Top 10 Best Safeties in NFL History – Honorable Mention Sean Taylor
Honorable Mention – Sean Taylor
This was a difficult one to rank considering Sean Taylor’s life was stripped away far too early. In only 4 seasons he already made his name as an elite safety in the NFL and I believe we hadn’t seen his best football.
He was a freak of nature who didn’t know how to stop. Before practices you would catch him doing full field sprints to get going. Not only was he a ball hawk, but Sean Taylor was a punisher. Many were victims to his hard hitting nature especially one of the hardest hits ever in the pro bowl against punter Brian Moorman.
Best Safeties Ever – #4 Brian Dawkins
#4 – Brian Dawkins
Brian Dawkins lived a double life. Talk to him off the field and he was a devout Christian, a kind man. When he stepped on that field his alter ego would take over. He was weapon X.
Brian Dawkins played with a reckless abandon and made it his mission to instill fear into those who opposed him. Hit after hit he would break his opponent down.
He was a leader, and his competitive edge brought out the best out of every one of his teammates. He never gave up on a season, game, or play.
His accolades also do the talking for how dominant he was. He is the first player to enter the 30/30 club with 36 forced fumbles and 37 interceptions. Those 36 forced fumbles are the most for any safety. He is the first player to record a sack, an interception, forced fumble, and touchdown reception in a single game. Last but no least he is the only player to record over 25 interceptions, forced fumbles and sacks over a career.
Whether it was in the box, or in pass coverage, Brian Dawkins was a safety you could rely on to dominate the game. I have seen many lists leave him out of the top 5, which is a shame considering he is one of the best all-around safeties in NFL history.
Top 10 Best Safeties in NFL History – #3 Troy Polamalu
#3 – Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu was the most important player on the Pittsburgh Steelers defense for many years. If you look at the winning percentage of the Steelers with Troy Polamalu starting compared to without, you will see that Troy Polamalu was in many cases the difference between winning and losing and they were a shell of themselves without him.
When healthy, Troy Polamalu was arguably the best safety ever. From one-handed interceptions to jumping over the line of scrimmage on a 4th and short play, the instincts and skill of Polamalu were always on full display.
Now here is why I only have him ranked 3rd on this list. Polamalu struggled with injuries more than any other play on this list. Over an 11 year span, he only had played 130 games which is an average of 12 games per season.With the same breath in every one of those 130 games he was a game changer.
He has led the Steel Curtain to 2 Super Bowl victories and in my opinion has the best instincts of any safety ever. Just ask Pat Mcafee. Only a football wizard would line up in the C gap.
