LA Chargers: Ranking the defenses in the AFC West by position
Safety
- Chiefs: Tyrann Mathieu, Juan Thornhill
- Chargers: Derwin James, Nasir Adderley
- Broncos: Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson
- Raiders: Damarious Randall, Johnathan Abram
If the discussion was just about the individual safeties in the AFC West, James is clearly the best in the division. However, the safety unit is about free and strong safety. The Chiefs currently have the best combination in that regard.
Mathieu ended up being a steal for Kansas City in free agency while Thornhill had a great rookie campaign. Thornhill ended up grading as the 27th best safety after being picked 63rd in the draft by the Chiefs.
While James is the best safety in the division and possibly the league, there’s uncertainty with who he’ll be paired with at free safety. Adrian Phillips left to New England in free agency. The LA Chargers will probably replace him with Adderley, but it’s hard to say how that’s going to go.
A quad injury kept Adderley from getting into any games in 2019. If he’s healthy, the Chargers could usurp the Chiefs. Rayshawn Jenkins and Adderley are both OK prospects to take over Phillips’ role, but it’s something that won’t happen overnight.
Simmons and Jackson are a potent duo in Denver. If it weren’t for Mathieu and James being so elite, Simmons could be the best of the safeties in the division. He racked up 80 tackles last season and seemed to always be around the ball. Jackson got himself suspended towards the end of last season, but he’s a great tackler with above average coverage skills.
The Raiders are ranked low, but that’s mainly due to the unfortunate injury that Abram suffered in his rookie season. He only played one game in 2019 before he was placed on IR with a season-ending shoulder injury. On the bright side, he should be healthy and ready to go when 2020 starts. Randall has bounced around the league in his young career, but he does have good ball skills and tackling. Las Vegas’ secondary could ascend if healthy.