- The Patriots boast talent at every spot in the secondary: From Christian Gonzalez to Kevin Byard, New England's group takes the first spot.
- The Steelers infused more talent this offseason: Pittsburgh added Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker and Daylen Everette to a seasoned group in the back end.
- Houston ranks second: Derek Stingley Jr., Kamari Lassiter and Jalen Pitre give the Texans one of the NFL’s strongest defensive backfields.
1. New England Patriots
This is a top-tier secondary that is only going to get better. The focal point, Christian Gonzalez, allowed a league-low 43.4% completion rate when targeted last season. Rookie safety Craig Woodson put together the best run-defense season of any safety with an 89.7 PFF run-defense grade. He’ll be joined by veteran three-time All-Pro Kevin Byard this season, who led the league with seven interceptions last year. This secondary brings a brilliant blend of youth and experience. New England was the only unit to log four games without a missed tackle last season.
2. Houston Texans
The elite natural ability of Derek Stingley Jr. is well-documented, but the Texans also have two of the 10 highest-graded defensive backs in football last year in Kamari Lassiter and Jalen Pitre. DeMeco Ryans endorses Bill Belichick’s mantra of “do your job” — his highly touted coverage unit led the league in interceptions and was the only secondary not to register a single sack last season.
3. Denver Broncos
Pat Surtain II’s PFF grade took a small dip in 2025, but opponents hardly even look in his direction given his league-best mirroring ability. With quarterbacks actively avoiding Surtain, Riley Moss became by far the most targeted cornerback in the league. However, he fended off challengers well, and ultimately led the NFL with 15 pass breakups last season, more than the entire Vikings secondary. Elsewhere, Ja’Quan McMillian finished last season with a 90.0 PFF coverage grade over his last five games, surrendering just 24 yards on 15 targets, with his performance highlighted by a season-ending overtime interception of Josh Allen.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
This secondary had the highest collective PFF run-defense grade of any team last year, and Tariq Woolen now joins to establish one of the league’s strongest groups alongside Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell, who ranked second in completion percentage allowed behind Christian Gonzalez. By allowing Reed Blankenship to walk in free agency, Philadelphia has shed its largest liability from last season — his 42.8 PFF grade was the lowest of any Eagles starter.
5. Pittsburgh Steelers
This secondary left a lot on the table last year, dropping 10 opportunities at interceptions, the most in the league. Joey Porter Jr.’s 44% completion percentage allowed was among the top five of starting cornerbacks last season. He has injury and contract issues to iron out, but Pittsburgh also added Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker and third-round pick Daylen Everette to this unit over the offseason.
6. Seattle Seahawks
The Super Bowl champions were propelled by a dominant secondary throughout last season. This group of defensive backs led the league in overall PFF grade, with their leader, Devon Witherspoon, finishing as the highest-graded defensive back in football with a 90.1 overall PFF grade. Tariq Woolen is the primary offseason departure. Safety Nick Emmanwori could assert himself among the league’s best safeties if he takes a Year 2 leap. He did everything at a high level as a rookie, including getting after the quarterback. He led all defensive backs with 18 pressures.
7. Los Angeles Rams
The trade for Trent McDuffie this offseason, along with the acquisition of his former Chiefs running mate Jaylen Watson, gives the Rams upside to be the best secondary in the league in 2026. It’s yet another reason why they will kick off the season as Super Bowl favorites. Safety Kamren Curl is quietly a huge piece of this operation. The ever-reliable 27-year-old played almost 100 more snaps than any other NFL defensive back last season, and led all safeties in tackles.
8. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens received the top spot in this ranking a year ago, but failed to live up to expectations. Kyle Hamilton remains the first name out of most people’s mouths when asked to name the best safety in football. At cornerback, veteran Marlon Humphrey was the only NFL player to surrender over 900 yards in coverage. Meanwhile, young understudy Nate Wiggins was one of just three players to be targeted over 100 times, although his results were a little better than Humphrey’s.
9. Jacksonville Jaguars
Antonio Johnson was one of the most underrated players in football last season. He was PFF’s highest-graded safety with an overall grade of 86.8. Travis Hunter returns from injury in what appears to be a full-time starting role at cornerback. Jaguars defensive backs allowed just 10.2 yards per reception last season, second-lowest behind the Seahawks.
10. Green Bay Packers
All-Pro Xavier McKinney wasn’t quite as electric in 2025, but his 91.6 PFF coverage grade since joining the Packers two years ago is the highest of any defensive back in the league. His running mate Evan Williams has established himself as a quality starter too. The 25-year-old was PFF’s fifth-highest-graded safety in run defense last season (85.6). Fellow 2024 draftee Javon Bullard allowed the lowest yards per reception (7.1) of any defensive back targeted more than 50 times last season. This unit isn’t overly strong on the perimeter, but second-round rookie Brandon Cisse could raise the standards if given a license right away.
11. Los Angeles Chargers
No defensive back blitzed more than Derwin James’ 76 pass-rushing snaps last season. While James was in pursuit, the other Chargers safeties rarely looked uncomfortable. In fact, Tony Jefferson and R.J. Mickens are the only two NFL safeties to play 200-plus coverage snaps without allowing 80 yards last year. 24-year-old perimeter cornerback Tarheeb Still has earned his place in the league. The former fifth-round pick is the fourth-highest-graded cornerback in the 2024 draft class.
12. Cleveland Browns
All Browns starting defensive backs from a season ago have returned, making this one of the easier squads to project for the most man-coverage-heavy unit in football. Cleveland ranked 15th on this list before last season, and 19th in PFF coverage grade over the course of the year. The addition of second-round pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren may not make an immediate difference as he finds his way at a much higher level of football than the MAC, but his long-term potential is among the highest in the draft.
13. Buffalo Bills
Christian Benford was tied for the highest PFF run-defense grade of any defensive back, but struggles in coverage dragged down his overall grade. Addition CJ Gardner-Johnson fortunately avoided a major injury when carted off in training camp and will team up with Cole Bishop, who allowed a passer rating of just 43.5 in coverage in Year 2. Maxwell Hairston remains a relative unknown at corner, having logged just 348 snaps in his rookie season.
14. Carolina Panthers
Carolina’s starting cornerback duo of Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson is one of the best in football. We know all about Horn’s ability, but Jackson’s 85.8 PFF coverage grade was the second-best among cornerbacks last season, helped by his five interceptions. Carolina played the most zone coverage of any defense last season. At safety, Tre’von Moehrig was tied for the most tackles for loss or no gain among defensive backs (12). His 17 pressures were also the second-most of any safety.
15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The most disciplined secondary in football last season, Tampa Bay’s group committed just 13 total penalties. But the Buccaneers weren’t scared to get aggressive either — their 35 pressures from defensive backs was only surpassed by the two conference champions last year. Antoine Winfield Jr. bounced back after his injury-stricken 2024 campaign, but his play was still a far cry from his elite seasons of 2021 and 2023.
16. Indianapolis Colts
This is a difficult secondary to place, so I’ve dropped them right into the middle of the pack. Statistically, last season wasn’t ideal. The Indianapolis defense allowed the most explosive pass plays of 15 yards or more. That said, we’ve barely seen the Colts operate with Sauce Gardner in the lineup. Keep a close eye on rookie third-round pick AJ Haulcy, who could feature heavily at safety in his inaugural NFL season.
17. Atlanta Falcons
Former third-round pick Xavier Watts would’ve been the highest-graded rookie safety in the league had it not been for Nick Emmanwori. In Year 2, Watts should form one of the league’s better safety duos alongside veteran Jessie Bates. The Terrell brothers teaming up is a brilliant story, but I would still expect to see Mike Hughes retain his starting job, having allowed a career-low 83.3 passer rating when targeted last season.
18. Cincinnati Bengals
Cornerback DJ Turner II ranked top 10 in both PFF coverage grade and completion percentage allowed last season. There isn’t much turnover to speak of in this secondary aside from Bryan Cook’s addition. Cook’s run defense has improved across each of his four NFL seasons, reaching 79.7 in 2025. This could be a nice help for PFF’s second-lowest-graded secondary in run defense last season. It wasn’t just running backs Cincinnati struggled to stop. It was all ball carriers — the Bengals were the only defense to surrender over 2,500 yards after the catch.
19. Chicago Bears
Not only did the Bears’ secondary snag 17 interceptions, the third-most in the NFL, but the unit also forced seven fumbles and recovered six of them. This squad has a knack for the football. Chicago enters the season with continuity at cornerback, where Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson retain their starting roles. Safety, however, has undergone a complete overhaul, with free-agent addition Coby Bryant and first-round pick Dillon Thieneman projected to take over.
20. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ secondary was the lowest-graded unit in the league last year and was responsible for a league-high 28 passing touchdowns. However, by drafting safety Caleb Downs in the first round along with the acquisitions of Cobie Durant and Jalen Thompson in free agency, the group enters 2026 revamped. These newcomers should help keep the Cowboys from having to fall upon depth option Reddy Stewart once again after he allowed 45 completions on 52 targets as a replacement player last season.
21. Detroit Lions
This secondary plays fast and physically. One such drawback is that Detroit led the NFL with 34 penalties committed in the 2025 regular season. There’s no denying the Lions’ willingness to get their hands dirty, though — Detroit missed the fewest tackles of any secondary last year. Otherwise, this unit is a bit of a mess with injured starting safeties Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph both far from any return to action. In their stead, it’ll be free-agent signings Chuck Clark and Christian Izien, who combined for fewer than 600 snaps last season.
22. Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota’s secondary broke up just 14 passes in all of last season, the fewest in the league. Signing James Pierre for just over $4 million per year looks like a potential bargain considering he led the entire league with an 88.9 PFF coverage grade last season. On the opposite side from him, Byron Murphy Jr. has the second-most interceptions of any cornerback since joining the Vikings in 2023, but last season’s 59.8 PFF coverage grade was a step in the wrong direction.
23. Kansas City Chiefs
Mansoor Delane’s ability to replace Trent McDuffie will be the biggest talking point in Kansas City among secondary enthusiasts in 2026, but don’t lose sight of Nohl Williams. The perimeter corner was PFF’s highest-graded rookie defensive back last season. Former Dolphin Kader Kohou will likely start right away at slot corner. Meanwhile, safety Chamarri Conner has missed the most tackles of any defensive back in the league over the last two seasons.
24. San Francisco 49ers
This is debatably the worst position group on an otherwise strong roster once again in 2026. It’s a fairly young and homegrown unit — all five starters return from last year, and all were drafted by the organization. While continuity will help, there just isn’t much optimism to speak of. The 49ers’ 52.3 overall PFF grade was the third-lowest of any secondary in football in 2025.
25. New Orleans Saints
This squad has lost three of its top five defensive backs by snap count from last season. What you see is what you get with this secondary. There isn’t a ton to be excited about, but Kool-Aid McKinstry provides a high floor at cornerback, while Julian Blackmon and Justin Reid form a steady, if unspectacular, safety pairing.
26. Arizona Cardinals
This secondary struggled last season, but its pair of rookie cornerbacks from last year — Will Johnson and Denzel Burke — should find their footing in Year 2. The entire starting unit from last year is back again, including tackling machine Budda Baker. He logged his 1,000th career tackle last season in what was his seventh NFL year with triple-digit tackles. Every member of this secondary gave up a completion percentage above 60% in coverage in 2025.
27. New York Giants
Run defense was a major concern for the Giants whenever the front seven defenders were taken out of the equation. New York finished with the lowest PFF run-defense grade of any secondary last year. The Giants also committed the second-most penalties of any defensive backs group. They’re practically rolling out the same underwhelming group in 2026, with the exception of newcomer Greg Newsome II. Now on his third franchise in four years, Newsome is badly out of form. No cornerback in the league allowed more receptions in coverage between Week 14 and Jacksonville’s wild-card round exit.
28. Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders were PFF’s lowest-ranked secondary in this list from a year ago. Four mid-round picks spent on defensive backs, plus the acquisition of Taron Johnson from Buffalo, gives you an idea of how badly their secondary needed to be addressed, along with everything else on their roster. One of the few bright spots from last season was Eric Stokes, who in his fifth NFL season posted his highest PFF grade by far (75.0).
29. New York Jets
Not a single interception to speak of for the Jets secondary was one of the more embarrassing facts of the 2025 season. Brandon Stephens is the league’s only defensive back to play over 2,000 coverage snaps since 2023, but he has only two turnovers to show for it, along with 15 touchdowns surrendered in coverage. New addition Minkah Fitzpatrick made 25 tackles against the run last year, which looks decent on paper, but they came almost 14 yards downfield on average.
30. Tennessee Titans
Rookie safety Kevin Winston Jr. was one of the few highlights from last year. His average depth of tackle on run plays was just 3.0 yards from the line of scrimmage, the shallowest of all qualifying safeties. Coverage was a unit-wide issue, though. Opposing quarterbacks earned a 125.0 passer rating when throwing in the vicinity of the Titans’ secondary. Incoming boundary corners Cor’Dale Flott and Alontae Taylor can hardly be considered needle-movers. Taylor is the only defensive back to allow 20 passing touchdowns over the last three years.
31. Washington Commanders
The Commanders’ front office has not done much to markedly improve the second-lowest-graded secondary from a year ago aside from the addition of Nick Cross. The 24-year-old did everything in Indianapolis and finished last season second among defensive backs in tackles (first on run plays) and third in pressures. Mike Sainristil returns, having allowed more touchdowns (9) than any other defender in the NFL last season. This unit was a mess in 2025, leading the league with 35 busted coverages.
32. Miami Dolphins
No secondary missed more tackles than the Dolphins last year, who whiffed on 90 in total. Free-agent safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. is a budget version of Xavier McKinney in first-time head coach Jeff Hafley’s defense. A classic deep center fielder, Johnson’s average depth of target was the furthest downfield of any player last year. This unit is utterly devoid of experience, however. Excluding rookie cornerback Chris Johnson, Miami’s four projected starters — Johnson, Dante Trader Jr., Jason Marshall Jr. and JuJu Brents — averaged just 270 snaps apiece last season.
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