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10 Best Safeties of All Time: 2023 Edition

Who are the best safeties of all time? The last line of defense on the field, the importance of safeties has increased in the modern game as teams focus primarily on their passing game.

Best Safeties of All Time

Safeties need to have ball-hawking ability, speed and strength to defend against the pass, and to chase down running backs across the field. Let’s take a look at the 10 best safeties of all time.

10. Larry Wilson

One of the best safeties of all time, Larry Wilson was drafted in the seventh round in 1960 by the Chicago Cardinals right before the team moved to St. Louis. Wilson spent his entire 13-year career with the Cardinals in St. Louis and he totaled 52 interceptions, five of those returned for touchdowns.

Wilson was an 8-time Pro Bowler and he had a career year in 1966. He earned Defensive Player of the Year honors after leading the league with 10 interceptions, including a streak of seven straight games with a pick.

9. John Lynch

John Lynch played for 15 seasons in the NFL with his best years at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he helped win Super Bowl XXXVII. A nine-time Pro Bowler, Lynch made 26 interceptions. It was his hard hitting that makes him one of the best safeties ever. He made 1,058 tackles, forced 16 fumbles and made 13 sacks. 

8. Paul Krause

During his 16 seasons in the NFL Paul Krause earned 8 Pro Bowl appearances. He had exceptional range and speed which he exploited with his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame. Krause led the league in interceptions in 1964 as a rookie with 12. He holds the record for most career interceptions with 81.

7. Emlen Tunnell

A two-time NFL champion, Emlen Tunnell was a pioneer for African American players in the league, becoming the first to be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1967. Emlen was tenacious and a ballhawking phenom. He intercepted a then-record 79 passes in a 14-season career he spent with the Giants and Packers.

6. Brian Dawkins

Brian Dawkins was a leader on the field for the Eagles for 14 years, and another three with the Broncos. A ferocious hitter, he made 1,147 tackles, 37 interceptions, 26 sacks and forced 36 fumbles with his bone-jarring tackling.

A nine-time Pro Bowler, Dawkins made a Super Bowl appearance with the Eagles in XXXIX. His all-round game was evident in 2002 when Dawkins became the first player to record an interception, a sack, a forced fumble and a touchdown reception in a single game.

5. Ken Houston 

At 6-foot-3 and 197 pounds, Ken Houston had great speed and a vicious tackle to match. In 14 seasons in the NFL with the Houston Oilers and Washington Redskins he developed into one of the best safeties of all time.

Houston finished his career with 12 Pro Bowl appearances, 49 interceptions, 21 fumble recoveries and 12 touchdowns. In 1971 Houston returned four interceptions for touchdowns, an NFL record he shares with two other players. Two of those were on consecutive throws by quarterback John Hadl.

4. Rod Woodson

Rod Woodson was athletically gifted with long arms, a 40-yard dash time of 4.33 seconds and a vertical leap of 36 inches. Later on in his career he shifted to safety, a position he dominated in college. A total of 74 of his 238 NFL games were played at free safety.

Woodson spent 10 years at the Pittsburgh Steelers and in 1999 the Baltimore Ravens shifted him to safety. Woodson made the Pro Bowl in all four seasons in Baltimore where he became Super Bowl XXXV at 35 years old. He holds the record for career interceptions returned for a touchdown with 12 total.

3. Troy Polamalu

So explosive was Troy Polamalu, it was to his detriment as he suffered from his fair share of injuries. He still managed to play 158 games across a 12-year career for the Steelers. Polamalu was a playmaker with exceptional range, athleticism and football IQ.

A key part of the Steelers success during the 2000s, Polamalu was the Defensive Player of the Year in 2010, an eight-time Pro Bowl and he appeared in three Super Bowls, winning two championships. 

2. Ronnie Lott

Ronnie Lott is one of the best safeties of all time and was known for his ferocious tackling and clutch plays. A 10-time Pro Bowler, he was the NFL’s interceptions leader in 1986 and 1991, and co-leader for forced fumbles in 1982.

Across his 14-year career – including 10 with the 49ers – Lott played multiple positions and was extremely versatile. He played cornerback on both sides of the field, and both safety positions. He finished his career with 1,146 tackles, 16 forced fumbles, caught 63 interceptions and won four Super Bowls.

1. Ed Reed 

Ed Reed is the best safety of all time and spent all but two seasons of his 13-year career with the Baltimore Ravens. The 2004 Defensive Player of the Year earned nine Pro Bowl appearances and was the NFL’s interceptions leader on three occasions.

Reed had instincts like no other and he holds the records for most career interception return yards, longest interception return and most career postseason interceptions.

By the end of his career Reed had 64 interceptions with a record nine returned for touchdowns. He also had 139 pass deflections, 646 tackles, 11 forced fumbles, 6 sacks, and a Super Bowl win in 2012. 

Matt Ieriko

Matt Ieriko is a freelance writer who’s evolved his lifelong passion for sport into the creation of WolfgangSport.com in 2020 – an American sports blog covering the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL, MLS and more. As an Australian, he’s always been fascinated with the cultural differences and global significance of sports in America.

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