The Indianapolis Colts will be facing some good-to-great secondary players throughout the 2023 season.
Anthony Richardson and the passing attack already have a stable of cornerbacks on their schedule, but they will also be tested against some of the best safeties in the NFL.
Buy Colts TicketsFor this list, I took the starting safeties from each team on the schedule and cut it down to the top 14 players. Let’s take a look at how they rank:
14
Dax Hill, Cincinnati Bengals
Dax Hill spent his rookie year as a rotational piece after being selected in the first round by the Cincinnati Bengals. He will now be taking over the starting free safety spot after seeing Jessie Bates III leave in free agency.
13
Richie Grant, Atlanta Falcons
Richie Grant spent his first year in the league as a rotational piece until earning a starting role in 2022. Last season he collected 123 tackles (70 solo), three TFLs, a QB hit, seven pass deflections, two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
12
Grant Delpit, Cleveland Browns
Grant Delpit has worked his way back after tearing his Achilles which caused him to miss his rookie season and has developed into a quality starting safety for the Cleveland Browns. He’s coming off his best season as a pro finishing with 105 tackles (72 solo), four TFLs, 10 pass deflections, and four interceptions.
11
Vonn Bell, Carolina Panthers
Vonn Bell has been one of the underrated safeties in the NFL since he entered the league in 2018. In 2022 he had a career-high with four interceptions. Since 2020 he is tied for having forced the fifth-most (eight) fumbles. Bell signed with the Carolina Panthers this offseason.
10
Jalen Pitre, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans selected Jalen Pitre with the No. 37 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft and he made an immediate impact as a rookie. In his first year, he finished with 147 tackles (99 solo), five TFLs, one sack, one QB hit, eight pass deflections, five interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
9
Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
The first-round pick of the 2022 NFL draft for the Baltimore Ravens finished with 62 tackles (46 solo), four TFLs, two sacks, five QB hits, five pass deflections, four interceptions, and a forced fumble in his first year.
8
Marcus Williams, Baltimore Ravens
Marcus Williams was only able to play in 10 games in his first season with the Baltimore Ravens due to a dislocated wrist. He was still able to get 61 tackles (44 solo), two TFLs, eight pass deflections, four interceptions, and a fumble recovery.
7
Kyle Dugger, New England Patriots
The second-round pick of the 2020 draft for the New England Patriots ended up earning a starting role halfway through his first season. In 44 games, Kyle Dugger has 234 tackles (163), 11 TFLs, one sack, four QB hits, 13 pass deflections, seven interceptions, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
6
Jeremy Chinn, Carolina Panthers
Jeremy Chinn has been a nice find by the Carolina Panthers after selecting him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. In 42 games he tallied 294 tackles, 194 solo), 10 TFLs, three sacks, 11 QB hits, 16 pass deflections, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries.
5
Antoine Winfield Jr., Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Antoine Winfield Jr. quickly won a starting job after being selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft by the Buccaneers. In 43 games he’s collected 262 tackles (190 solo), 12 TFLs, nine sacks, 13 QB hits, 15 pass deflections, four interceptions, five forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries.
4
Jessie Bates III, Atlanta Falcons
Jessie Bates III signed with the Atlanta Falcons this offseason after spending his first five years with the Cincinnati Bengals. He had an All-Pro season in 2020 and is coming off a season where he had a career-high in interceptions (four).
3
Tyrann Mathieu, New Orleans Saints
The 10-year veteran has three All-Pro honors in his career and is coming off his first season with the New Orleans Saints where he finished with a career-high in tackles (91). Tyrann Mathieu is tied for having the fourth-most interceptions (12) since 2020.
2
Kevin Byard, Tennessee Titans
Kevin Byrad is one of four players with 245+ tackles, 25+ passes defended, and 10+ interceptions since 2020. He’s been named an All-Pro player twice in his seven-year career.
1
Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers
Since 2020 Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of four players that has collected 245+ tackles, 25+ passes defended, and 10+ interceptions. He’s also one of three players that have at least 5 games they finished with five-plus solo tackles and an interception in regular season action in the last three seasons.
