NFL free agency is a year-round process, as teams scout opposing players in an effort to defeat them during the year and perhaps sign them in the offseason.
Now we're at the end of the 2023-24 NFL season, the free agency picture is coming into focus, and teams are beginning to identify potential targets to improve their roster weaknesses.
Here are the top safeties slated to hit free agency in 2024. Click here for PFF's full list of the top 200 free agents.
1. S ANTOINE WINFIELD JR., TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
2024 Free agency rank: 8
Winfield can line up in the box, take on receivers in the slot and play as a roaming deep-third free safety, finding success in single-high and two-high coverage shells. The former second-round pick is a difference-maker on the backend, and his remarkable versatility carries value at a position that appreciates it more than perhaps any other.
Top free agent comparison: Jessie Bates III, 2023
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Antoine Winfield Jr. | 73.2 | 71.3 | 9.0% | 93.4 | ? |
| Jessie Bates III | 65.7 | 80.9 | 5.7% | 78.1 | 7.1% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
2. S KYLE DUGGER, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
2024 Free agency rank: 20
Dugger is in the mold of the safety-linebacker hybrid that former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick loved as more teams shifted to dime packages and big dime looks with three safeties. Dugger fits in the run game as well as any defensive back in football, and he’s not a total liability in coverage, particularly against bigger slot receivers and tight ends, but it’s not exactly a strength.
Top free agent comparison: Dashon Goldson, 2013
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Kyle Dugger | 61.2 | 54.1 | 3.8% | 82.3 | ? |
| Dashon Goldson | 50.1 | 44.1 | 6.2% | 80.7 | 6.7% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
3. S KAMREN CURL, WASHINGTON COMMANDERS
2024 Free agency rank: 21
Curl has quietly been one of the more underrated players in the NFL over the past several seasons, with his status as a seventh-rounder and his name getting lost in the shuffle on a defense that, up until this year’s trade deadline, was riddled with first-round talent.
Curl can line up anywhere and is as consistent as safeties come on a down-to-down basis, possessing good instincts and a clear understanding of how to manipulate leverage and angles in the open field.
Top free agent comparison: Rodney McLeod, 2016
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Kamren Curl | 81.1 | 85.7 | 7.3% | 79.1 | ? |
| Rodney McLeod | 78.7 | 88.2 | 3.7% | 76.7 | 4.5% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
4. S XAVIER MCKINNEY, NEW YORK GIANTS
2024 Free agency rank: 43
McKinney’s coverage grades as a free safety (81.4) and in the box (79.4) are top-10 marks among safeties in 2023, and there is a big enough sample size of box play despite his general deployment as a deep player. Over the past three seasons, McKinney’s 7.0 yards allowed per target in coverage ranks top-25 among safeties, and his 17 combined interceptions and forced incompletions put him in the top 20.
While he could make more plays at or near the line of scrimmage, he rarely whiffs on open-field tackles. The 24-year-old has missed just 7.8% of his tackle attempts over his career, 11th-best among 89 safeties with at least 100 tackles over the past four seasons, making him a reliable enough last line of defense.
Top free agent comparison: John Johnson III, 2021
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Xavier McKinney | 83.8 | 88.4 | 8.4% | 70.5 | ? |
| John Johnson III | 79.4 | 74.2 | 7.7% | 69.5 | 3.4% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
5. S GENO STONE, BALTIMORE RAVENS
2024 Free agency rank: 52
In his first season playing in a full-time role on a defense that deploys three-safety looks as much as any team in the NFL, Stone boasted an 84.9 PFF coverage grade in the regular season that ranked seventh at the position and brought in a position-leading seven interceptions.
The knocks on Stone will be about his lack of deployment in the box or the slot and his poor run defense and tackling, missing 19% of tackle opportunities this season.
Top free agent comparison: Duron Harmon, 2017
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Geno Stone | 84.9 | 82.6 | 1.9% | 42.9 | ? |
| Duron Harmon | 76.9 | 80.3 | 6.3% | 47.5 | 2.5% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
Blackmon started for two seasons in college at cornerback, and he has logged more than 350 slot snaps since 2022. In Gus Bradley’s Cover 3-heavy scheme, Blackmon spent plenty of time as a single-high safety. Almost half of his snaps were down in the box in 2023.
Blackmon appears to be a better fit near the line of scrimmage due to his average recovery speed, but his plus lateral movement and solid ball skills from his days spent as a cornerback show up more often when closer to the line of scrimmage. Blackmon’s 30 defensive stops in 2023 were more than his career total before this season, and he missed a career-low 7.4% of tackle opportunities.
Top free agent comparison: Jayron Kearse, 2022
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Julian Blackmon | 63.7 | 60.3 | 2.7% | 66.6 | ? |
| Jayron Kearse | 60.8 | 63.7 | 9.4% | 64.6 | 2.4% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
Fuller is a ball-hawking free safety who spends the majority of his time patrolling his deep quarter, as the Rams have deployed as many two-high safety looks as any team in the NFL over the past few years. Fuller has good ball-tracking ability and times his jumps well, contesting at the catch point but avoiding penalties.
He runs the alley well and doesn’t miss many tackle attempts. He’s not necessarily crashing and making plays at or behind the line of scrimmage often, but he’s a sound tackler and a reliable last line of defense when called upon.
Top free agent comparison: Chris Conte, 2016
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Jordan Fuller | 57.3 | 67.7 | 14.9% | 82.7 | ? |
| Chris Conte | 67.5 | 73.0 | 7.7% | 78.7 | 1.9% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
Whitehead is a great fit in a defense that predominantly deploys single-high looks, bringing solid ball skills as the deep-third center-fielder over the past few seasons in addition to his true strength as a box defender roaming near the line of scrimmage. Whitehead has multiple interceptions in four straight seasons to go along with 20-plus defensive stops in every campaign of his career.
The primary knock on Whitehead is that he’s prone to missing tackles in one-on-one situations, at times taking questionable angles or overshooting an opportunity. The 2018 fourth-round pick of the Buccaneers will be only 27 years old for the duration of the 2024 season, his seventh at the NFL level.
Top free agent comparison: Bradley McDougald, 2018
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Jordan Whitehead | 69.4 | 66.1 | 9.0% | 64.3 | ? |
| Bradley McDougald | 67.3 | 79.4 | 12.2% | 64.9 | 2.5% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
9. S C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Detroit Lions
2024 Free agency rank: 101
Top free agent comparison: Keanu Neal, 2021
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| C.J. Gardner- Johnson | 71.2 | 60.2 | 6.6% | 59.0 | ? |
| Keanu Neal | 70.4 | 67.5 | 1.5% | 64.9 | 2.2% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
10. S Deshon Elliott, Miami Dolphins
2024 Free agency rank: 135
Top free agent comparison: Louis Delmas, 2015
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| DeShon Elliott | 66.3 | 59.2 | 12.3% | 78.3 | ? |
| Louis Delmas | 69.4 | 60.3 | 6.0% | 65.3 | 1.7% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
11. S Tashaun Gipson, San Francisco 49ers
2024 Free agency rank: 136
Top free agent comparison: Mike Adams, 2015
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Tashaun Gipson | 63.8 | 76.8 | 7.0% | 90.5 | ? |
| Mike Adams | 58.0 | 80.5 | 4.4% | 81.5 | 1.5% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
12. S Alohi Gilman, Los Angeles Chargers
2024 Free agency rank: 137
Top free agent comparison: Tre Boston, 2019
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Alohi Gilman | 85.8 | 90.6 | 14.8% | 71.2 | ? |
| Tre Boston | 89.8 | 87.8 | 19.0% | 67.1 | 1.1% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
13. S Darnell Savage, Green Bay Packers
2024 Free agency rank: 145
Top free agent comparison: J.J. Wilcox, 2017
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Darnell Savage | 66.2 | 69.0 | 13.0% | 66.0 | ? |
| J.J. Wilcox | 66.9 | 75.8 | 11.4% | 53.3 | 1.9% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
14. S Mike Edwards, Kansas City Chiefs
2024 Free agency rank: 148
Top free agent comparison: Tashaun Gipson, 2020
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Mike Edwards | 60.1 | 61.8 | 6.9% | 45.3 | ? |
| Tashaun Gipson | 59.9 | 63.0 | 9.8% | 61.4 | 1.4% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
15. S Jeremy Chinn, Carolina Panthers
2024 Free agency rank: 150
Top free agent comparison: Andrew Sendejo, 2016
| Player | Coverage grade w/ no pressure | Cov. grade on throws in ≤ 3s | Forced incompletion rate | Run-defense grade | APY as % of Cap at signing |
| Jeremy Chinn | 57.2 | 56.4 | 8.3% | 52.0 | ? |
| Andrew Sendejo | 57.4 | 63.8 | 5.6% | 65.5 | 2.6% |
*All data in tables reflects two years prior to UFA contract signing
Contract projection: Available in PFF's free agency rankings
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