‘Tis hat casualty season. The new league year begins on March 13, and every team in the league must hit the hard salary cap by 4 p.m. ET that day. Teams around the league are hemorrhaging talent to reach the $255.4 million figure.
this buffalo bill The hardest hit. They released three starters and two key contributors. One of those players is safety Jordan Poyer. He was a first-team All-Pro at safety in 2021, but he remained a casualty for a Bills team that was forced Two years ago, he took a wild pay cut after struggling to win a Super Bowl title.
Poyer isn’t the only highly regarded player at the position to be cut this offseason, either. Kevin Byard and Eddie Jackson, both players who were first-team All-Pro safeties in their careers, were released in their early 30s.this philadelphia eagles Byrd was traded mid-season in an attempt to shore up a struggling defense.
Justin Simmons has yet to be named a first-team All-Pro, but he has been a second-team selection in four of the past five seasons, including 2023. denver broncos There’s one the size of Russell Wilson swallow pill. With the team willing to take on $85 million in dead money by releasing him (which could be spread over two seasons), one of the Broncos’ best defensive players has to go.
Safeties are now the running backs of NFL defenses. It’s a very important position, but it’s not as difficult to fill as cornerback or defensive lineman. Weaknesses in these positions are more easily exposed by the offense.
Security is more like the last line of defense. If the running back passes through the defensive line and linebackers, rely on the safeties to prevent the play from turning into a touchdown. Their role in pass defense is also largely to prevent big plays, but defensive coordinators do like to come up with ways to use them on the blitz.
Kyle Hamilton is giving kansas city chiefs The Blues during the AFC Champions League, especially the first half. A player like him not only has the talent to tackle as a linebacker, but his athleticism one-on-one against defenders makes him a unique talent.
Others who are just doing their job, even if they do it better than the vast majority of the NFL, seem to be considered disposable. That’s the message being sent by cutting talented safeties so teams can lower payroll.
The NFL is a tough industry. Teams across all leagues are looking to cap player salaries. However, in the NFL, there are so many players and quarterbacks that take up a large percentage of the cap space. Just good is not good enough. In the NFL, players fall into two categories: indispensable or very dispensable.
Safeties are becoming the most dispensable player, at least on defense. Fortunately for these players, Derwin James signed the largest contract for the position in NFL history – 5 years, $76.5 million.
Since these types of salaries are still offered to the best players, safeties are not treated the same as running backs. But when it comes to defensive players, it’s the position that teams look at first when sorting out their books.
