Summary
The best safeties can dish out hits and carry the ball.
Safeties from the 1980s and before played in a more violent era.
Ronnie Lott, Larry Wilson and Steve Atwater all make the rankings, but in what order?
The position of safety is key to a team’s defense in the NFL. It is the safety who ultimately becomes the last line of defense against a pass. A good safety will be a capable tackler. The best will be hard-hitting in the tackle in their efforts to protect their team and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Although a safety has yet to win MVP in an NFL season, two have won MVP at the Super Bowl. They were Dexter Jackson of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who won in Super Bowl XXXVII, and Jake Scott of the Miami Dolphins, who won in Super Bowl VII. Such is the competition in these rankings, neither makes the top 10. Here are the 10 best safeties in NFL history.
Ranking factors
Reliance - how often a player played and contributed over the seasons.
Tackles - a player's ability and consistency to provide big hits.
Yards - the regularity with which a player can return the ball.
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10 Larry Wilson
1960 to 1972
Larry Wilson Cardinals DB
Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Larry Wilson was a St. Louis Cardinals legend. In 1966, he led the NFL in interceptions. That was the same year he was named NFL defensive player of the year. This was a player who was committed: "In a football game, you’ve only got 60 minutes to prove what kind of player you are. Forty-nine minutes aren’t enough. You’ve got to give 100% on every play.”
One of his memorable plays was a one-handed interception against the Philadelphia Eagles, which he returned for a 91-yard touchdown. An incredible spectacle from a player who deeply loved the game.
|Larry Wilson stats|
|Matches|169|
|Passes intercepted on defense|52|
|Yards interceptions were returned|800|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|5|
|---|
9 Willie Wood
1960 to 1971
Willie Wood
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Wood was a five-time NFL and two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Green Bay Packers. He grew up playing quarterback, but he became a great safety with the Packers. He made the Pro Bowl on eight occasions.
He played a key role in Super Bowl I. Making a 50-yard interception return early in the third quarter of the Super Bowl gave the Packers some much-needed momentum to win the game. He wasn’t even drafted. Instead, he wrote letters to NFL teams to seek a trial. The legendary Packers coach Vince Lombardi offered him just that, and the rest is history.
|Willie Wood stats|
|Matches|166|
|Passes intercepted on defense|48|
|Yards interceptions were returned|699|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|2|
|---|
8 Emlen Tunnell
1948 to 1961
Emlen Tunnell
Robert Riger/Getty Images
Emlen Tunnell was a two-time NFL Champion with the New York Giants and the Green Bay Packers. He was a man who loved the game, as he explained: "I could make tackles until I’m 50. Your body may go, but your heart doesn’t.”
Tunnell became the first African American to play for the Giants. He was also the first African American to be elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Blessed with an aptitude to read the opposition and make interceptions, Tunnell was a natural safety. And all this after breaking his neck while at college in the 1940s.
|Emlen Tunnell stats|
|Matches|167|
|Passes intercepted on defense|79|
|Yards interceptions were returned|1282|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|4|
|---|
7 Troy Polamalu
2003 to 2014
Troy Polamalu
Troy Polamalu was a two-time Super Bowl winner with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2010, he was named the defensive player of the year. A laid-back person off the field, he was a tenacious competitor once he suited up for the Steelers. An athlete, Polamalu was known to take one-handed catches.
He was also a great reader of the game. Many times, he would leap in front of the receiver to intercept the ball. Although under six feet, he was more than capable of dishing out big hits, too. He goes down in history as one of the best ever defensive players for the Steelers.
|Troy Polamalu stats|
|Matches|158|
|Passes intercepted on defense|32|
|Yards interceptions were returned|398|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|3|
|Tackles|783|
|---|
6 Brian Dawkins
1996 to 2011
Brian Dawkins
Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins is often named as one of the best Philadelphia Eagles players of all time. Although he played for the Eagles in Super Bowl XXXIX, they lost 24-21 to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in what was a close game.
One match he played against the Houston Texans in 2002 is referred to as the Quadrafecta game. In that game, Dawkins recorded an interception, a sack, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown reception. A nine-time Pro Bowler, Dawkins was named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 2000s. Such was his notoriety, other teams feared Dawkins.
|Brian Dawkins stats|
|Matches|224|
|Passes intercepted on defense|37|
|Yards interceptions were returned|513|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|2|
|Tackles|1147|
|---|
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5 Steve Atwater
1989 to 1999
Steve Atwater Denver Broncos
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Steve Atwater is in the Hall of Fame, as well as being a two-time Super Bowl Champion with the Denver Broncos. As a player, he was very clear on his game: “I’ve always tried to be aggressive. I don’t always make all the tackles or make all the big hits, but I try to play in an aggressive manner.”
One of Atwater’s best games was Super Bowl XXXII against the Green Bay Packers. In it, he made six tackles and one sack and a forced fumble. Many in the game believed his performance was worthy of the Super Bowl MVP that season.
|Steve Atwater stats|
|Matches|167|
|Passes intercepted on defense|24|
|Yards interceptions were returned|408|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|1|
|Tackles|1188|
|---|
4 Ken Houston
1967 to 1980
Ken Houston
USA TODAY via Imagn Content Services, LLC
Muscular and lean, Ken Houston was a formidable tackler. He was also an excellent runner with the ball. His quality is confirmed by his 12 Pro-Bowl appearances. He is one of the lowest draft picks to make the Hall of Fame. The Houston Oilers took Houston in 1967 as the 214th overall pick.
It was a great selection, although many would say Houston played his best football for the Washington Redskins. He regularly features in lists of the best to have ever played for the franchise. In 1971, he returned four interceptions for touchdowns. He was named in the 1970s All-Decade NFL team.
|Ken Houston stats|
|Matches|196|
|Passes intercepted on defense|49|
|Yards interceptions were returned|898|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|9|
|---|
3 Paul Krause
1964 to 1979
Paul Krause Minnesota Vikings
Clifton Boutelle/Getty Images
Paul Krause is one of the all-time best when it comes to most interceptions in one NFL season. In 1964, he led in interceptions with 12. He played in eight Pro Bowls during his career. Not many can beat him in yards run on interceptions. This was also achieved in a far more violent era, when tackling was more primitive.
He is widely considered one of the greatest Minnesota Vikings players of all time. “I’m plain and simple, the safety man, the guy who has to stop the play when the others don’t, and that’s the way I like it,” he said.
|Paul Krause stats|
|Matches|226|
|Passes intercepted on defense|81|
|Yards interceptions were returned|1185|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|3|
Tackles
2 Ed Reed
2002 to 2013
Ed Reed Mid-Interception
Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ed Reed was named the 2004 defensive player of the year. While his number of tackles is not in the four figures, his running interception yards are eye-catching. He was the NFL interception leader three times, in 2004, 2008 and 2010. He was also a Super Bowl winner with the Baltimore Ravens.
He is considered one of the greatest Baltimore Ravens players of all time. His career was packed with highlights. One standout moment was against the Philadelphia Eagles, where he made a 107-yard interception return for a touchdown. Blessed with a real turn of pace, once he got up a head of steam, he was very difficult to stop.
|Ed Reed stats|
|Matches|174|
|Passes intercepted on defense|64|
|Yards interceptions were returned|1590|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|7|
|Tackles|646|
|---|
1 Ronnie Lott
1981 to 1995
Ronnie Lott San Francisco 49ers DB
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
You only have to look at Ronnie Lott’s numbers to get an idea of how useful a player he was. His career stats show 700 yards when it came to interception yards. Not to mention more than 1000 tackles. He played throughout the 1980s for the San Francisco 49ers, the golden age for the franchise.
Lott was a four-time Super Bowl Champion and played in the Pro Bowl 10 times. Although he could play at corner-back, many believe he was best at safety. He was a ferocious hitter who was utterly committed to doing so. Joe Montana and Jerry Rice may have got the glory for the 49ers, but opponents did not look forward to playing against Lott.
|Ronnie Lott stats|
|Matches|192|
|Passes intercepted on defense|63|
|Yards interceptions were returned|730|
|Interceptions returned for touchdowns|5|
|Tackles|1146|
|---|
All statistics courtesy of* Pro Football Reference *unless stated otherwise.