Even a decade ago, your average slot defender was just that—average. A smaller guy without the speed to take outside receivers up the post routes and down the sideline. But as NFL offenses have defaulted to three- and four-receiver sets, the nickel and dime defender has not only become a de facto starter, but also as important as any other defensive back on the field.
Imagine you’re a slot cornerback in today’s NFL. One week, you have to deal with Minnesota’s Adam Thielen and his array of precise routes—not to mention his ability to streak downfield for a huge play if you make any hint of a mistake. The next week, you’re up against Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, getting bodied out by a 6’5”, 250-pound receiver in devilish route combinations. The next week, you may have to face Antonio Brown in a week when his coaches decide to make him a primary slot receiver. Good luck with that.
But hey, at least Rob Gronkowski retired, so that’s one slot nightmare out of the way.
The point is, slot defenders are tested in new and vicious ways in the modern league, and their skill sets to defend speed, option routes, and increased uses of receiver space are unique. Most great outside cornerbacks want to stay outside for those exact reasons. As Richard Sherman once told me, the boundary is your friend, and if you have open space on both sides of your coverage, it isn’t a lot of fun.
So, here are the best slot defenders in the business coming into the 2019 season, and what makes each one of them special.
11. Sherrick McManis, Chicago Bears
Losing Bryce Callahan to the Broncos in free agency was a blow for Chicago’s defense, but it would have been far worse had McManis not established himself as an estimable slot cornerback in his own right. The 31-year-old veteran doesn’t have top-end speed, but he understands defensive spacing and placement—he’s one of those guys who always seems to be around the ball. In 2018, McManis allowed just 12 receptions on 22 slot targets for 80 yards, 42 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, and an opponent passer rating of 62.7. You want to see a larger sample size of targets before moving him up this list, but 2018 was a step in the right direction.
10. Nickell Robey-Coleman, Los Angeles Rams
Robey-Coleman has been one of the league’s better slot defenders throughout his career, both in Buffalo and in Los Angeles. Aggressive to a fault at times, he’s also a highly aware defender who will occasionally get a bit too physical—ask the Saints about that.
But in 2018, he allowed just 38 catches on 63 targets for 294 yards, 200 yards after the catch, and an opponent passer rating of 81.1. He’s debited a bit on this list because he was involved in three touchdowns to one interception, but he’s consistently been a guy you want on the inside.
9. Kareem Jackson, Denver Broncos
Jackson has become one of the most versatile defensive backs in the NFL, playing almost equally at slot, outside cornerback, and free safety for the Texans in 2018. He left Houston in free agency as part of a DB purge that also included Kevin Johnson and Tyrann Mathieu, but his value is still evident. So far, he’s been working a lot at free safety for Vic Fangio’s Broncos in early camps, and he could see most of his time there in 2019 with fellow slot stars Bryce Callahan and Chris Harris on the roster, but he’s still got the savvy and closing speed to take a turn in the slot if necessary.
The stats prove the theory. In 2018, Jackson allowed 26 catches on 40 slot targets for 256 yards, 111 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 72.5.
8. Mackensie Alexander, Minnesota Vikings
Alexander became Mike Zimmer’s primary slot defender after the September, 2018 retirement of the seemingly ageless Terence Newman, and it was there that he found his home after two more undefined seasons as an outside guy. Alexander has the closing speed to work well in zone coverage, but he’s especially effective in man and match coverage because he’s learned to anticipate route concepts and combinations, and he’s efficiently aggressive to the ball.
In 2018, the former second-round pick out of Clemson allowed 35 receptions in 54 slot targets for 337 yards, 234 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, and an opponent passer rating of 82.1. As Alexander continues to grow into his role, expect more of the same in one of the NFL’s best defenses.
7. Justin Coleman, Detroit Lions
Seattle’s primary nickel cornerback over the last two seasons, Coleman became the league’s highest-paid inside guy when the Lions signed him to a four-year, $36 million contract in March. It’s a lot of money for what used to be considered a boutique position, but it shows how important the role has become.
A highly aware player with great body control, especially in zone coverage, Coleman allowed 36 receptions on 55 slot targets last season for 362 yards, 296 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, and an opponent passer rating of 82.5 in 2018. Coleman will occasionally give up a deep reception, but he’s as solid as they come in the short and intermediate areas.
6. Stephon Gilmore, New England Patriots
Of course, Gilmore is primarily an outside cornerback, and he’s one of the best in the business when it comes to matching up against top receivers. But he’s also dominant in the slot when the Patriots put him there—per Pro Football Focus, he had 27 slot targets in the 2018 season (including the postseason), allowing just 13 catches for 104 yards, 28 yards after the catch, one touchdown, one interception, and an opposing quarterback rating of 55.2.
In Gilmore’s case, it’s his athleticism and savvy in man and match coverage that allows him to plaster himself to any receiver he’s covering. Slot targets can option-route him to death, and he’ll just follow them wherever they go. It’s an indispensable attribute no matter where he lines up, and were he a full-time slot man, he might make the top of the list.
5. Desmond King II, Los Angeles Chargers
A fifth-round pick out of Iowa in the fifth round of the 2017 draft, King is one of several young players on this list who have established their attributes in the NFL as a primary slot defender. Last season, King played 768 of his 910 total snaps in the slot, and allowed 51 receptions on 65 targets for 425 yards, 357 yards after the catch, one touchdown, three interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 79.8.
Two of those interceptions came against Baker Mayfield in the Chargers’ 38-14 Week win over the Browns. In both plays, King showed his ability to match receivers through their routes and the timing to jump routes for big plays. That timing also helps him a great deal in zone coverage, and in a defense that puts as many as seven defensive backs on the field more than any other NFL team, having a resourceful inside cornerback like King is a huge advantage.
4. Minkah Fitzpatrick, Miami Dolphins
Fitzpatrick played six different positions for Nick Saban at Alabama—every possible iteration of a defensive back’s responsibility—so it’s no surprise that the Dolphins moved him all over the place in his rookie season after selecting him 11th overall in the 2018 draft. Per PFF, Fitzpatrick played 23 spans on the defensive line, 95 in the box, 166 at free safety, 281 at wide cornerback, and 379 in the slot. When he was deployed in the slot, no other interior pass defender with at least 20% of his team’s snaps at that position allowed a lower opponent passer rating than Fitzpatrick’s 53.4. He allowed just 20 slot receptions on 39 targets for 200 yards, 111 yards after the catch, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
That’s a lot to hand a rookie, but Fitzpatrick is obviously up to the challenge. He has the footwork to match with any receiver, and unlike a lot of Alabama alums, backpedaling doesn’t seem to be a problem—impressive, since Saban doesn’t really teach it. If Fitzpatrick has another season like his rookie campaign, he might be at the top of this list a year from now.
3. Bryce Callahan, Denver Broncos
With the additions of Callahan and Kareem Jackson in free agency, and the raise they just gave Chris Harris, Vic Fangio’s Broncos now have three of the top slot defenders in the league. It’s going to be interesting to see how that plays out on the field, but in Callahan’s case, Fangio certainly knows what he’s getting—Denver’s new head coach was the Bears’ defensive coordinator from 2015 through 2018, which is Callahan’s exact timeline with the team.
One of the most technically proficient slot guys in the league, Callahan gave Fangio freedom to deploy his outside cornerbacks more aggressively, because the coach knew things were tightened up at all times inside. He was lost late in the season to a broken foot, but should be good to go for 2019.
2. Kenny Moore II, Indianapolis Colts
Who is Kenny Moore II, and why is he second on this list? If you’re not a Colts fan, you may well wonder. But in his second NFL season, the undrafted Valdosta State alum became a star slot defender in many ways. Moore was targeted 68 times in the slot in 2018, allowing 54 receptions for 429 yards and 265 yards after the catch. He gave up one touchdown to four interceptions, and allowed an opponent passer rating of 73.3.
Moore is nimble when asked to mirror routes, he’s efficiently aggressive at the line of scrimmage, and he’s got a knack for peeling off and jumping routes that makes him an asset in zone coverage. He’s also a highly effective blitzer, with five sacks and 13 pressures in the 2018 season—including two sacks of Patrick Mahomes in the divisional playoffs. If this is the first you’ve heard about Kenny Moore II, he’s officially a name to know.
1. Chris Harris, Denver Broncos
Harris is the best slot defender of his era, and given the importance of that position in his era, it’s easily arguable that he’s the best slot defender in NFL history. He’s posted shutout after shutout of his slot targets since he became a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2012, and though he’s also developed into an estimable outside cornerback (you don’t nab a five-year, $42.5 million contract, as he did in 2014, without that ability), it’s his unrivaled ability to shut down everything in the slot receiver’s palette—option routes, two-way goes, and all manner of route combinations—that allow him to transcend the position.
In 2018, Harris was targeted in the slot 36 times, allowing 23 receptions for 217 yards, 104 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opposing quarterback rating of 57.3. Just another season for the best at what he does, and it was smart of the Broncos to give the veteran a raise from $8.9 million to $12.05 million in the final year of his current contract. If Harris is a free agent in 2020, barring any labor strife, he’ll be one of the most coveted players on the open market.
