Rank our Safeties (2025)

[*bfine32*]

Let’s flip back to the D and take a look at what I consider one of the worst groups on the team. If we took the field today Stone and Battle would be our starting Safeties with Tycen Anderson #3. So, where do you have our group?

As always, the competition:

ARZ: JALENTHOMPSON-BUDHA BAJER-DADRION TAYLOR
ATL: JESSE BATES-JORDAN FULLER-XAVIER WATTS
BAL: KYLE HAMILTON-MALIK STARKS-ADARIUS WASHINGTON
BUF: TYLER RAPP-DEMAR HAMLIN-DARRACK FORREST
CAR: NICK SCOTT TRAVON MOEHRIG-DEMONI RICHARDSON
CHI: JAQUAN BRISKER-KEVIN BYARD-TAVARIUS MOORE
CLV: GRANT DELPIT-RONNIE HICKMAN-TREY DEAN
DAL: DONOVON WILSON-MALIK HOOKER-ISREAL MUKUAMA
DEN: TALA HUFUNGA-BRANDAN JONES-PJ LOCKE
DET: BRIANBRANCH-KERBY JOSEPH-ERICK HALLETT
GBP: XAVIER MCKINNEY-EVAN WILLIAMS-ZAYNE ANDERSON
HOU: CJ GARDNERJOHNSON-CALEN BULLOCK-JIMMIE WARD
IND: NICK CROSS-KANRYN BYNUM-RODNEY THOMAS
JAX: ERIC MURRAY-DARNELL SAVAGE-ANDREW WINGARD
KCC: JADEN HICKS - BRYAN COOKS- GLENN MILLER
LVR: ERIC STOKES JEREMY CHINN-LONNIE JOHNSON
LAC: DERWIN JAMES-ALOHI GILMAN-TONY JEFFERSON
LAR: KAMREN KURL KAMREN KITCHENS-TANNER INGLE
MIA: IFEATU MILFONWU-ASHTYN DAVIS-DANTE TRADER
MIN: HARRISION SMITH-THEO JACKSON-JAY WARD
NEP: KYLE DUGGAR JABRIL PEPPERS-MARCUS EPPS
NOS: JUSTIN RIED-TYRANN MATHIEU-JANAS SANKER
NYG: TYLER NUBIN-JAVON HOLLAND-DANTE BELTON
NYJ- TONY ADAMS-ANDRE CISCO MALICHI MOORE
PHI: TRISTAN MCCULLOM-REID BLAKENSHIP-ANDREW MAKUBU
PIT:  MINKAH FITZPATRICK-DESHON ELLIOTT-JUAN THORNHILL
SFF: MALIK MUSTAFA-JIAIYER BROWN-JASON PINNOCK
SEA: COLBY BRYANT-NICK EMMANWARU-JULIAN LOVE
TBB: RASHAWN WILLIAMS-ANTOINE WINFIELD-JJ ROBERTS
TEN: AMANI HOOKER-XAVIER WOODS-KEVIN WINSTON
WAS: WLL HARRIS-QUAN MARTIN-JEREM REAVES

AVAILABLE: JUSTIN SIMMINS-JORDAN WHITEHEAD-MARCUS WILLIAMS

[sandwedge]

Agree that safety is the weakest position on the team. Stone and Battle are marginal athletes that strike fear in no one. Not sure why this wasn't addressed

[*Synric*]

While I picked 1st for QB & WR, Safety is where the roster hits rock bottom.

Geno Stone struggled in his first year as a full time starter. Jordan Battle has some starta under his belt from his rookie year but is very inconsistent in coverage not to mention slow. Behind the "Starters" they have 4th year Tycen Anderson who has never taken a defensive snap in the NFL and 2nd year Daijain Anthony who started last year as a dime defender then was quickly phased out.

The Bengals safety room is without a doubt near the bottom of the league.

[Luvnit2]

I think our safeties are one of two weakest links. I hope they prove me wrong.

[TecmoBengals]

Beyond QB and WR, I think I'll be voting bottom tier for many position groups which is disappointing.

[hollodero]

Oh that's a relief, I'm not the only one who thinks safety is a total liability on this team.

Not addressed in free agency, not addressed in the draft. You build an offense that wants to score 30+ points, hence forcing the other team to pass a lot, and then you field a bunch of underwhelming safeties. I don't really grasp the strategy.

[Luvnit2]

(05-11-2025, 01:13 PM)hollodero Wrote: Oh that's a relief, I'm not the only one who thinks safety is a total liability on this team.

Not addressed in free agency, not addressed in the draft. You build an offense that wants to score 30+ points, hence forcing the other team to pass a lot, and then you field a bunch of underwhelming safeties. I don't really grasp the strategy.

I agree, they are putting too much faith in a vet Stone who was very bad in first half of 2024 and Battle who may have reached his ceiling which is average in my opinion. I hope Anderson and Anthony progress and challenge for PT, but as Rfaulk says, hope is not a strategy.

[*psychdoctor*]

The Bengals should have drafted somebody early on the safety department. They're terrible.

[J24]

The coaching staff should move Dax to SS and sign a FS like Julian Blackmon to the roster.

[reuben.ahmed]

bottom tier

[schroomytunes]

I actually see them adding a vet to this group as insurance. I think once Trey is signed, the backup safety spot gets addressed. I think D. Anthony will play a nickle role for us and be counted as a CB/ ST player. I could see us looking at Quandre Diggs. He's an older vet (32) wouldnt cost much and plays the SS spot. I think Tycen Anderson will be the backup FS.

[*bfine32*]

(05-11-2025, 01:43 PM)J24 Wrote: The coaching staff should move Dax to SS and sign a FS like Julian Blackmon to the roster.

I said CTB should be a FS from the day they were drafted. He's great at recovering and covering ground, plus something of a ballhawk. 

I just didn't realize how bad he was at tackling. 

[*bfine32*]

A couple of things about our Safeties. I think our negative view of them is enhanced by the fact our AFC North foes have some of the best tandems in the league and folks are still mad about Jessie Bates.

My top 5:

BAL
CLV
PIT
NEP
DET

[Clark W Griswold]

I was optimistic and voted 19-24. Glad to see that’s the highest anyone has ranked them. I don’t know a lot of the other teams safeties but I saw some other starting tandems that are not very good

I would think that the very bottom part of the 19-24 range is where they are. And that’s being very optimistic…

[phil413]

Not even the front office can spin this into being the 24th best group. I think the theme of the safeties is that the FO "hopes" for the best but haven't prioritized improving even the depth with a pretty solid leftover FA group or a pick.
.
The Stone restructure confused me, it's like saying we can replace you but would rather not have to. He overachieved on a good Ravens D and was exposed with a bad Cincy one. Yes, any pass or rush improvement from the front 7 helps these guys but I'd feel better with a vet out there though I get that we're pinching pennies for a Trey raise most likely. The youngsters have potential but we are trying to win now.