The NFC East is full of very good defensive backs. All-Pro Trevon Diggs certainly has the most noteriety at the moment, but there’s also former All-Pro Darius Slay, William Jackson III and Adore Jackson as other top corners in the division. Jayron Kearse was a revelation for Dallas at safety while Malik Hooker, who has always been a top prospect, is now a year removed from his achilles injury. Xavier McKinney could be the next big thing at safety, and the Giants and Commanders are hoping to get plus safety play from converted corners.
While these groups of players don’t make any of these units the 2000 Ravens, they are still trying to be great enough to help their teams win. How much does the pass rush impact the quality of the defensive backs and does that change anything about the rankings? Could a failing veteran be better because the team around him helps him? Does that hold true for the younger players as well?
This series is a position-by-position breakdown of what each organization is bringing to the competition and the last stop is the last line of the defense, the defensive back position.