Devin McCourty Inserting Himself into Discussion of NFL's Top Safeties

The New England Patriots added some high-profile names to their secondary this offseason, but one of the most important names in that unit is one who has been on the roster for five years.

That name belongs to safety Devin McCourty, who is inserting himself into the discussion of the NFL's top safeties. 

This statement might be more than a little confusing to some who have known about McCourty's talents for a while, but the general public is still catching on. McCourty was once again snubbed from the 2014 Pro Bowl and All-Pro teams (although he made the Pro Bowl team as an alternate). That's understandable on the basis that those awards are typically handed out to people who make game-changing plays like interceptions. McCourty doesn't make those plays very often, but only because he's not challenged to make them.

2014	Patriots	NFL rank
Pass yards/game	239.8	17
Yards/attempt	6.2	16
Completion %	59.6	8
40+ yard passes	8	T-13
Opp. passer rating	84	10

Teams tend not to test McCourty too frequently. This season, the Patriots allowed only eight pass plays of 40 yards or more against them. They were the last team in the NFL to allow one, with their first 40-yard pass play allowed in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos. 

According to stats website Pro Football Focus (subscription required), McCourty has allowed only 16 completions into his coverage this season (including playoffs) for only 193 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. McCourty grades out as a top-10 safety overall, in coverage and in run defense.

McCourty is not a splashy player, but a steady one. With McCourty as your safety, you may not get to eat at Ruth's Chris very often, but you'll get a consistent diet of meat and potatoes anyway.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

McCourty was primarily a single-high safety for the Patriots against the Baltimore Ravens and made his presence felt by ending Joe Flacco's streak of 198 postseason passes without an interception.

Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith (circled in yellow) was running a post pattern from the slot, with Steve Smith Sr. flanked out to the far left. Tight end Owen Daniels ran a seam route down the right hash mark, with fullback Kyle Juszczyk the checkdown. 

One of the amazing qualities about McCourty is his route recognition. He is able to read and react to plays in such a way that helps him get to the ball before it gets there. He knows what is happening before it happens. Someone call Miss Cleo.

Credit: NFL Game Rewind

That's why, even with Daniels streaking down the field, McCourty began to break toward the sideline to undercut Torrey Smith's route. Cornerback Logan Ryan stayed with Smith stride for stride, but McCourty got to the ball before either of them. 

"To be able to cover that much ground and have that kind of range as a post safety is remarkable," Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said last season. "I see that every day in practice. You really have to look Devin off. He's really smart—he sees combinations, and sometimes you try to look him off and he knows you’re trying to look him off so he doesn't take it. There are other times he gets great jumps on the ball. The longer he's been at safety, the better he's done."

NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth called him "one of the most underrated free safeties in the game." If McCourty keeps making plays like the one he made against the Ravens, that distinction won't last much longer.

That being said, it's a shame the label hasn't worn off yet, considering the fact that McCourty's already been making plays like this his entire career—a career that has spanned five seasons and three position changes. McCourty started out as a cornerback out of Rutgers before moving to safety for a brief stint in 2011; then, after moving back to cornerback to start the 2012 season, he switched back to safety in the middle of the season and has remained there ever since. 

That's what makes McCourty's emergence so remarkable; at this stage in his career, McCourty has only been playing safety full time for two-and-a-half seasons. He has just begun to scratch the surface of his potential as a safety. 

Player	Team	Total Value	Avg./Year	Total Guaranteed	% Guaranteed
Earl Thomas	Seahawks	$40,000,000	$10,000,000	$19,725,000	49.30%
Jairus Byrd	Saints	$54,000,000	$9,000,000	$18,300,000	33.90%
Eric Berry	Chiefs	$50,045,000	$8,340,833	$25,696,200	51.30%
Dashon Goldson	Buccaneers	$41,250,000	$8,250,000	$18,000,000	43.60%
Eric Weddle	Chargers	$40,000,000	$8,000,000	$19,000,000	47.50%

He doesn't have to realize that full potential to be paid handsomely, and that will almost certainly be his fate this offseason. McCourty's move to safety has paid off for the Patriots, but McCourty will be the one who gets paid off in just a couple months time, as he is set to hit the open market as a free agent this offseason. 

In 2014, McCourty counted for $5,115,000 against the cap, according to NFL salary-cap and contracts website OverTheCap.com. Thanks to McCourty's rookie contract, the Patriots have been getting a bargain-basement steal for a top-flight player. That will not be the case soon enough, as McCourty is likely to join the ranks of Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs safety Eric Berry and New Orleans Saints safety Jairus Byrd among the highest-paid safeties in the NFL.

McCourty still has time to add to the dollar figure on his eventual contract.

His value to the team will be tested once again in the AFC Championship Game against the Indianapolis Colts. Quarterback Andrew Luck is known for slinging the ball all over the field and was one of the league's most proficient deep passers this season. He hit his target (either caught or dropped) on 47.7 percent of his deep pass attempts (20 yards or more through the air), the sixth-best percentage in the NFL.

Against the Ravens, McCourty (or whomever was the deep safety on the play) would roll the coverage over toward Torrey Smith's side of the field. This week, it will probably be T.Y. Hilton drawing the extra coverage, and Hilton has been as dangerous a receiver as there is in the NFL. He caught 82 passes for 1,345 yards and seven touchdowns, all setting or tying career-highs. 

There's the possibility the Patriots could use the franchise tag on McCourty to keep him around for the 2015 season on a one-year deal. At this stage, though, he's played well enough to warrant a long-term deal. 

And if the Patriots don't give it to him, someone else probably will. 

Unless otherwise noted, quotes were obtained firsthand. 

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