With the NFL season upon us, at GoldSheet, we are ranking each positional group and coaching staff in the NFL. Each positional group will be ranked and placed into a tier to give us a better understanding of how each team is expected to fare at each position.
Cornerbacks and safeties together make up the secondary for an NFL team. Not to say it did not get any love previously, but cornerback is quickly becoming one of the most respected positions in the NFL. While getting pressure is paramount, so is having guys who can cover, and there is some elite talent at the CB position in the NFL.
Safties are unique for a few reasons. For starters, there is no one size fit all mold for the position. Some safeties are ball hawks who patrol the back of the defense. Others are around the line of scrimmage almost 100% of the time. There is also a breed of safety that plays a nickel corner role and tries to shut down other teams’ tight ends. This is one of the harder positions to evaluate because while the name of the positon is the same, the responsibilities may differ drastically from player to player and team to team.
Still, having a great CB/S tandem is paramount.
Without further ado, let’s break down all 32 DB rooms, rank each team’s DB situation, and put them into tiers.
2023 NFL DB Rankings
* Indicates a rookie
! Indicates a new starter
Tier One:
No. 1 Denver Broncos
Pat Surtain, Kareem Jackson, Justin Simmons, Damarri Mathis, K’waun Williams, Caden Sterns
No. 2 New York Jets
D.J. Reed, Chuck Clark!, Jordan Whitehead, Sauce Gardner, Michael Carter
No. 3 Cleveland Browns
Juan Thornhill, Grant Delpit, Denzel Ward, Martin Emerson Jr., Greg Newsome, Rodney McCleod
No. 4 Dallas Cowboys
Trevon Diggs, Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, Stephon Gillmore!, Jourdan Lewis, Jayron Kearse
No. 5 Miami Dolphins
Xavien Howard, Brandon Jones, Jevon Holland, Jalen Ramsey!, Kader Kohou
Pat Surtain somehow still flew under the radar last year, but he is the best CB in the NFL. The Jets are loaded with Sauce Gardner’s emergence, and they have a little bit of depth on the back end as well. The Browns and Cowboys have playmakers at S and CB, and they have depth. Miami, despite losing Jalen Ramsey for the foreseeable future, still gets the nod as Jevon Holland is an ascending star. If Ramsey was still healthy at this point, Miami would probably be the top-rated DB room.
Tier Two:
No. 6 New England Patriots
Christian Gonzalez*!, Kyle Dugger, Adrian Phillips, Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones
No. 7 Baltimore Ravens
Rock-Ya-Sin!, Kyle Hamilton, Marcus Williams, Marlon Humphrey, Brandon Stephens
No. 8 Seattle Seahawks
Devon Witherspoon!*, Jamal Adams, Quandre Diggs, Riq Woolen, Coby Bryant
No. 9 San Francisco 49ers
Deommodore Lenoir, Talanoa Hufanga, Tashaun Gipson, Charvarius Ward, Isaiah Oliver!
No. 10 Buffalo Bills
Tre’Davious White, Jordan Poyer, Micha Hyde, Kaiir Elam, Damar Hamlin, Dean Marlowe, Dane Jackson
No. 11 Philadelphia Eagles
Darius Slay, Terrell Edmunds!, Reed Blankenship, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox
No. 12 Washington Commanders
Kendall Fuller, Kam Curl, Emmanuel Forbes*!, Jartavius Marin!*, Darrick Forrest
No. 13 Pittsburgh Steelers
Joey Porter*!, Damontae Kazee, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Levi Wallace, Patrick Peterson!
Tier two has a few teams that are on the border of tier one, and if their rookies and new acquisitions play up to their potential, they can easily jump up this tier in a few weeks’ time. If Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon are as advertised for the Patriots and Seahawks, respectively, these teams should be lock down in the secondary. If Joey Porter and Patrick Peterson play well for Pittsburgh, 13 may also be too low of a rating for them.
The Ravens, 49ers, Bills, Eagles, and Commanders are talented. They lack true stars, but they have depth and are solid up and down their DB rooms.
Tier Three:
No. 14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Jamel Dean, Ryan Neal!, Antoine Winfield, Carlton Davis, Dee Delaney
No. 15 New Orleans Saints
Paulson Adebo, Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Maye, Marshon Lattimore, Bradley Roby, Jordan Howden
No. 16 Los Angeles Chargers
Asante Samuel, Derwin James, Alohi Gilman, Michael Davis, Ja’sir Taylor, JT Woods
No. 17 Green Bay Packers
Jaire Alexander, Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, Rasul Douglas, Keisean Nixon, Jonathan Owens
No. 18 Carolina Panthers
Jaycee Horn, Von Bell!, Xavier Woods, Donte Jackson, Jeremy Chinn
No. 19 Kansas City Chiefs
Jaylen Watson, Bryan Cook, Justin Reid, L’jarius Sneed, Trent McDuffie, Mike Edwards
No. 20 Cincinnati Bengals
Dax Hill, Nick Scott!, Chidobe Awuzie, Mike Hilton, Jordan Battle!
No. 21 Chicago Bears
Jaylon Johnson, Jaquan Brisker, Eddie Jackson, Tyrique Stevenson*!, Kyler Gordon
No. 22 Atlanta Falcons
Jessie Bates. Jeff Okudah, A.J. Terrell, Richie Grant, Mike Hughes!
These units are all solid, and the best part about every one of these DB rooms is there is ample opportunity for progression. The Bucs have a new starter and an ascending player in Winfield. The Chargers, Panthers, Bengals, Bears, and Falcons all have ascending players at these positions.
The Saints have the most veteran room, and it is no doubt a good room as well. These teams all have very serviceable secondaries, and most of these teams are closer to the bottom of tier two than the top fo tier four.
Tier Four:
No. 23 Detroit Lions
Emmanuel Moseley!, Kerby Joseph, Tracy Walker, Cameron Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Brian Branch*
No. 24 New York Giants
Deonte Banks*!, Bobby McCain!, Xavier McKinney, Adoree Jackson, Cor’dale Flott
No. 25 Tennessee Titans
Kristian Fulton, Amani Hooker, Kevin Byard, Sean Murphy-Bunting, Roger McCreary
No. 26 Minnesota Vikings
Mekhi Blackmon*!, Harrison Smith, Camryn Bynum, Byron Murphy!, Akayleb Evans
No. 27 Jacksonville Jaguars
Tyson Campbell, Rayshawn Jenkins, Andrew Cisco, Darious Williams, Tre Hendon, Antonio Johnson*
No. 28 Houston Texans
Jimmie Ward!, Jalen Pitre, Derek Stingley Jr., Desmond Kings, Eric Murray, M.J. Stewart
The Lions and Giants have tried to improve their secondaries this offseason, but for now, I am bearish on both teams. They can certainly shut me up with good play during the season, but for now, they are in tier four. The Jaguars’ secondary graded decently last season, but I am not so sure they are a good team.
The Vikings cleared the house in their secondary, so it’s not surprising to see them down in tier four. Kevin Byard is one of the best safeties in the NFL, and I expect the Titans to play much better than tier four, but talent-wise, they leave a lot to be desired.
If Derek Stingley lives up to the hype, the Texans can take a leap up a tier this season. He flashed last season, so it is certainly possible he gets it together in year two with a defensive-minded head coach.
Tier Five:
No. 29 Arizona Cardinals
Isaiah Simmons, Marco Wilson, Jalen Thompson, Budda Baker, Antonio Hamilton
No. 30 Indianapolis Colts
Juju Brents!, Julian Blackmon, Rodney Thomas, Isaiah Rodgers, Kenny Moore, Nick Cross
No. 31 Las Vegas Raiders
Duke Shelley!, Marcus Epps!, Tre’von Moehrig, David Long!, Nate Hobbs
No. 32 Los Angeles Rams
Derion Kendrick, Jordan Fuller, Russ Yeast, Robert Rochel, Cobie Durant
Crazy things can happen in this world, especially in the NFL, but I’d find it very hard to believe that these secondaries make any positive strides this season. The Colts have the best chance of the bunch, but on a talent basis, the Raiders and Rams are virtually talentless. The Cardinals have an intriguing in Isiah Simmons and a stud in Budda Baker, but even with his talent, this unit leaves a lot to be desired.
2023 NFL DB Rankings – Best CB/S Duo
- Pat Surtain & Justin Simmons
- Denzel Ward & Juan Thornhill!
- Sauce Gardner & Chuck Clark
- Marlon Humphries & Kyle Hamilton
- Jalen Ramsey! & Javon Holland
- Trevon Diggs & Malik Hooker
- Tre White & Micha Hyde
- Christian Gonzalez* & Kyle Dugger
- Marshon Lattimore & Tyrann Mathieu
- A.J. Terrell & Jessie Bates
- Asante Samuel & Derwin James
- Darius Slay & Terrell Edmunds!
- Charvarius Wards & Talanoa Hufanga
- Jaycee Horn & Jermey Chin
- Riq Woolen & Jamal Adams
- Kendall Fuller & Kam Curl
- Joey Porter! & Minkah Fitzpatrick
- Jaire Alexander & Rasul Douglas
- Jaylon Johnso & Jaquan Brisker
- L’Jarious Sneed & Justin Reid
- Kristian Fulton & Kevin Byard
- Jamel Dean & Antoine Winfield
- Chidobe Awuzie & Dax Hill
- Emmanuel Mosely! & C.J. Gardner-Johnson!
- Deonte Banks* & Xavier McKinney
- Derek Stingley & Jalen Pitre
- Byron Murphy! & Harrison Smith
- Darious Williams & Tyson Campbell
- Marco Wilson & Budda Baker
- Kenny Moore & Julian Blackmon
- Tre’von Moehrig & Marcus Epps!
- Cobie Durant & Jordan Fuller
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