2024 IDP Defensive Back Rankings | PFF Fantasy Podcast

Key data/intro welcome everyone to the PFF fantasy podcast IDP Edition I'm John Macker and we are two weeks away from our first preseason game of the 2024 NFL season so naturally we are going to continue getting you ready for this year's fantasy football campaign by diving into some rankings and rationale for you wonderful lovely degenerates who are wise enough to include idps in their fantasy leagues so today we are covering the top 24 defensive backs to Target for this year so [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] let's all right we covered defensive lineman a couple of weeks ago today the focus is on the defensive back so that that's going to include safeties and cornerbacks um although naturally we're talking more safeties than Corners within this top 24 because that's just how things typically work for IDP um and then next week we'll cover our top 24 linebackers as well so with all that said I always like to kind of provide some information about the position that that I'll be covering Within These rankings episodes and while the rationale for for the dynasty episode on defensive backs had a lot to do with kind of the long-term viability combined with consistency at an inconsistent position um it's a little different for redraft it's obviously going to be different um first off because we don't care whether or not these guys are are going to be starters in 2025 um or Beyond or or even how old they are um instead we still want to look at um consistency but because it's just a focus on one year we could have a better idea of what we do have a better idea of kind of what types of alignments um these players might get in their current defensive system for 2024 which for defensive backs plays a huge part in their Baseline um for success in IDP production potential specifically tackles obviously so um you know big plays like interceptions for example are often what kind of propels DBS to the top scorers on any given week um or by season's end if they were lucky enough to compile a lot of those plays but they're also more unstable and unreliable to bank on week to week and especially year toe so we're kind of throwing those out the window as far as trying to predict who's going to get the most interceptions fumble recoveries defensive touchdowns because it's a Fool's errand um to to try and do that um it's just heading into a season it's just not going to work so um instead the focus is going to be on the potential for for Baseline production like tackles which we can often get a better feel for weekly annually however we are managing our DBS in the year and then if those players also deliver big plays then that is kind of like the cherry on top and helping us to get even more from our reliable Weekly tacklers right so um so I referenced alignments here earlier in being a strong indicator for for DB tackling potential so for those that maybe don't know what exactly what that means or what those splits look like I've pulled up a breakdown of average safety tackle efficiency by their pre- snap alignment from 2021 to 2023 which for those not watching on the YouTube um shout out to those that are don't forget to like And subscribe um the most efficient tackling alignment for safeties comes from those lined up in the box which yields an 11.1% tackle efficiency on average so the box is where you'll typically find most linebackers lining up and it's just Prime tackle territory for any position um and 11.1 % tackle efficiency is an elite Mark for safeties who on average only yield a 99.1% tackle efficiency so we're talking two points higher than that um which can be a difference of around 20 tackles per year for full-time players right and and for a position that produces so similarly to to one another um beyond the big plays like that's a big advantage to be had for those that can take advantage of those Prime IDP alignments um after the Box alignment for whatever reason wide corners safety yields a 10.4% tackle efficiency but it's still a really small sample size even even using three years worth of data like there's it's rare that the safeties play that alignment it could maybe be one or two snaps per week and that it's really just like outlier numbers here that that do vary year-to year like that number does go up and down more than any other um alignment here but it it did for over the past three years for whatever reason it's it's second but not something we're going to bank on after that the only Edge um the only other Edge is a slight one um especially compared to the Box alignment but the the slot also yields an above average tackle efficiency for safeties at 99.6% so a half Point higher than average um so we do like the slot a little bit more than than most um and then after that the more common like deep free safety alignment comes in at 8 and a half% we don't love that and and and it's the least efficient um tackling spot second least efficient tackling spot with the least deficient being the defensive line which is an important one to note because uh people often like those guys that are getting snaps like on the edge for example but it's important to realize that you know what they're doing a lot of the time when they're on the defensive line is they're they're either blitzing on on pass plays which you know it does obviously increase their chances of a a sack though still pretty hard to convert and then it's if it's a run play that they're lined up there they're often getting man man Hand manhandled by like an offensive lineman or or a tight end where they're they're not freed up to get tackles um usually the safeties that get the dline Snaps are also the ones who get a lot of box snaps and and that's just what matters more than anything else and why they're typically more productive as tacklers not necessarily because the defensive line snaps so just knowing that when you're looking at like inseason usage is going to be helpful for you know tie breakers for for your lineup or or whatever all right so so knowing all of that the next thing I did when kind of constructing my my rankings was creating a projection by taking the most recent data from each team's current defensive coordinator and their past usage um of their starting safeties and then projected that across an entire season so basically taking you know how these defensive coordinators deployed their safeties whether it was in the Box slot um deep safety how often they did that and then trying to project that to a new scheme now it it's a loose idea of you know which defensive coordinators will have the most kind of IDP friendly deployments for their safeties heading into this year but um it's it's a good starting point I think at least because there a lot of the times these defensive systems remain pretty similar from defensive coordinator to to um going to new teams or or year toe whatever there's obviously going to be some change but we can get kind of a loose projection right we don't expect coordinators to run the exact same defensive scheme that they did in their past season obviously but we can usually predict it being pretty similar um and then there are also teams in there um you'll find the article on pff.com I'll link it in the episode description to get a better idea and get more detail on it but there's also going to be teams in there that we don't have reliable data for because there's going to be some firsttime defensive coordinators or head coaches um who we don't know what to expect until we see them this season so in that case we're often banking on the safeties in that system that's themselves to get a feel for what they can be for IDP uh and the last part of IDP safety rankings and one that is um very important for IDP managers rankers whoever um to realize is that you know taking the top scorers from last year and using their finish from last year in Tier 1 order to rank them this year is typically crap right it it doesn't work because it's such an inconsistent and unstable position year toe to to try and predict so you know for those on the YouTube crowd again I I have a breakdown of kind of my like like annual correlation from fantasy points per game and total fantasy points broken down by by IDP position and um the the numbers here from 2022 to 2023 and this is pretty close every year um when I run the numbers um sometimes safety is better than corner and vice versa but the main takeaway here is that both safety and Corner uh Far and Away offer the the worst repeat rate across the positions as a whole so just keeping that in mind as we go through and you maybe don't see some big play Merchant who scored well last year within this top 24 thinking about like a donon bland for example um it's just not something that we can Bank on being repeatable again right so um now that you know where I'm coming from um with my rankings it's time to get into the rankings themselves where safeties are going to mostly lead the way here but honestly um as most of you are well where such a deep position one that has so much turnover at the top every single year we know we can fade defensive back as a whole into Oblivion for the most part and still find decent production late in drafts but at the same time still got to rank them so if you do want to grab a top 24 guy then these are my personal favorites um and starting at number one for me you know we we talk about inconsistent production and usage well there's literally only one player across all the defensive backs over the past three years who has finished as a top five safety in points per game and also among the top five in tackles versus expected only one man it is King Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers so Derwin James last season finished as safety4 in points per game safety five overall delivered a 99th percentile performance in tackles versus expected um you you'll be able to find the link to the tackles versus expected numbers as well in the episode description but again you're just not getting that level of consistency from any other DB like none so you know for dynasty yeah maybe he's not DB1 anymore as he gets a little bit older but as far as what we're looking at for this season that combination of alignment usage consistency all those key things that I just spent you know 10 minutes on basically covering at the top of the show nobody has a better profile for that heading into this year than Derwin James so um even byas as side with my Derwin Jersey um behind me here like he he's still going to be DB1 heading into 2021 uh 4 until he proves otherwise um next up in the ranks in terms of using like kind of our scale of usage alignment consistency things like that um Chicago Bears safety jquan brisker has been awesome for IDP um through his first two seasons in the league he was safety4 in points per game as a rookie safety six in points per game this past year um I'm referencing points per game and fantasy points I'll have the link to the scoring and the the top scores and stuff in the episode description as well um but last year finished 97th percentile in tackles versus expected including you know being the most efficient safety against the run in that regard as well he was 78th percentile on tackles versus expected as a rookie like I love the potential for brisker again this year in Chicago there's there's a lot to like about him Chicago's um defensive scheme also projects as one of the top six for tackle potential based on those past alignments under Matt Eber flu so expecting another really attack and if he could maintain that strong big play rate which let's be honest that's really the hard part um then then we're loving him even more in in 2024 uh db3 for me is Antoine Winfield junior he he's my Dynasty safety 1 and still relatively close here in redraft as well at safety 3 Winfield arguably the best safety in the entire NFL but you know when projecting for for IDP it's it's okay to to move him down to three for for this season right we have to keep in mind that his big play rate 3.3% was a top five Mark last year it's a very high number um that we have to expect some regression in so it's hard to put him you know as safety one two years in a row but that being said his usage projected deployment past production is still very very good and consistent just not necessarily to the levels of Derwin or or even brisker uh as far as tackle potential goes so that's the only slight tiebreaker but if you want Winfield as your DB1 then you know I'm not going to blame you uh db4 for me is going to be Kyle Dugger coming off a breakout season as predicted last season um by the way stepped into like an actual full-time role with uh mccordi retiring and and still got ideal his ideal alignments right that that that he's been getting as the entire time he's been in New England um to produce excellent numbers and along with that full-time role now which allowed him to finish as a top 10 safety overall for IDP in 2023 no bill bich this year for Kyle Dugger gerod Mayo takes over so we don't know how much of those bichan Tendencies are going to carry over for this new regime but one thing I'm really banking on um with Dugger and expecting really is this coaching staff recognizing his strength coming from his play closer to the line of scrimmage acting as that second linebacker a lot of the time or working out of the slot getting some Blitz opportunities like that is what Dugger has proven to do best in the NFL and it's where he makes the most impact so to me only makes sense that they continue to deploy him in that way which should absolutely translate to IDP production just as it did last year uh DB5 for me is Brian branch of America's team the Detroit Lions uh also technically the first corner I'm not sure if fantasy platforms have loed in their final position designations for the year just yet but if we're basing it off his usage last season he spent 71% of his defensive snaps in the slot as a rookie I'd expect him to get kind of similar usage in 2024 but um apparently he he won't be taken off the field nearly as much either like if folks remember from last year the Lions had a very specific game plan for him when he was um almost always deployed just when the opposing offense was in 11 personnel which led to Branch only playing 77% of the team's defensive snaps when he was in the lineup so this year the word is that he will get a full-time role mostly in the slot but then get a chance to play strong safety as well which comes with those juicy box snaps that we love so much for IDP and for a player like Branch who who immediately proved to be an impact player as a rookie 96 percentile Mark in tackles versus expected ranked second in big play rate which again much like Winfield we'll expect that number to come down a bit 1.4% tackle rate at or behind the line of scrimmage that was a top five Mark like the dude was amazing um green lights across the board now going to be closer to that 100% of snaps range like how could we not be Allin on Brian Branch as a top five player heading into this season for for IDP db6 is Kyle Hamilton of the Baltimore Ravens um folks who who listen to the dynasty DB episode no I have zero concerns about Hamilton long term but um for 2024 I can find enough to just barely keep him out of the top five um which db6 like shouldn't be seen as a knock on Hamilton it's just more on the proven production of the guys ahead of him um Hamilton surprisingly wasn't the elite tackler last season that we thought he could be um just 13th percentile in tackles versus expected so pretty greatly over underd delived I think in that regard but you know he he did make up for it obviously top five big play rate which again not something we want to put all our eggs into that one basket so we have to take a tackle production into consideration um the good thing is you know because of his potential usage and deployment in Baltimore Around the line of scrimmage and as a Blitzer like on top of just being an incredible Talent who is more than capable of making those big plays on any given snap he's not falling too far behind the the top five for this year and I'd absolutely be happy with him um as the six DB off the board db7 for me is Buddha Baker who people were down on last year um while also apparently forgetting that he missed five games uh and and not having an understanding that big plays are incredibly volatile right right because he didn't have many big plays in 2023 and that's okay if we look at the 12 games that he did play he was still very much the same Buddha Baker as a tackler that we've come to expect over the years 90th percentile in tackles versus expected he was 998th percentile in that regard in 2022 when he played 15 games like he's still very much the elite IDP producer we should be expected and and there's absolutely going to be some positive regression in terms of big plays this year just as a result of being on the field as much as he is week to week like he was one of my bounceback players um when we did that show a few weeks ago with Dynasty trip and I I fully believe that there's more IDP greatness left in the tank here for for Buddha in 2024 especially considering um that Nick rs's defense ranked first in that safety tackle projection experiment that I that I had ran earlier this off season um all right db8 for me uh the first player on the list who will be on a new team this season so maybe a little risky but I'm going with Cameron curl um now of the Los Angeles Rams and curl much like Buddha is another one that produces strong tackle numbers and just doesn't necessarily have the big plays to propel him into that top five territory but even last year like big play rate of 1.34% that ranked 60th at the position his tackling ability made him a top 10 safety for IDP in our scoring and safety 12 in points per game like there's nothing to be concerned about with curl I I think he should be a nice fit there in Los Angeles potentially getting a lot of work as that second linebacker next to Ernest Jones as well because if you look at that roster there is no other linebacker that they're going to trust um for a full-time role next to Ernest and and bringing curl in who has experience playing that role for Washington it's kind of a nice like you know connect the dots level of encouragement that he'll continue to do so for the Rams and why they chose to bring him in in the first place so feeling great about curl again this year I know he was my Darkhorse safety one last year and um when when I did that article and he finished in the top 10 so I think that's a nice result from that again just being such a difficult position to predict given all the year-to-year variant um DB9 is another one of those kind of my guy type players for me and one that I think is continuously like underappreciated for IDP but Grant delpit of the Cleveland Browns offers everything that that we're looking for as mentioned in you know kind of the preamble to start this episode is as far as like deployment alignment pass production he's consistently a value in drafts he missed four to five games last year I imagine that he he gets overlooked again this year in drafts but um delpit shouldn't you know I I again he's coming off really productive season you know when he was in the lineup I'm just looking at his numbers here 81st percentile in tackles versus expected that tied with Brian Branch um or no sorry 81st per in tackles versus expected what tied with Brian branch was his tackle rate at or behind the line of scrimmage uh at 1.4% and he also tied with Brian branch in first Contact rate as well he was top 20 there so big play rate was was was High 2.34% um but he was safety 15 in points per game so he's just really good he's he's again exactly what we're looking for and the reason that he does get that points per game production inside the top 15 there is because that he gets the alignments and everything that we're looking for so if we're banking on a full season strong usage again in Jim schwarz's defense you know and we're talking Baseline tackle production first and foremost he's going to be in the top 10 for me um every time there so that's kind of tier one um DB is always you know G to have the biggest top tier across like any of the positions just because it's super deep you know anyone putting like only a handful of DBS in the top tier you're just kind of setting yourself up for uh disappointment like that funnel absolutely needs to be wider with this position so we'll get into uh tier 2 Tier 2 here um and to kickoff tier 2 and this one is purely deployment based um because most drafters are are not going to be taking Julian Blackman of the Indianapolis Colts as a top 10 DB off the board but if we're remaining consistent with the rankings with the potential for IDP ideal IDP alignments then Blackman's potential role in Gus Bradley's defense is is about as good as it gets for IDP like that IDP safety one role when I did the scheme based tackle projection ranked tied for second best in the league so he tied with Grant Del pitz Browns and uh actually tied with the next name on the list coming up as well um who we'll talk about in a second but the only thing with Blackman and why he moved down to to tier two here is that he just hasn't shown that consistent highlevel production as of yet um but again you know safety projection production is is vol volatile um so it's not like we can't see it in 2024 if his usage Remains the Same but finished 18th percentile in tackles versus expected and to be fair to him like he played a ton in the box so that's naturally going to bring up his expected tackle number and set a high bar for him to clear but even while finishing that low in tackles versus expected he still delivered 13.3 points per game which was good for safety 16 in our in our IDP scoring so Gus Bradley loves a designated safety to play a ton up near the line of scrimmage and based on Indy's moves this off season it seems like that'll once again be Julian Blackman in that role so you know if he gets even slightly more efficient with his tackles and and even maybe get some big play luck then you know top 10 is not going to be that difficult to achieve because of that potential tackle production in that role Alone um DB1 for me is another name from the IDP bounceback episode it's Jeremy chin now of the Washington commanders um Washington's defense under Dan Quinn is one of those defenses that yeah projects top two for the top safety in that um you know in in tackle potential right so it's again tied with the Browns and the Colts and and considering Chin's like history of usage in the NFL or at least where he's been most impactful I think that's exactly why Dan Quinn went out and got him in free agency um to be that box heavy Blitz heavy safety in this defense which is excellent for IDP potential and and if that's the case where chin plays a full-time role this year like we could be looking at a massive bounceback closer to what IDP managers had come to expect from him after his like insane rookie season right um db12 for me is the shining example of everything we want uh our IDP safeties to be based on his usage last season it's Minnesota Vikings um safety Josh matelis who to me is easily my my favorite safety Target in Minnesota because of that potential usage Alone um this man spent 73% of his 1,63 defensive snaps either in the box or in the slot so those Prime IDP alignments that we talked about at the top of the show while only spending 55 of those 1,000 plus snaps as a deep safety like just remarkable deployment if you ask me and luckily Brian Flores is staying on as defensive coordinator season so the odds are favorable that we we see very similar usage for matelis in 2024 which for IDP is just as good as it gets right like this dude finished as safety 4 last year overall and and he was someone that actually delivered um overexp expected despite the higher expectations in in tackles versus expected based on that box heavy alignment you finished 77th percentile in that regard so the only thing that keeps me from putting them higher is like the excellent rookie season of Ivan pace which could earn Pace a bigger role in 2024 compared to last year Minnesota only deployed their second linebacker on average for about 43.5% of snaps on a weekly basis so the team gave a nice deal to Blake Cashman this off season assuming that you know he's going to play the lead linebacker role in that defense there could be enough of a tradeoff in snaps between pace and mellis for that secondary linebacker role where Mattel's production declines a bit but even if he isn't getting a th000 plus snaps again like that usage when he is on the field I don't think that's going to change like where he's playing in the Box in the slot along the defensive line and that keeps him in that Elite kind of IDP safety range so H you know he he I think that's what for me at least keeps him keeps him inside this top 12 um all right db13 and safety 12 for me is Minka Fitzpatrick um you know we talk about consistent IDP production like this dude is right up there with Derwin James in that regard the only issue with Minka is that his usage is much more of like a deep safety right so you know that there that I will say that has you know at least been some there's been somewhat of a shift recently his deployment still kind of ranks average at best even with that shift in usage but it it at least could lead to lower weekly floors but that being said Minka has been awesome when he's on the field like since I've been collecting the tackles versus expected data starting in 2021 he's never finished below the 91st percentile of performers in that regard in any single season uh including 95th percentile this year or this past year despite only playing 10 games like he's one of the kind of go-to outliers for strong tackle production from a mostly deep alignment they're just there aren't many which is what makes them outliers obviously but Minka keeps finding a way to be on that list every single year so you know he he I think to me has to be a top 12 safety option at least um all right db14 now with the Green Bay Packers it's Xavier mckin who finished at safety s overall and that was with the Giants now for mcken he's a bit of a trickier projection because we we don't know what new Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Halley's defense is going to look like in the NFL but as far as relying on like just safe bets for production based on past Seasons super safe bet for playing time based on his contract as well like mckin is likely going to be a strong I think IDP option once again this year um okay next up at db15 Jesse Bates II um who went off last season uh leading his position in tackles versus expected at plus 31.1 an unreal number to hit on finished tied with Antoine Winfield Jr as safety one in total points and points per game and there's going to be plenty of people who draft him higher than this because of his production last year and as much as I love Jess Jesse Bates safety 15 probably as about as high or db15 I should say probably about as high as I want to put him um because I think we should absolutely be expecting some drop off in 2024 he's one of those you know again deep safety Liars from last season like Minka Fitzpatrick the problem is that he doesn't have nearly the history of elite tackle production like Minka Fitzpatrick has in recent years which is the part that kind of worries me right and the other part of it is that the Falcons have an all new coaching staff coming in with a new defensive coordinator where we should like absolutely not expect similar success as a tackler for Bates based on just a scheme change alone right so Bates as good as he is like NFL wise for IDP he's going to probably be a big time fade for me the the only thing really keeping him up here in the top 15 for 2024 is just the fact that he is he's good he he's capable of big big time production but it doesn't hold as much water when you know considering everything else heading into this year so safety 15 I think is a fine spot for him um all right a couple corners start to mix in here among this top 24 now uh joining Brian Branch who who may not even actually be considered a corner come the start of the year on on fantasy platforms um we'll have to wait and see there but no doubt about these next two guys basically so starting with the Nate Hobs of the Las Vegas Raiders we love slot corners for IDP purposes they're they're closer to the action they help and run support they can Blitz from that position as well and Nate Hobs is a nice bet to do all those things in 2024 we've got an elite production profile from him through his first two years in the league in the league ranking at least among the 98 eth percentile in tackles versus expected in each of his first two seasons um we're not really expecting much to change from him this year like hopefully he doesn't miss games like he did in his first two years and and you know if he doesn't then it's going to be a massive IDP season for for Hobbs in Vegas um and then the other Contender for that you know top cornerback crown and and an elite option as well based on his performance last season uh Deon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks just incred numbers as a rookie uh including 95th percentile in tackles versus expected top 10 in big play rate top five PFF grade plays primarily in the slot which we once again love like if you want Witherspoon as CB1 I'm fine with that as well um these guys are really interchangeable in my opinion at corner even at the very top so if you believe in that Elite big play rate to continue um which you know uh it probably won't then absolutely you can you can have him as CB one okay DB 18 this one might change as we get into the preseason and kind of get more clarity on how the hell the Eagles are going to deploy their secondary but as of right now it's Reed blankin ship in this spot for me I'm treating him as a starter right now along with CJ Gardner Johnson while cydney Brown is still recovering from a torn ACL plus rumors of James Bradberry moving to safety and who knows what's going to happen with Cooper Dijon so right now like I'm project the way I'm projecting this depth chart I have blanket ship here but this could absolutely change but for me blanket ship he's looked great in IDP terms he ranked 98th percentile in tackles versus expected last season decent big play rate really good at making first Contact which lends to that tackle production um finished at safety s in points per game like if he's a starter then I like that to continue at least to be among the top 20 DBS this year so he is a former udfa um you know who's just kind of fine as an NFL player and and Philly does have options so that's why I kind of present this with at least some hesitancy and and is subject to change once we maybe get a better grasp on what it's going to look like come the preseason um hopefully all right db19 uh another Seahawk joining Devon Witherspoon it's Julian love and I'm gonna be honest it's hard not to love Julian love like he's just a producer he he did did it last his last year with the Giants in 2022 and then he continued it in 2023 with the Seahawks where they were fine moving on from the overpaid Jamal Adams because love just played that role a lot better he he was 94th percentile in tackles versus expected last season 99.8% first Contact rate which was third best at his position like he's he's great at being around the ball and and making the most of his opportunities we don't know you know exactly what uh Mike m Donald and Aiden DD's defense is going to look like in 2024 but I like Love's chances of playing a full-time role combined with you know his past history of production he's in my top 20 and I think can be a nice value depending on where he ends up going once drafts really kind of start up in Earnest this off season um okay db20 not too far off from Reed blankin ship it's his teammate C CJ Gardner Johnson um who again kind of comes with a similar question mark As blanket chip and how they'll they'll use him whether it's in the slot or safety I'm treating him as safety right now but who knows that could change too you know once um Canadian hero Sydney Brown is fully healthy but either way might be kind of a group to avoid if you don't want to deal with that headache but I like Gardner Johnson having you know shown a potential to deliver strong IDP production both as a tackler and with the big plays last year um it was a small sample size obviously because he got hurt but 1.7% tackle rate at or behind the line of scrimmage that ranked third among safeties 99.1% first Contact rate that ranked 15th like he's a fun player he's a productive one and and should be a locked in IDP starter as long as he's a locked in NFL starter uh DB 21 is Javon Holland of the Miami Dolphins another one of the the better NFL safeties from like a real football perspective right so you get no concerns for for playing time which helps a ton but playing mostly deep there is at least some hesitance to move him too far up the list here you know as good as he can be he was safety n in points per game last year um before missing some time but you also get a new defensive coordinator coming into Miami um this year in Anthony Weaver he's coming over from Baltimore we have no idea how to project Weaver's scheme right now um so we can only look at Holland kind of as a play and what he's done in the past what you know what his what's been his typical usage and strength and and while it brings out brings him out of the top 10 which he was last year when he was out there it's it's not enough to move him out of the top 24 Right Moves him down to DB 21 and safety 18 for me so still like Holland um quite a bit um last name in tier 2 uh another Chicago Bear safety so brisker was safety to as we know but safety 9 19 db22 is his new teammate Kevin byard I mean we talk about guys that have been consistently productive for for IDP Bard has to be in that conversation even last year from from going from Tennessee to Philly he produced the best tackle total of his entire career and delivered in the 95th percentile in tackles versus expected had almost no big plays and still finished as safety 10 on the year like I I think you know the the change again probably knocks him down enough some this year and and even with some you know positive regression and big plays um with tackles maybe not reaching those Heights again he should still be a really good um option for IDP and and that's why he kind of remains in this second DB tier for me but I don't think it the tackles will quite reach the heights that they did um in 2023 okay on to the last two names for today as they start off tier three uh which of course much larger than these two names and if you want to see the Tier 3 full list um you can find it in the episode description and on pff.com but for the sake of this top 24 we'll stop there today so wrapping it up with db23 uh Brandon Jones of the Denver Broncos I love Jones as an IDP um we just haven't been able to get him in a full-time role for a full season whether it was you know coaching Shenanigans or injuries it just hasn't happened yet for Jones but I I feel good about this year being the year for him um it's why he was in my my DB IDP breakouts article which is out now on pff.com you know I think putting it all together for a full season is going to be huge for him he's consistently delivered among the best tackle versus expected performers at his position year in and year out even when he isn't getting nearly as many snaps as others um you know to kind of pad those numbers like Jones has just been incredibly efficient with his opportunities he's never played more than 644 defensive snaps in his career um which happened back in 2021 but now he's looking like a locked in starter for the Broncos so if healthy he should I think easily clear that snap total and then the production should come along with it for Brandon Jones um okay last name for today at db24 it's cam bam of the Minnesota Vikings people will argue probably argue for him to be higher on this list after last season he finished as a safety3 overall and in points per game but to me bam might be the biggest regression candidate among those top scorers last year and it doesn't have to be so much to push him outside of the top 24 DBS but I think it's going to be relatively close this year he's another deep safety by trade much like Jesse Bates who who delivered well over expected in his tackle totals last year which you know you look at bhum based on his past production there isn't like any real indication that he can repeat at that level it's not like he's Minka Fitzpatrick or anything like that and you know maybe he proves me wrong and does do it again he's he's going to be in the same defense with the same coaching staff so that does help I just I do not see him reaching those Heights again it's very similar to uh Jaylen petre from 2022 to 2023 like playing deep the almost all the time makes those numbers very difficult to repeat so he's a big fade for me even if I do think he can be startable for IDP as this db24 ranking would suggest right so just be aware of where you're drafting somebody like camam after the the big year last year um but yeah that's going to do it for today I hope you found that helpful um again always feel free to reach out or or shout in the comments your thoughts or questions I'm always happy to engage again we're we're ranking based on Baseline tackle production more than anything else right because those big plays again not something anyone is able to predict so please keep that in mind um before yelling at me uh for these rankings so for today those are the top 24 um this isn't necessarily a group that you know people who are fading DB will get a lot of shares in but still worth going through why these guys are ranked the way they are um so you know what to look for when drafts start happening and and why I think you know know that info at the top covering um what is important about DB expectations for IDP is is arguably more valuable than the rankings themselves right so uh I'll be I'll be back with uh linebacker rankings next week uh you can find the full rankings uh for all positions on pff.com the DB rankings article I'll link in the description here uh I have also written up three IDP breakout articles on on pff.com covering the defensive linemen linebackers and defense backs for this season so check those out as well um thank you all so much for for tuning in and listening I I appreciate you all if you are on the YouTube it's a big help to to like And subscribe I I always appreciate that as well um but yeah until next time peace out [Music]