Los Angeles Chargers: CB Michael Davis
You may not know Davis’ name, as he’s gotten lost in the Chargers’ loaded secondary that might be the best in the NFL outside of Foxboro. But in 2019, he was one of the best zone coverage quarterbacks in the NFL, and that’s a plus for a team that led the league with a 75% zone coverage rate. Davis, an undrafted free agent from BYU who joined the team in 2017, can do everything from taking speed receivers up the chute, to breaking up screens, to deflecting quick slants and drags over the middle. In 2019, Davis allowed 19 receptions on 34 targets for 254 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 50% when playing zone coverage.
Las Vegas Raiders: LB Cory Littleton
Last season, the Raiders went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. One reason for this relative lack of success was a linebacker corps that underperformed rather drastically. Tahir Whitehead, Nicholas Morrow, Will Compton, and Vontaze Burfict combined to form a linebacker corps that was especially awful in pass coverage. In the offseason, head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock looked to improve things by signing Littleton, the former Rams standout, to a three-year, $35.25 million contract. It’ll help, as Littleton showed in his former defense that he can rush run fits, cover the flat and seam, and he has an impressive ability to read a quarterback’s intentions.
Los Angeles Rams: CB Troy Hill
The Rams’ secondary depth chart may not look too deep beyond Jalen Ramsey, and there’s still the matter of signing Ramsey to a long-term contract after trading two first-round picks for him last October. But there is long-term relief in the person of Troy Hill, an undrafted free agent out of Oregon who started with the Rams in 2016. 2019 was Hill’s best year to date, as the 5-foot-11, 183-pounder played bigger than his size as an aggressive outside cornerback, and turned out to be a revelation in zone coverage where he allowed seven receptions on 20 targets for 118 yards, no touchdowns, one interception, and a Positive Play Rate of 35% — the fifth-best rate in the NFL for cornerbacks targeted 20 or more times.
Miami Dolphins: OG Ereck Flowers
Everybody loves a good redemption story, and Flowers has become one. The ninth overall pick of the Giants in 2015 spent his first four seasons as one of the NFL’s worst offensive tackles, but got a professional rebirth in 2019 when the Redskins signed him to a one-year, $3.25 million deal and moved him to left guard. Flowers performed far better in a phone booth where his wonky mechanics and sub-optimal mobility weren’t obvious deficits. He allowed just two sacks and 24 total pressures in 588 pass-blocking snaps, and established himself as an above-average run-blocker. Flowers may never be a top-five offensive lineman, but the Dolphins will get more out of the three-year, $30 million contract they gave him in March than you might think.
Minnesota Vikings: S Anthony Harris
Precisely one NFL defender allowed no touchdowns and had seven interceptions last season, and that was Harris. These were not fluke interceptions, either, as Harris proved more than able to patrol the deep third of the Vikings’ defense with speed, accuracy, and recovery speed as well as any safety in the league. Harris’ efforts were especially valuable given the dumpster-fire nature of the team’s cornerback play, and that’s why Minnesota placed the franchise tag on Harris at a one-year rate of $11.441 in anticipation of a longer-term deal. It’s a wise move, because there’s no telling what a player with Harris’ talent and positional importance could find on the open market.
New England Patriots: CB J.C. Jackson
As always seems to be the case with Bill Belichick, the Patriots made up for one personnel shortfall (a highly suspect receiver group) by amplifying another (with the NFL’s best secondary by far). Cornerback Stephon Gilmore, the 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is the headliner, but as far as pure efficiency in that (or any other) secondary, nobody came close to J.C. Jackson. Last season, no cornerback playing at least half his team’s defensive snaps came anywhere near Jackson’s opponent passer rating allowed of 35.9, which he amassed by allowing just 31 receptions on 65 targets for 328 yards, one touchdown, and five interceptions. Far from a beneficiary of the efforts of other great players, Jackson has the talent to be a No. 1 cornerback on most NFL teams.
New Orleans Saints: S Marcus Williams
Williams is best-known for a missed tackle on Stefon Diggs in the divisional round of the 2017 playoffs that allowed the Vikings to mount a miracle comeback, and became an all-time franchise heartbreaker for the Saints. That’s unfortunate, because for the most part, Williams has been one of the more effective safeties in the NFL. 2018 was a down year in comparison, but last season, Williams allowed just 12 receptions on 24 targets for 139 yards, one touchdown, four interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 42.2. After three NFL seasons, the Utah alum proves to have the range, closing speed, and diagnostic abilities to rank as a premier deep safety.
New York Giants: EDGE Markus Golden
This is a bit of a cheat, as Golden isn’t currently on the Giants’ roster — they placed a UFA tender on the veteran that gives him until July 22 to find another team, or he’ll be back with Big Blue. If that’s the case, Patrick Graham’s defense will certainly benefit, because Golden has been one of the NFL’s sneaky-good pass-rushers for a while now. Last season, he led the team with 64 total pressures on a defense that was otherwise bereft of true pass-rushing talent, and when he’s given starters’ snaps as he was last year and with the Cardinals in 2015 and 2016, he’s able to use everything from speed moves to a bull rush to beat blockers to the quarterback.