24. Miami Dolphins
At first, it looked as if Miami’s Tankapalooza in the 2019 season would make the Dolphins’ defense one of the worst in the modern era. In the first half of the season, Miami ranked dead last in Football Outsiders’ defensive DVOA metrics by an absolutely crushing margin, and it was reasonable to wonder if new head coach Brian Flores was yet another Bill Belichick acolyte who was in over his head. But a funny thing happened on the way to that total implosion — the Dolphins started to improve, won five of their last nine games and made some major moves on defense in the offseason. First-round cornerback Noah Igbinoghene is added to a secondary that now also includes high-dollar free-agent cornerback Byron Jones, and the team also added pass-rushers Shaq Lawson and Emmanuel Ogbah, as well as linebacker/edge-rusher Kyle Van Noy, via the free-agency route. Now, this is a young defense on the rise.
23.Arizona Cardinals
At the same time Kyler Murray gained a hold on the 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year award, Arizona’s defense kept making every quarterback it faced look like the Offensive Player of the Year. Everybody struggled in coverage, and the Cardinals allowed the NFL’s most yards after catch (2,249) and the 10th-most air yards (2,523). Only the Dolphins allowed more passing touchdowns than Arizona’s 38, and the only thing that saved this defense was a half-decent plan against the run. First-round defender Isaiah Simmons will help with his unrivaled versatility, but young defenders like cornerback Byron Murphy and safety Budda Baker will have to improve their pass coverage profiled quickly if the Cardinals are to compete for the postseason anytime soon.
22. Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks’ Legion of Boom defenses of the early and mid-2010s are now a distant memory. Seattle’s defenses that finished first overall in Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA metrics in 2013 and 2014 have finished fourth, fifth, fifth, 13th, 14th, and 18th since. Coaching changes and middling draft results over the last few years have made a formerly formidable unit league-average, and things don’t look to swing up in 2020. There’s a noticeable lack of pass rush with the re-signing of Jadeveon Clowney looking unlikely, and while the mid-season trade for safety Quandre Diggs probably saved Seattle’s season, there aren’t the alphas there used to be. Linebacker Bobby Wagner is still one of the best in the business, but he was drafted in 2012, and it’s tough to name a player from that defense of whom this could be said who joined the roster in recent years.
21. Cleveland Browns
Going into every NFL season, there’s always one team that looks great on paper, and we’re then reminded that games aren’t played on paper. Last season, it was the Browns on both offense and defense. Cleveland was as loaded with talent as any team, but fell from 14th to 26th in Defensive DVOA in the second half of the season as the offense similarly fell apart. The good news is that there are pieces with which to build for new defensive coordinator Joe Woods. Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams are two of the league’s best young cornerbacks, defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi remains an underrated force, and two LSU draftees — safety Grant Delpit and linebacker Jacob Phillips — should help the middle of the defense.
20. Indianapolis Colts
The 2019 Colts had a rather pedestrian pressure rate of 21.3%, and they came up with just 37 sacks. The flashiest move by general manager Chris Ballard to solve these issues was to trade the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft to the 49ers for defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. That will help, as Buckner can be a complementary force, and the Colts hope an improved pass rush will help a secondary that struggled more than it should have, underrated cornerback Kenny Moore II notwithstanding. Veteran Justin Houston, who signed a two-year, $24 million contract before the 2019 season, was the team’s best pass-rusher last season. Indy also declined the fifth-year option on safety Malik Hooker, which has more do to with Hooker’s unfortunate injury history than his actual talent when he’s on the field. A contract-year breakout would be a nice benefit for all involved.
19. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys started their 2019 season 5-3 and finished it 3-5, leading to the end of the Jason Garrett era, but Dallas’ defense fell off similarly, ranking 13th in Defensive DVOA in Weeks 1-9, and 23rd in Weeks 10-17. More should be expected of the talent from front to back, even with the free-agency departure of cornerback Byron Jones. Dallas’ run defense was strong enough, but the pass defense really fell off, and it will be up to safeties Xavier Woods and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, as well as a potentially fierce cornerback group led by Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdain Lewis, and second-round pick Trevon Diggs, to turn that around. Diggs has some Richard Sherman to his game, which should help.
18. Denver Broncos
Denver’s No-Fly Zone ranked first in Football Outsiders’ total defensive metrics and pass defense metrics in 2015 and 2016, but things have fallen off since then as personnel attrition has taken its toll. Last season, Denver finished 13th overall, 14th against the pass, and 16th against the run, though some new personnel could bode well for the future — specifically defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, and cornerback A.J. Bouye. Justin Simmons is one of the best safeties in the business, and there are some great underrated players on this defense, like linebacker Todd Davis and defensive lineman Shelby Harris, so perhaps this is the year the Broncos turn their defense around a bit.
17. Tennessee Titans
There are two primary questions for the Titans’ defense as it heads into the 2020 season: Will the retirement of brilliant defensive coordinator Dean Pees take a toll, and where will the pass rush come from? End Harold Landry is a rising star and led the team with nine sacks last season, but multi-gap lineman Jurrell Casey is now in Denver, and he’ll also be tough to replace. Underrated situational rusher Kamalei Correa will continue to factor in, and 2019 first-round pick Jeffery Simmons started to show his potential in the defensive interior at the end of the season, but there are a lot of questions for a team that expects to compete for a division title at the very least.