We complete our rankings of each position on defense in the usual way — with the safeties. The last line of defense gets the last line for the defense. And there are some good safeties in the AFC West.
1. Broncos
Starters: SS Kareem Jackson, FS Justin Simmons
After nine years as a starting cornerback for the Texans, Jackson switched to safety. It’s the natural transition for a solid cornerback like Jackson who turned 31 last year. The former first-round pick had put up 2 interceptions and 17 pass breakups in 2018 at cornerback, so he’s far from done. He continued his fine play at safety for the Broncos last season with 2 interceptions and 10 pass breakups.
Simmons is one of the best young safeties in the NFL. The Raiders were said to have been ready to pounce on him had he hit free agency, but the Broncos wisely held onto him with the franchise tag. He’s been a very good safety throughout his career and has been improving his numbers every season, culminating in four interceptions and 15 pass breakups last season. Simmons led all safeties in the NFL allowing a passer rating of 32.1 when targeted and was third in tackling efficiency, according to Pro Football Focus.
2. Chargers
Starters: SS Derwin James, FS Rayshawn Jenkins
Derwin James’s 2019 season ended after five games. In 2018, he was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro. He will forever be the one that got away for the Raiders who had two chances to draft him, first at No. 10 overall, then at No. 15 after a trade down.
Last season Rayshawn Jenkins won the starting free safety job for the first time after two seasons as a reserve. He beat out second-round pick Nasir Adderley and it looks like Jenkins will hold onto the job. He had three interceptions last season despite playing without James for 11 games.
3. Chiefs
Starters: SS Tyrann Mathieu, FS Juan Thornhill
The Chiefs went from Eric Berry to Tyrann Mathieu. That’s just not fair. Mathieu continues to prove he is one of the league’s top safeties. His 2019 season earned him his second All-Pro nod with 4 interceptions and 12 pass breakups with another three in the playoffs.
Thornhill was the Chiefs’ second-round pick in 2019. He would start every game as a rookie, picking off three passes. An ACL injury in the season finale would have him sidelined for the playoffs. As with any ACL injury, there is the question as to whether he will be ready to go for the next season and return full. If he can’t, Daniel Sorensen will again step in for him just as he did for the Chiefs in last year’s playoffs.
4. Raiders
Starters: SS Johnathan Abram, FS Damarious Randall/Erik Harris
Make no mistake, the Raiders are in much better shape at safety than they were last season. The position is just too stacked in the division to raise them in these rankings.
Johnathan Abram will get another shot to be the starter after being lost to a shoulder injury in the season opener. He was looking like the real deal in the preseason, and even played well the rest of the game after injuring his shoulder.
This offseason the Raiders added Damarious Randall and Jeff Heath. Randall figures to compete for the starting free safety spot while Heath is valuable depth. Randall in particular is a former top pick with 14 career interceptions. He played cornerback his first three seasons in Green Bay and safety the past two seasons in Cleveland.
Harris and Heath are ideal options as starters. Both were full-time starters last season along with being standout special teams players. Harris had five interceptions over the past two seasons, returning two of them for touchdowns, along with 74 tackles.
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