B/R NFL 1000: Ranking the Top Safeties for the 2026 Season
This is the NFL 1000. The 1,000 best players in the league today, ranked by our NFL Scouting Department based on their on-field play and positional value.
Up next in the series: safety. Four players at the position cracked a 90-or-better grade. But who's No. 1?
To tackle that and more, our team of scouts conducted an exhaustive film review and graded every non-rookie on a 100-point scale built from position-specific traits.
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Safeties are graded on five categories: instincts (25 points), zone coverage, run support, recovery (20 apiece) and man coverage (15). Trait scores add up to the grade, and when multiple players received the same score, their ranking was determined by a majority vote among the group.
Editor's Note: Due to positional snap percentage, Derwin James of the Los Angeles Chargers is ranked among the cornerbacks.
Scroll down and see where your favorite team's players land.
Player grades and write-ups were done by Bleacher Report NFL scouts Damian Parson (QB/WR/RB/FB), Brandon Thorn (OL), Matt Holder (EDGE, LB, DL), Dan Harms (TE, CB, Safety) and Brent Sobleski (Kickers/Punters).
Click here for a rundown of every NFL 1000 article published to date as well as a complete series schedule.
Tap a player to reveal their full card, traits and scouting summary.
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Clark stands out among this group due to potential increase in playing time while the penciled in starters work back from injury. The 31-year-old veteran could see a bump in his future ranking should he perform.
Molden was hampered by injuries in 2025. Should he return to form, a rise up the rankings is very likely in future years.
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This is both an exciting and frustrating group.
Brown, Hicks, Nubin and Battle all enter 2026 in make-or-break years. The pendulum could swing either for way for each player by the time season is over.
Okada, meanwhile, had a breakout of sorts in 2025 and may be tasked with a more defined role for the reigning Super Bowl champion Seahawks. A potential jump is in the cards if he rises to the occasion.
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This group of solid contributors has one potential standout on the rise: Kamren Kinchens. The 23-year-old from Miami enters his third NFL season and could be in for a breakout season in a retooled Rams' secondary.
Gilman, meanwhile, is a new weapon for the Chiefs' defense. His usage could provide a big opportunity to rise in future rankings.
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The largest group in the safety ranks is laden with key players.
Blankenship joins the league's best defense after making his mark with the Eagles over the past few years. Even a solid performance from him among the Texans' ranks should see him rise the board after this season.
Holland, still only 26 years old, enters a make-or-break year with the new-look Giants defense. There is big boom-or-bust potential with the former second-rounder.
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Bryant's move from Seattle to Chicago is the headliner in a group of stars. How he handles things could see him rise to top-10 potential. Or the Bears took a swing and miss.
Starks and Watts exceeded expectations as rookies in 2025. Landing just outside the top 15 is nothing to sneeze at for a position that has some of the best players in the entire NFL. Their futures are incredibly bright and should be mainstays in the top 10, or even top 5, of the position soon.
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These guys are game-changers. Complete and utter game-changers.
Joseph and Branch are really just getting started, too, as both are 25 years old or younger. Joseph has to battle back from an injury this year, but he's already earned this lofty ranking and being grouped with Byard and Baker is high praise for the pair of Lions. Expect them to be near the top of this list for years to come.
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Only a couple of points separate these three elite defensive backs from our No. 1-ranked player. All three could make a claim for the top spot after this season, but it won't be easy. As tremendous as Hufanga, Bates III and McKinney have been and can be, our No. 1 is in a class of his own.
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