting run defender who will fill gaps well from anywhere on the field, but he's a liability in coverage. He doesn't have the recovery range or instincts to take on a large number of rotations and must play top-down to be effective. Wilson is a joy to watch, enforcing the run and trying to lay out the ball carrier, but his alarming missed tackle rate, combined with his coverage issues, makes it tough to put him on an NFL field.

Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is a smooth mover on the field and will be stepping into a competition for the starting role at free safety for the Cardinals this season. After increasing his ball production output, Taylor-Demerson was a rotational part of the secondary but played fewer than 500 snaps. When he sees a lane in the run game, he's willing to fill it and make the tackle, but the angles he takes are suspect in both phases of the game. That leaks into his coverage profile and, even with some instincts, he needs to improve his angles. If the former fourth-round pick can improve his film study and paths to the ball carrier, he can be the starter next to Budda Baker.

Chuck Clark has lost a step athletically in recent years, but he is a good communicator and a smart player in the secondary. More of a rotational piece at this point, he's a good underneath zone defender who's unafraid to trigger downhill and make tackles in the run game. As a coverage defender, Clark brings more value underneath in zones where he can use his route anticipation and trigger, but he isn't someone who will recover downfield or give a defense any range on the back end. He'll be tasked with bringing that physicality and football IQ to Detroit to help them weather the storm at safety until their starters get healthy.

A jack-of-all-trades type player, Andrew Wingard is a hard-nosed, high-effort safety who helps set the tone. He lacks the athletic traits to be a rangy back-end safety or play shut-down man coverage, but he can handle rotations, play down in the box, and be a snap eater as part of a rotation. He played well as a top-down option and is a willing run defender, but is an overall limited player with limited impact.

Molden didn't take a step forward in Minter's defense in year two, but instead looked like a shell of himself. It's possible he was playing through a hamstring injury he suffered early in 2025 that kept him out of Weeks 2 and 3, and then popped up again at the end of the season. He looked slower to recover, anticipate routes, and attack the catch point. Going from seven passes defensed and three interceptions in 2024 to one interception and one pass defensed last season tells the story of a player who didn't trust in his body to trigger the same way. Hopefully, a full offseason to heal up will see Molden return to form.