Category: The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: The making of the modern NFL safety

Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar explore the making of the modern NFL safety, and discuss some of the best safeties in the game today.

In the 2023 NFL season, there were as many great safeties playing most of their snaps in the deep third as there were great safeties playing over 300 snaps each in the box, in the slot, and in the deep third.

More is being asked of safeties than ever before. Now, it’s not about whether you’re best in the box or as a pure free safety. Now, it’s likely that your team will require you to play multiple positions at a plus level just to get and stay on the field. Collegiate defenses are preparing these players for this reality, and when the NFL hits, all one can do is to expand those skills as much as possible.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” Greg (of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup) and Doug (of Touchdown Wire and the USA Sports Media Group) explore what makes a modern safety, what positions and schemes matter most, and some of the best to do it all these days.

Greg and Doug also attempt to have a rational, nuanced discussion about Trevor Lawrence’s play on the field, as impossible as that may seem these days.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here, and like and subscribe on YouTube:

You can also listen and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

The Xs and Os with Greg Cosell: Why defensive tackles matter more than ever

Why are defensive tackles more important in today’s NFL than they’ve ever been before? Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar are here with the answers.

In today’s NFL, with as much quick game as teams are using, it’s more important than ever to get to the quarterback as quickly as possible. Often, the shortest distance between the line of scrimmage and the quarterback is a straight line, and when your edge-rushers don’t have time to get home, it’s up to your interior defensive linemen to make those sacks and pressures happen.

It’s why the NFL has placed an increasing importance on those inside guys, and the money has gone up accordingly.

In 2019, there were 15 interior defensive linemen with in-season cap hits of more than $10 million, led by Aaron Donald at $17,108,000. In 2024, there are 22 such players. Now, a lot of those contracts are ones in which the cap hit happens to explode in this league year, but the point still stands – the NFL is placing an increased financial priority on interior defensive linemen. 

It’s also why NFL is paying more centers and guards more money and selecting more higher in the draft, as well.

In this week’s “Xs and Os with Greg Cosell and Doug Farrar,” the guys get into all the reasons why interior defensive linemen are of such crucial importance, the techniques they use to pester enemy quarterbacks, and the best players at creating pressure in the shortest possible time.

You can watch this week’s “Xs and Os” right here:

You can also listen to and subscribe to the “Xs and Os” podcast on Spotify…

…and on Apple Podcasts.

Washington Commanders’ most underrated player: LB Frankie Luvu

Frankie Luvu is one of the NFL’s best and most versatile linebackers, and the Commanders got him in a steal of a deal.

The 2023 Commanders were absolutely abysmal on defense despite a slew of top talent, which leaves the goat horns on former head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. To stem the tide, Washington hired Dan Quinn as their new head coach, and Quinn has a long history of turning defenses around. One of the primary instigators of that campaign is sure to be former Jets and Panthers linebacker Frankie Luvu, who signed a three-year, $31 million contract with $14,625 million guaranteed.

Not that anyone would turn down those numbers, but if you ask me, the Commanders got a major bargain here. Luvu will be the tone-setter for the Commanders’ defense just as he was for the Panthers in 2023. Then, he totaled seven sacks, 20 total pressures, 84 solo tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and he proved more than able to break off into coverage. In an era when linebackers have to do just about everything if they want to stick and stay as superstars, Luvu is already one of those rare beings. 

Tennessee Titans’ most underrated player: CB Roger McCreary

The Titans overhauled their secondary this offseason, but they’re holding on to underrated cornerback Roger McCreary.

Last season, the Titans didn’t play a lot of press coverage, and their defense suffered for it. General manager Ran Carthon is a big believer in press, so this offseason, Carthon did everything he could to reverse the negative trends. He traded for Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed (probably the NFL’s best press cornerback right now) and then gave Sneed a new four-year, $76.4 million contract with $55 million guaranteed. The Titans also signed former Cowboys and Bengals cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, who has always been better in press coverage than not.

One thing Carthon didn’t want to alter was Roger McCready’s position as his primary slot defender. The 2022 second-round pick out of Auburn was outstanding last season not only in slot coverage overall, but specifically in slot press when he was able. Playing press out of the slot is especially tough, because the boundary isn’t there as an extra defender, and you have to match where the receiver goes, with more options for the receiver to use.

McCreary was aligned in press on a team-high 138 of his 946 snaps last season — you can expect that number to double in 2024. When in press, he allowed eight catches on 15 targets for 5.3 yards per reception, one explosive play, no touchdowns, no interceptions, and a slew of receivers who were surprised at how well McCreary was able to turn against his team’s formerly passive preferences for positive results.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ most underrated player: QB Baker Mayfield

Baker Mayfield got a big contract this offseason with the Buccaneers, but he may still be underrated when you watch his 2023 tape.

Whether you think Baker Mayfield is underrated or not depends largely on whether you think he’s a random play generator without the required consistency to succeed at a high level in the NFL. Mayfield did all he could to bust that myth in 2023 for the Buccaneers, completing 412 passes on 643 attempts for 4,731 yards, 34 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, and a passer rating of 96.0. He completed 26 of 84 deep passes for 835 yards, 11 touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 89.0. Moreover, Mayfield proved quite efficient in the area of the field where efficiency is most important. 

Mayfield’s 2023 season prodded the Bucs to give him a new three-year, $100 million contract with $50 million guaranteed, which may be about what (or more than) he’d get anywhere given his career oeuvre. But I still think he’s undersold as a quarterback who can play among the top half of the players at his position. 

Seattle Seahawks’ most underrated player: QB Geno Smith

Is Geno Smith still underrated after all these years? Public opinion vs. Smith’s actual game tape would indicate that he is.

Whether you think Geno Smith is underrated or not depends largely on whether you think he’s hit his ceiling, and there’s nowhere to go but down. Last season, Smith’s second straight in which he made the Pro Bowl, he threw just 20 touchdown passes with nine interceptions, one year after he threw 30 touchdown passes to 11 picks, and led the league in completion percentage.

So, maybe Smith is on the downslide… but I don’t tend to think so, and the reason is new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb, who led Michael Penix Jr. and the Washington Huskies to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Grubb’s passing game is a lot about vertical shots out of dropback play-action, and that should fit Smith to a T. Smith’s deep passes weren’t quite as resonant in 2023 as they were in 2022, when he led the league with 15 touchdowns on passes of 20 or more air yards, but let’s not put a capper on Smith’s career just yet. He may still have more in the tank to take the Seahawks through the first parts of their transitions in the post-Pete Carroll era. \

San Francisco 49ers’ most underrated player: CB Charvarius Ward

Charvarius Ward of the 49ers has been one of the NFL’s most underrated cornerbacks, and it’s time for him to get his due.

There is a new revolution in press coverage going on in today’s NFL, but Charvarius Ward, an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State who caught on with the Chiefs in 2018, has been way ahead of the game in this regard. Ward led the league in press snaps in his second, third, and fourth seasons. Last season for the NFC champs, Ward was in press on 231 of his 1,172 snaps, ranking 10th in the NFL. And when targeted in press, Ward allowed 14 catches on 34 reps for 6.0 yards per reception, three explosive plays, one touchdown, and two interceptions.

Overall in coverage last season, Ward allowed 55 catches on 101 targets for 653 yards, 245 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, five interceptions, an astonishing 23 pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 63.7 — his best in a season to date. Ward may have taken a while to become a force in the NFL, but coming into his 28-year-old season, he’s in perfect position when it comes to the NFL’s defensive trends, and that certainly shows up on the field. 

Philadelphia Eagles’ most underrated player: EDGE Josh Sweat

The Eagles’ defensive line is in a state of transition, and Josh Sweat has been a necessary bastion of stability.

The Eagles are going through some transitions along their defensive line, but Josh Sweat has been a much-needed bastion of reliability.

The 2018 fourth-round pick out of Florida State had a career year in total pressures last season with 73, one year after putting up his career high in sacks with 15. At 6-foot-5 and 253 pounds, Sweat brings impressive speed and quickness, as well as bend around the edge and gap-jumping ability, to his position.

And if you’re of a mind to try a trick play in Sweat’s kitchen… well, as the Dolphins discovered, it might not be a bad idea. Coming into his age 27 season and contracted through 2028, Sweat can be the guy who ties the Eagles’ fronts together as changes around him continue. 

New York Jets’ most underrated player: DB Ashtyn Davis

Underrated defensive back Ashtyn Davis made himself an important part of the Jets’ defense last season.

The Jets’ pure disaster at quarterback last season took far too much attention away from a defense that was trying to hold the entire foundation up by itself, and nearly got away with it.

Chief among Gang Green’s secondary, of course, are cornerbacks Sauce Gardner, D.J. Reed, and Michael Carter. But one guy who really stepped up in coverage was safety Ashtyn Davis, the 2020 third-round pick out of Cal who showed a lot of deep-third attributes in college, and has taken them all the way to the NFL.

In 2023, covering everywhere from the slot to the back third of the defense, Davis allowed 13 catches on 22 targets for 107 yards, 86 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, three interceptions, eight pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 32.0 — which is about as much as you can ask from any defensive back. Davis’ tape shows some issues against the run, but he’s clearly all in when it’s time to prevent quarterbacks and receivers from getting what they want. 

New York Giants’ most underrated player: LB Bobby Okereke

In his first season with the Giants, Bobby Okereke turned himself into one of the NFL’s best linebackers.

The Colts selected Okereke in the third round of the 2019 draft out of Stanford, and their defense benefited from his expertise as Okereke got more and more playing time. Still, what Okereke did in his first season with the Giants after signing a four-year, $40 million contract with $21.8 million guaranteed was a bit unexpected.

In Wink Martindale’s defense (now run by Shane Bowen), Okereke simply became one of the NFL’s most efficient and effective linebackers. He had three sacks, 20 total pressures, 105 solo tackles, and 56 stops. In coverage, Okereke allowed 35 catches on 46 targets for 301 yards, 276 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, five pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 89.1.

Okereke became a true tone-setter with the Giants, and that should continue even with a new defensive coordinator.