Darnell Savage Jr

On the cusp of free agency, we’re about to see a ton of change in the safety landscape. The market is saturated with capable veterans: Kamren Curl, Xavier McKinney, Julian Blackmon, Justin Simmons, Kevin Byard, Eddie Jackson, Quandre Diggs, Jeremy Chinn, Darnell Savage Jr, Jordan Whitehead, Jordan Fuller, Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde, Jamal Adams, Rayshawn Jenkins, Tracy Walker, Jayron Kearse, Geno Stone, Brandon Jones, John Johnson III and Jonathan Owens are among those available.

The buyer’s market makes it somewhat difficult to predict which rising second-year safeties truly have a shot at a meaningful role in 2024 and beyond. In your true dynasty leagues with first-come, first-served waivers, stay nimble with your roster spots over the next week.

About the Series and Statistics

This is the final installment of the 2023 rookie review series. If you missed the first three articles, part one focused on interior defensive linemen. The edge rushers warranted two parts: one for elite assets and current or future fantasy starters, and one for everyone else. Part three examined the off-ball linebackers. The cornerback class was nice too but corners simply don’t carry dynasty value from year-to-year, so I don’t pay them much mind when looking through a dynasty lens.

Before getting into the rankings and brief reviews, credit goes to Pro Football Reference (PFR) for all statistics except for pressures and alignment data, which comes via Pro Football Focus (PFF).

Tier One: Elite Assets

Looked at from the entirety of IDP, a safety would have to be something extra special to rise to the elite tier along with the top edge rushers, linebackers and interior defensive linemen. The closest safeties would be Antoine Winfield Jr, Kyle Hamilton, and Derwin James; to me, those are the elites at the position.

Tier Two: Current or Future Fantasy Starters

The top two safeties in this tier are already considered weekly starters even in “start two” formats with a combined defensive backs category. I’m less confident in the third and fourth safeties here, but there are things to like based on draft capital, early quality of play and opportunity.

1. Brian Branch, DET