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NFL's top nine defenses in 2022: 49ers, Bills stand tall; Chargers loom after loading up
Published: Aug 22, 2022 at 10:48 AM
Headshot_Author_Adam Schein_2019_png
Adam Schein
NFL.com Contributing Columnist



TOP NINE DEFENSES



Defense wins championships.

It's a familiar refrain. But does it still hold true in this era of high-flying offense?

OK, so the 1985 Chicago Bears are not walking through that door. Neither are the Purple People Eaters, the 2000 Baltimore Ravens or the Legion of Boom. But there are defenses poised to make a real difference this year.

Here are my top defenses heading into the 2022 NFL season, Schein Nine-style:


Rank
1
San Francisco 49ers

Nick Bosa, who received my vote for first-team All-Pro last season, is a beast. In 35 career games, he's compiled 24.5 sacks, including 15.5 in 2021, good for fourth in the NFL. He anchors a superb front seven, which welcomes Arik Armstead back into the fold after he missed time with a knee injury in camp. (And watch out for Javon Kinlaw, whom head coach Kyle Shanahan says "seems more like himself" after having ACL surgery last fall.) Fred Warner is a special player, earning the fourth-best defensive grade from Pro Football Focus among linebackers last season. He's led the team in tackles in each of his four pro seasons thus far, surpassed in that category by only three players (Bobby Wagner, Shaquille Leonard and Roquan Smith) since he joined the NFL in 2018. And Charvarius Ward joins a defensive backfield that helped San Francisco rank sixth in passing yards allowed last season. In short, the core is legit.



DeMeco Ryans picked up the defensive coordinator torch last season when Robert Saleh left to coach the Jets, and the brilliant Ryans didn't miss a beat, pushing the defense to its third consecutive top-five finish in yards allowed. When you combine the talent on the field with Ryans' smarts, you have a potent combo worthy of the No. 1 position here.




Rank
2
Buffalo Bills

The addition of Von Miller to the No. 1 defense (in terms of yards allowed) in 2021 was perfect. Miller might be 33, but he still has a ton of gas left in the tank as a pass rusher, judging by his otherworldly playoff performance with the Rams last season (four sacks in four games). I remain enamored with the talent up front; former first-rounder Gregory Rousseau is coming of a four-sack debut season, while Ed Oliver put up a career-best 10 tackles for loss and 14 QB hits in '21. Miller brings it all together -- the two-time Super Bowl champ will show the Bills the way.



I love coordinator Leslie Frazier's ability to coach up this unit. First-round pick Kaiir Elam was a great addition to a secondary that also features veteran stalwarts Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde at safety. Whenever two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Tre'Davious White, who went down with a torn ACL in November, makes his way back onto the field, it will be, well, everything for this defense.

Rank
3
Green Bay Packers

The Packers traded away Davante Adams, one of the best receivers in the game today, this offseason. But they still have a great opportunity to make a legitimate Super Bowl run this season. And it's not just because they have a legendary quarterback in Aaron Rodgers -- it's also because they have a lockdown defense.



That's right; these aren't your older brother's Green Bay Packers, asking a top-10 offense to carry a bottom-ranked defense. The front seven is strong, with first-round pick Quay Walker joining tackling machine De'Vondre Campbell and veteran pass rushers Rashan Gary and Preston Smith. The defensive backfield is special. Corner Jaire Alexander, who missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, is a rock star -- and he's paid like it. Alexander will be returning alongside 2021 first-round pick Eric Stokes, who tied for most passes defensed (14) by a rookie last season. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry surely earned the trust of both his players and head coach Matt LaFleur after piloting Green Bay to a ninth-place finish in yards allowed in his first year on the job.



Rank
4
Los Angeles Chargers

Teaming up four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Joey Bosa with three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Khalil Mack? Yes, please.



Adding J.C. Jackson to a secondary that also features newly extended safety Derwin James and promising youngster Asante Samuel Jr.? Yes, please -- and thank you!



Bosa and Mack, who have both averaged over nine sacks per season in their NFL careers, are one of the most formidable pass-rushing tandems in the league, while Jackson (22 picks over the past three seasons) is the play-making corner this team has craved. Locking up James, who will hope to build on his 2021 season after missing all of 2020 and much of 2019 with injury, was monumentally important for head coach Brandon Staley's Super Bowl-caliber roster. And don't sleep on the defensive tackle help general manager Tom Telesco brought in to shore up the run defense, which last season pulled a defense that ranked 12th against the pass into the bottom half of the league (23rd) in yards allowed. Free-agent tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day earned the best defensive grade from PFF of his career in 2020, when Staley was his coordinator with the Rams.


Rank
5
Los Angeles Rams

Aaron Donald is the best defensive player who has ever walked the face of the Earth.



OK, now that we have that basic fact of life out of the way, we can delve into the rest of this starry unit. Jalen Ramsey -- who, along with Donald, made the list of players I think should be in the "Madden 99 Club" -- is the best corner in the game. Scooping up linebacker Bobby Wagner after his release by the Seahawks was a stupendous move. The likely first-ballot Hall of Famer will be hungry to win another title -- and show Seattle what it will be missing. I can't wait to see what Raheem Morris, who is a great defensive coordinator, does in Year 2 with the team. L.A.'s regular-season defensive rankings -- 17th in yards allowed and 15th in scoring -- might not be much to look at, but Morris and Co. really turned it on during the championship run: The Rams ranked second among playoff teams in yards allowed per game (282.3) and third in points allowed per game (18.8).

Rank
6
New Orleans Saints

Dennis Allen was promoted to replace Sean Payton as head coach after coaxing the defense to four consecutive top-15 finishes as coordinator, including two straight in the top seven. He's great at what he does. Cam Jordan, who has recorded double-digit sacks in four of the past five seasons, is a stud. The front seven is reliably difficult to run against, helping New Orleans rank fourth or better in run defense in each of the past four seasons. Linebacker Demario Davis is a great leader and tackler. Marshon Lattimore is a play-making corner -- he leads the NFL in passes defensed (74) since the Saints made him a first-round pick in 2017.

Signing veteran safety Tyrann Matthieu was the icing on the cake. The ex-LSU star will bring the kind of sizzle, swagger and experience that can help this defense win big.



Rank
7
Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Like Allen in New Orleans, Todd Bowles was elevated to head coach this offseason after a strong run as the team's defensive coordinator (three straight top-15 finishes). His fingerprints will no doubt remain visible on this defense. He has a sharp mind and a loaded team at his disposal.



Only Bobby Wagner has more tackles than Lavonte David (1,220) since David entered the league in 2012. The veteran David and rising youngster Devin White (fourth in tackles over the past two seasons) form a dynamic linebacking duo. Shaq Barrett has been one of the league's more effective pass rushers, ranking fourth in sacks (37.5) over the past three seasons. Jason Pierre-Paul is gone, but 2021 first-rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka can pick up the pass-rushing slack. Vita Vea matched a career high with 12 QB hits last season and set a personal best in sacks (four) en route to his first Pro Bowl nod. Vea is joined on the Bucs' mammoth line by veteran Akiem Hicks, whose signing in free agency was a top-notch move. And corner Carlton Davis, who has more passes defensed than anyone in the NFL in the past three seasons despite missing seven games in 2021, will be back, healthy and newly enriched.



Rank
8
Denver Broncos

Denver is on this list even after saying goodbye to Von Miller via midseason trade last year, and that's in large part because of the clutch addition of pass-rushing ace Randy Gregory as a free agent this offseason. The ex-Cowboy should help provide room for Bradley Chubb, who was held to zero sacks and limited to seven games last season, to reestablish himself as a top-end pass-rushing threat.



Safety Justin Simmons has been a prolifically productive defensive back, piling up 331 tackles over the past four seasons, behind only Cincinnati's Jessie Bates in that span. First-round pick Patrick Surtain II, meanwhile, had more interceptions (four) than any Broncos rookie since Steve Foley also recorded four in 1976. I love Surtain's upside and talent. And the tough D-line was boosted by the addition of D.J. Jones.




Rank
9
Cleveland Browns

Jadeveon Clowney, who put up one of the better seasons of his career last year playing alongside Myles Garrett, was smart to come back for more in 2022. Garrett is a star, one of just three players (along with Aaron Donald and T.J. Watt) to post double-digit sacks in each of the past four seasons. At 26 years old, Garrett is still squarely in his prime. Denzel Ward got paid this offseason, and he'll anchor a truly talented defensive backfield filled with playmakers like Greg Newsome II, Greedy Williams and Grant Delpit. And don't forget about linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, one of three rookies last season (with the Cowboys' Micah Parsons and the Raiders' Nate Hobbs) to notch 70-plus tackles and four-plus QB hits.



The Browns are going to need their defense to take over and win games during Deshaun Watson's 11-game suspension, and this unit is capable of doing exactly that.

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-s-top-...lls-stand-tall-chargers-loom-after-loadi

2022 NFL roster cuts and trades: Dolphins receivers, Browns running backs among deepest units
NFL teams will be keeping a close eye on these roster decisions
Josh Edwards

By Josh Edwards


NFL teams must get down to the 53-player active-roster limit by 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 30. The final week of preseason games is important for fringe roster players to audition for not only their current team, but also the other 31 franchises. Players who do not make the 53-man roster will be susceptible to the waiver system, which means they can be claimed by any other team in order of worst to best record last season. If the player goes through waivers unclaimed, then the initial team has the right to add that player to the practice squad.

If a team has a need to fill and is not willing to wait and see if a player of interest reaches them in the waiver order, then they could be inclined to execute a trade. A total of 23 trades occurred in August 2021, including defensive tackle B.J. Hill and running back Sony Michel, who played meaningful snaps last postseason for the Super Bowl representative Bengals and Rams, respectively. There has only been two trades this year. It is uncommon to find starters through the waiver system but it is more common to identify depth or role players.

Below are some of the units across the league that could be under the watchful eyes of personnel evaluators:

Dolphins wide receivers
Wide receivers Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Ced Wilson Jr. would seem to be entrenched in their respective roles. Most teams keep five or six at the position, which leaves Mohamed Sanu, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr. and fourth-round selection Erik Ezukanma vulnerable. In fact, there has already been a report that Williams and Bowden have been the subject of trade discussions. Bowden has a history returning punts and kicks in college so teams may be more comfortable taking a chance on the former third-round pick knowing that he could fulfill a secondary role.


Cleveland makes sense as a possible destination for the Youngstown native following an injury to wide receiver and kick returner Jakeem Grant.

Patriots defensive backs
Every head coach in the NFL covets depth and talent in the secondary but few are capable of cultivating it the way Bill Belichick has over the years. Malcolm Butler, Myles Bryant, Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson, to name a few, were originally added as undrafted free agents. Jackson signed a lucrative contract with the Chargers this off-season whereas Butler had returned to play a key role for the Patriots this season prior to sustaining an injury. New England may not have a star in the secondary but they have numbers.

At cornerback, the team has Terrance Mitchell, Jalen Mills, Justin Bethel, Shaun Wade, draft picks Jack Jones and Marcus Jones, and the aforementioned Bryant and Jones. At safety, the team has Adrian Phillips, Devin McCourty, Jabrill Peppers, Kyle Dugger and some younger additions.


Scouring rosters in preparation for this article, it became evident that there is a shortage of quality cornerbacks in the NFL. The Falcons, Cardinals, Lions, Giants, Commanders, Texans, Colts and Steelers were among the teams with a potential need at the position.

Browns running backs
Cleveland's dynamic one-two punch of Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt could be in danger for the upcoming season. Hunt requested a trade under the assumption that the Browns were not going to give him a new contract. To this point, the northeast Ohio franchise has been unwilling to meet his demands. Third-string running back D'Ernest Johnson played an integral role in the team's victory over Denver last season when Hunt and Chubb were sidelined with injuries. In fact, he had three games in which he rushed for 99-plus yards. Rookie Jerome Ford has been fantastic in training camp thus far. Last year's sixth-round pick, Demetric Felton Jr., is of a smaller build but has been a contributor in both the run and pass games. Considering most teams do not retain more than four running backs, it is hard to fathom Cleveland finding room for all five unless Felton is moved to wide receiver.





Jets offensive and defensive lines
Personnel executives who have spent time in Philadelphia with executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman often have a strategy to build depth in the trenches. Andrew Berry in Cleveland and Joe Douglas in New York have followed a similar model. The Jets' starting offensive line, from left to right, is Duane Brown, Laken Tomlinson, Connor McGovern, Alijah Vera-Tucker and George Fant. Beyond the first wave, reserves Caleb Benenoch, Conor McDermott, Nate Herbig, Chuma Edoga, Ross Pierschbacher and Dan Feeney all have meaningful playing experience. Fourth-round selection Max Mitchell should add functional depth on the corner. There is simply not enough room on the roster to keep them all.


On the other side of the ball, New York drafted edge rushers Jermaine Johnson II and Michael Clemons to compete with Carl Lawson, Jacob Martin and Vinny Curry. Sliding inside, the team has Quinnen Williams, John Franklin-Myers, Sheldon Rankins and Solomon Thomas; three of which were first-round draft choices. Tanzel Smart and Nathan Shepherd have also logged professional snaps.

Buccaneers wide receivers
Not only did Tampa Bay retain Chris Godwin, they signed Russell Gage and Julio Jones this off-season to go along with four-time Pro Bowl selection Mike Evans. Scotty Miller, Jaelon Darden, Breshad Perriman and Tyler Johnson are also rostered. Those are the names of eight wide receivers before factoring in whether or not undrafted free agents Deven Thompkins, Jerreth Sterns or Kaylon Geiger could develop into a product worth continued investment.

Chiefs defensive line
Kansas City has had an interior defensive line rotation featuring Chris Jones, Tershawn Wharton, Derrick Nnadi and Khalen Saunders the past two years. The Chiefs experimented with Jones on the edge last season before ultimately moving him back to his most proficient position; the presence of first-round edge rusher George Karlaftis should ensure he remains there. Veteran additions Danny Shelton and Taylor Stallworth mean that the franchise is three-deep along the interior defensive line and a potential match for an opposition looking for help.


49ers edge rushers
Nick Bosa is the crown jewel of San Francisco's defense but the team has become known for taking on athletically gifted players yet to reach their potential in the NFL. Defensive line coach Kris Kocurek and the team's usage of a wide-9 alignment are appealing to young players looking for a fresh start. Some of this year's projects include Charles Omenihu, Kemoko Turay, Jordan Willis and a second stint with Kerry Hyder Jr.

A second-round pick was used on Drake Jackson, whose talent could allow him to be special in time. There is little professional production behind Bosa but teams like Pittsburgh and Miami are in need of depth on the edge.

Patriots running backs
The revolving door has been turning a bit in New England but there remains one constant among the franchise's running backs: depth. Despite James White announcing his retirement during training camp and Michel being traded this time a year ago, the Patriots return Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson and J.J. Taylor. They signed veteran Ty Montgomery and drafted Pierre Strong Jr. and Kevin Harris. A year ago, five running backs and a fullback made the initial active roster.


Eagles defensive line
One would assume that Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams and first-round selection Jordan Davis have secured their respective positions on the opening day roster. Philadelphia has some intriguing young players beyond that standout interior core, including Marlon Tuipulotu, Renell Wren and Marvin Wilson. With the branches of Roseman's executive tree stretching across the league, there are reasons to believe another franchise may be willing to dip its toes in the talent pool.

Raiders defensive line
Last week's release of veteran defensive tackle Vernon Butler certainly impacted the depth of that front assembly, but there are additional options that could help fill out another team's roster. Rookies Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler are going to be given every chance to make the roster. Johnathan Hankins and Bilal Nichols probably have the upper hand to start if healthy. They also have veterans Andrew Billings, Kyle Peko, Kendal Vickers and Tyler Lancaster; each having varying levels of success at this level.


https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...ch-team-cowboys-find-special-teams-star/

Did Vers just say that JB is better than Mayfield?

I have found it helpful to keep reading the thread before commenting on the 1st comment that catches your eye.

Eagles defensive line
One would assume that Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Milton Williams and first-round selection Jordan Davis have secured their respective positions on the opening day roster. Philadelphia has some intriguing young players beyond that standout interior core, including Marlon Tuipulotu, Renell Wren and Marvin Wilson. With the branches of Roseman's executive tree stretching across the league, there are reasons to believe another franchise may be willing to dip its toes in the talent pool.

Dolphins wide receivers
Wide receivers Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill and Ced Wilson Jr. would seem to be entrenched in their respective roles. Most teams keep five or six at the position, which leaves Mohamed Sanu, Preston Williams, Lynn Bowden Jr. and fourth-round selection Erik Ezukanma vulnerable. In fact, there has already been a report that Williams and Bowden have been the subject of trade discussions. Bowden has a history returning punts and kicks in college so teams may be more comfortable taking a chance on the former third-round pick knowing that he could fulfill a secondary role.

Well Myles’ suspension set a precedence. I expect the NFL to… not go by that because… well, it’s the NFL, but by precedence Aaron should expect to be suspended indefinitely.

LOL no way Goodell does it. No way.

Baker fans say:

#notegregious

#notapredator

#billsdidhomework

#boysbeingboys

Not a violation of the PCP. Pfffttttt