Seahawks, Broncos, Giants ranked best secondaries

The Seattle Seahawks’ secondary has been awarded the top ranking by USA Today Sports.

The Denver Broncos were a close second, followed by the New York Giants in third. Let’s take a closer look at the NFL top five best secondaries(the entire list has been included).

1. Seattle Seahawks

Seattle’s strong safety Kam Chancellor and free safety Earl Thomas are regarded by many as the leading players at their positions, so it is no surprise their unit was awarded the top spot.

Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman is still playing at an elite level and shows no sign of slowing down. Meanwhile, fellow corner DeShawn Shead was a valued element of a unit that allowed only 16 touchdown passes in 2016. However, with a torn ligament sustained during playoffs last season, a big question mark still hangs over his head.

2. Denver Broncos

Pro Football Focus listed Harris Jr. and Talib first and second respectively for coverage in 2016, so it comes as no surprise that the No Fly Zone is the second best secondary in the league.

Aqib Talib of the @Broncos in coverage in 2016.

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— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) June 7, 2017

Darian Stewart and T.J. Ward are capable of being excellent safeties if they put heavy work into it during training camp. Meanwhile, Bradley Roby hasn’t hit his ceiling just yet – his best remains to be seen, and we may see it this season. The Broncos will need to improve on their pass rush, which was far from ideal in 2016.

3. New York Giants

Landon Collins made a mark as an impact player last season (125 tackles, 4 sacks, 5 INTs) and he should be able to have a repeat performance. He is only behind Oakland Raiders’ Khalil Mack and Broncos’ Von Miller in voting for defensive player of the year.

Janoris Jenkins was another “significant reason for last year’s defensive turnaround”, according to Nate Davis of USA Today Sports. Together with Eli Apple and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Giants’ secondary is poised to be a force this coming season.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

The surprise of the list are the Jaguars’ secondary – and cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a big reason they’ve been ranked 4^th. Their pass defense was fifth in the league and can be expected to continue or get even better with defensive backs Rod Isaac and Aston Youboty.

If Jackonville’s offense improves and provide better support, expect the Jags to do even better.

5. New England Patriots

Rounding out the top 5 best secondaries, Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler will make another strong corner tandem – ideal for the team as they often have to defend the pass while protecting the leads constructed by the offense. Devin McCourty’s cornerback history makes him top-notch in covering. Safety Patrick Chung needs a lot of work.

The rest of the best secondaries rankings, per USA Today Sports:

6. Baltimore Ravens
7. Minnesota Vikings
8. Kansas City Chiefs
9. Los Angeles Chargers
10. Arizona Cardinals
11. Los Angeles Rams
12. Atlanta Falcons
13. Tennessee Titans
14. Miami Dolphins
15. Washington Redskin
16. Houston Texans
17. Detroit Lions
18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
19. Oakland Raiders
20. Cincinnati Bengals
21. Carolina Panthers
22. Cleveland Browns
23. Pittsburgh Steelers
24. New York Jets
25. Green Bay Packers
26. Dallas Cowboys
27. Chicago Bears
28. Indianapolis Colts
29. Buffalo Bills
30. San Francisco
31. Philadelphia Eagles
32. New Orleans Saints

by Yvonne Hew – contributor

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