Jahleel Addae and Adrian Phillips (Workhorse Safety Package)
These two players were not given anything, they earned every start, every minute, every snap they have received on the gridiron. Both of these safeties had to scratch and claw their way to get to their respective spots on the team, neither received a draft selection and proved their worth throughout the offseason and preseason.
These men’s work ethic landed them as some of the coach’s favorite players, but do they have the talent and potential such as players like Derwin and Rayshawn have? Not exactly. But it’s how these players make up for their lack of extraordinary talent with their technique and passion for the game.
Phillips is probably the closest thing to a free safety that this team has. Phillips is a well-rounded safety that is reliable in both pass coverage and run support, a sure tackler and has pretty good instincts. Addae’s grind to continue to get better every single day allows him to be able to match up with even the biggest of opponents such as Rob Gronkowski in Week 8 of last season when he was surprisingly able to hold his own with arguably the best tight end in the game right now.
This safety group when on the field doesn’t have a high ceiling but could have some splash plays, interceptions, big hits, but they do have a high floor which is why the coaches love them and feel comfortable putting these two on the field and they know that they will be able to get the job done.