Arguably the most important part of a team’s defense is that team’s safeties. Their No. 1 job is protecting against and discouraging the deep ball, but they also have a responsibility in the run game. Since CBs typically have smaller frames, safeties are often the primary tacklers on outside zone runs, a running style becoming more and more popular.
Last season, the Oregon Ducks struggled defensively, but they especially struggled against the run. Sure, a lot of that responsibility goes to the front seven, but with the support of consistent tackling safeties, things may have gone smoother.
On Sunday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) released a list of the top 10 returning safeties in the Pac-12, ranked by PFF grade. While a Ducks safety doesn’t top the list, Oregon has more entries than any other school, which bodes well for a more consistent and physical defense than we saw in 2022.
Here’s where Oregon’s safeties rank among the top in the conference, per PFF.