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In recent years, safeties and their versatility have become increasingly important around the league.
As offenses have continued to put more tight ends on the field (only the Texans and Chargers didn’t play multiple-tight-end sets for at least 10% of their offensive snaps last season), having safeties who can play in man coverage while also being able to slide down into the box and choke off the run are more valuable than ever.
In this past NFL draft, we saw a pair of safeties go in the first round, with Caleb Downs heading to the Cowboys at No. 11 and Dillon Thieneman to the Bears at No. 25. Then three more safeties went in the second round.
With the safety position being highlighted on a weekly basis, let’s look at the five best combinations around the league, starting with a tandem in the Queen City.
5. Cincinnati Bengals: Jordan Battle and Bryan Cook
Battle is one of the more underrated defenders in the league. Entering a contract year, the fourth-year safety should feel good about his negotiating position. After playing fewer than half the defensive snaps in 2023 and ’24, Battle became a starter last year, earning 96% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps while posting four interceptions and 125 tackles, including two for loss.
Cook now joins him in the secondary, coming over on a three-year deal after playing out his rookie contract with the Chiefs. A two-time Super Bowl champ, Cook is returning to his native city and brings a wealth of talent and experience. Having started 46 games over the past three seasons, Cook has 13 passes defensed and three interceptions over that span.
4. Denver Broncos: Brandon Jones and Talanoa Hufanga
The Broncos have one of the strongest defenses across the board, and the safety position is no exception. Hufanga was brought in via free agency from the 49ers in 2025 and he earned second-team All-Pro honors with 11 passes defensed, six tackles for loss and two sacks while playing all 17 games last year. After being limited to 17 games total across the previous two years, Hufanga’s health is always the concern.
However, it’s not just Hufanga on the back end who’s worth highlighting. Jones was a good player over his rookie deal with the Dolphins, but he’s blossomed under Denver defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. With the Broncos since 2024, he’s amassed 193 tackles, 17 passes defensed, four interceptions and a pair of fumble recoveries.
3. Green Bay Packers: Xavier McKinney and Evan Williams
A second-team All-Pro last year, McKinney has proved to be an excellent signing for the Packers. McKinney has earned All-Pro honors in each of his two seasons with Green Bay, finishing eighth in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2024. Overall, he’s one of the best coverage safeties in the game, totaling 10 interceptions, including eight in his first season with the Packers.
McKinney has found a running mate in Williams, who at 24 years old is already one of the better safeties in the sport. A fourth-round pick in 2024, Williams became a full-time starter last season and racked up three interceptions, four tackles for loss, 100 total tackles and five passes defensed while playing 86% of the defensive snaps.
2. Baltimore Ravens: Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks
Just about anybody playing alongside Hamilton is going to get a spot on this list, but Starks appears to be a worthy complement. A first-round rookie out of Georgia last season, Starks started 15 games (while playing in all 17) and had two interceptions while totaling 84 tackles. Already playing 94% of the snaps, he should only ascend with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter taking over in Baltimore.
As for Hamilton, he’s the best safety in football. A first-round choice in 2022 from Notre Dame, he’s already earned three All-Pro berths including two first-team nods across his first four seasons. With 31 passes defensed and 21 tackles for loss over the past three years, nobody is more versatile than Hamilton, who can do anything asked of him.
1. Atlanta Falcons: Xavier Watts and Jessie Bates III
The Falcons are one of the most overlooked franchises in football, and for good reason. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2017, and since then, have won either seven or eight games seven times in eight years. They have never been good, rarely horrific. However, Atlanta has the league’s top safety tandem in Bates and Watts.
Watts came on as a third-round rookie from the Fighting Irish a year ago. Despite his inexperience, Watts played 99% of the snaps and produced five interceptions, second among all safeties. He also racked up 96 tackles and 11 passes defensed, helping him finish fourth in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.
As for Bates, he earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2025, for the third time in his career. At 29 years old, he’s elite both in coverage and as a ballhawk, totaling 27 interceptions across his eight seasons with the Bengals and Falcons. Bates is also incredibly durable, missing just three games in his career.
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MATT VERDERAME
Matt Verderame is a national NFL staff writer for Sports Illustrated, writing features, columns and more. Before joining Sports Illustrated in March 2023, Verderame wrote for FanSided and SB Nation. He’s a proud husband to Stephanie and father of two girls, Maisy and Genevieve. In his spare time, Verderame is an avid collector of vintage baseball cards.
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