NFL free agency 2021: Top 10 NFL safeties available
Here's a look at the top 10 NFL safeties available in free agency this offseason. By Dave Zangaro
The former 3rd-round pick out of Boston College played the 2020 season on a franchise tag and it seems like there’s a good chance they tag him again. Simmons, 27, has started every game the last three years and is coming off a big Pro Bowl season. He had 96 tackles and 5 interceptions in 2020.
The Jets are focused on bringing back the 27-year-old former second-rounder but it won’t be cheap. Maybe has emerged as a foundational piece to that defense and new head coach Robert Saleh won’t want to see him leave. In 2020, May had 88 tackles, 2 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles.
Harris is 29 now but is coming off a 100-tackle season with the Vikings. He has spent his first six years in the NFL in Minnesota and has carved out a really nice career after going undrafted out of Virginia in 2015.
After playing in just six games in 2019 because of a shoulder injury, Johnson returned to start all 16 for the Rams in 2020 and had another 100-tackle season. The former third-round pick is still just 25 and should demand a nice salary this offseason.
Williams is still known by a lot of people as the young safety who gave up the touchdown on the Minneapolis Miracle but he was a rookie then and that is just a small side note to an impressive career. Williams has established himself as one of the better young safeties in the NFL. He has 13 interceptions in four years and 30 pass breakups.
The Cowboys took Woods in the 6th round out of Louisiana Tech back in 2017 but he’s been a full-time starter for the last three seasons. While the Cowboys’ defense was atrocious last year, Woods was still solid. The Cowboys should want him back.
Neal is a tricky one to figure out. He had a Pro Bowl season in 2017 but barely played in 2018 and 2019 as injuries took their toll. In 2020, he returned to play in 15 games and had a 100-tackle season. He might not be the same guy he was before the injury but he’s still just 25 and has many years left.
The Colts’ former first-round pick is obviously talented but is coming off an Achilles injury he suffered in the second game of last season. In his first three seasons, Hooker had 7 interceptions, 11 pass breakups and 117 tackles.
Now 29, Tartt played in just seven games with the 49ers in 2020 because of a turf toe injury. Tartt has been a very good player but he’s struggled to stay healthy. In the last four years, he’s missed 28 games because of injuries.
Boston, 28, has spent the last two years in Carolina and has started all 32 games. Before then, he was with the Cardinals for a year, the Chargers for a year. At every stop, Boston has played well but he has never landed that long-term contract.
