Stone's game is predicated on creating turnovers through instinctive identification and downhill driving to the ball. If he isn't able to create turnovers, he'll be a sore spot on the defense, and he was last season for the Bengals. He takes poor angles in coverage and, when tackling, isn't the recovery athlete a free safety should be on the back end, and lacks the tools to man up consistently and play closer to the box. He reads plays out and will mirror the quarterback's eyes, is a willing physical player, and will be a good rotational body to have, but Stone needs a reset after his time in Cincinnati.

In what was a tough season for the Commanders, Quan Martin came in with high expectations, but looked lost in coverage last season. Likely better in a "big nickel" role, Martin took most of his snaps as a safety and struggled to locate routes that weren't coming into view and lacked the feel needed to play further away from the ball. He takes risky angles in pursuit, which led to missed tackles and yards after the catch. He's a downhill thumper and wants to take part against the run with the mentality needed to be impactful, but Martin looked uncomfortable playing in space and against receivers in coverage.

The Jaguars signed Eric Murray after playing the most snaps in his career during his final season in Houston, and he played predominantly on top of Anthony Campanile's defense. A top-down, hard-hitting safety in Murray helps change the style of defense you're looking to play with: catch-point collisions, trigger-to-the-flat tackles, and playing fast. Murray isn't the instinctive, man-coverage-style playmaker, but he can handle a lot of jobs within the safety position and helped balance out the safety room in Jacksonville.

PJ Locke underwent a risky spinal fusion surgery last offseason that not only improved his everyday life but also kept him on the field. Typically more of an agent of chaos, Locke is a defender who will fly downhill to deliver a big hit whenever possible. He outleveraged himself too often and would take too long to pass off routes, allowing more space for catches underneath and to vacate space. His range on the backend is still there, but he looked uncomfortable in space last season and more reactionary than anticipatory. Locke reunites with Christian Parker in Dallas as a depth piece for a new-look secondary.

A more comfortable player near the line of scrimmage, Ji'Ayir Brown goes from making an excellent defensive play to a head-scratching one at a moment's notice. He's shown the potential he had coming out of Penn State and loves to trigger downhill with bad intentions, but in space he takes poor angles to the football and loses track of his responsibilities. Brown has flashed coverage playmaking with a couple of interceptions against the Panthers and six passes broken up last season; however, there wasn't enough consistency in his game to be confident in him when the ball was in the air. He enters a make-or-break season with the 49ers with a lot of questions swirling about his future.

There were big expectations and shoes to fill for Jaden Hicks in Kansas City last season. The Chiefs let Justin Reid walk in free agency, which paved the way for Hicks to assume that role in Spags' defense. It didn't play out the way they envisioned. He looked like a fish out of water in zone coverage, particularly buzzing down underneath; he overleveraged himself to the quarterback too often, and took a step back with more responsibilities on his plate. There were still moments of ball skills, being an enforcer in the run game and quick-passing game, and recovering to make a play downfield, but those flashes were fewer in year two.

A safety who is better in the box than in coverage, Chamarri Conner brings dime backer looks and execution to the defense. His instincts take him to the football, but he isn't always capable of locating it or taking it away. Conner struggles to tackle consistently and often takes poor angles to the ball carrier, but tends to make electric plays once or twice a game. His reps in the slot magnified his poor man coverage ability, but he started playing more in the box as a safety, which improved his play last season. He gave up the most yards in coverage in his career in 2025, and while he brings value against the run, he's been a player that offenses will target.

Still a dangerous robber player who drives downhill from the safety position, Kyle Dugger wasn't the same player last season as he was in the past. Always looking to jump routes and read plays before they revealed themselves, Dugger was caught out of position too often, and he was eventually benched in the last game of the season. He's more natural in the box; reads out runs well, and throws his body around in the run game. His instincts and run game prowess could prove useful in Cincinnati, but his up-and-down results should give him a short leash going forward.

Forced into playing more post-safety than he was comfortable with in 2025, Isaiah Pola-Mao struggled to find his footing. An early-season injury to Lonnie Johnson put more on Pola-Mao's shoulders, and the comfort from deep never came to fruition, but down the stretch, with more reps closer to the line of scrimmage, he started to turn it around. He shows good play recognition and a feel for coverage as a two-high or intermediate defender, but is better as part of a safety rotation. Putting too much on his plate overcomplicates his role.

The Bills had a need at safety when Taylor Rapp got injured last season, and they welcomed Jordan Poyer back into the fold with Arms Wide Open (you're welcome). He battled a hamstring injury for nearly all of the season; that, along with his age, affected his ability as a man-coverage defender and his recovery, but he still brought his football IQ and instincts to the field. Much of his best football from 2025 came down the stretch for the Bills' postseason run before missing the final game of the regular season, and then aggravated his hamstring injury in the Wild Card round.

Jeremy Reaves was called upon to play more in 2025 than ever before in his career. In a defense full of coverage busts and miscommunications, Reaves was more of a steady presence than expected. He looked shaky, at times, when trying to read out routes in zone, but triggering downhill when a route opened up in front of him was electric. When playing fast, Reaves can show off his speed and looked solid as a man defender when asked. He plays the run well from depth or in the box and started to get more comfortable down the stretch.

There's a trend to watch with the Giants' defense: for all their talent, they're giving up too many big plays, and defenders are hesitating when they could make a play. Tyler Nubin is the microcosm of their 2025. One down: he's breaking on a throw and meets the receiver at the catch point; then, another, he'll miss the route concept and be late. He seemed more comfortable in the box against the run and driving to the flat against the quick game or check downs, closer to the action, where he didn't have to think as much. Getting depth in coverage led to poor angles, hesitant drops, and difficulty feeling routes both behind and in front of him. The talent is there, but it'll be a big year three for Nubin.

The emergence of Okada last season softened the blow of Coby Bryant leaving in free agency, as he was a reliable piece of the puzzle in the absence of Julian Love. While he started to gain confidence and comfort as the season went along, he did a nice job of filling against the run, tackling in the flat against running backs/receivers, and making timely plays. Okada will be a better role player than a full-time starter, but that's just how Macdonald wants it. With the drafting of a young, instinctual ball hawk in Bud Clark, Okada can help in the intermediate area where he shines picking up over routes and triggering to the flat.

Jordan Battle was an iron man for the Bengals defense last season and turned in the most interceptions of his young career. He didn't create the interceptions, but he was in the right place at the right time, which comes with being around the ball. He's a willing and physical run defender who plays his best near the box, where he can sort through the trash and make plays. But he missed 21 tackles last season (per Pro Football Reference) and allowed far too many big plays in the process. Battle showed he could handle more rotations and deep zones when staying on top of routes last season, but his recovery range is limited, and he tends to be a step slow in recovery. The former third-round pick is entering a contract season, and with Bryan Cook in the fold, that should allow Battle to play more in the box and have his best possible season.