10 Best Free Safeties of All Time

Generally speaking, the safety position in the NFL is broken into two roles: a strong safety and a free safety. Both of these defenders have to be just about the most athletic guy on the field. A strong safety is typically a little bigger than a free safety. They tend to play closer to the line of scrimmage and be more involved in stopping the run. Usually they line up on the strong side, where the tight end starts off for the offense, and they at times cover tight ends and/or fullbacks. A free safety is usually faster and a little rangier than a strong safety. In addition to providing run support, they are expected to help cornerbacks in pass coverage more often, and they even have to shadow slot receivers occasionally. A lot of the time they are the center fielders of the defense.

We are going to identify the best free safeties of all time. Keep in mind that many defensive backs rotate positions throughout their careers, so classifying these elite athletes can be difficult. To be eligible for this list, a player had to be listed as a free safety for the majority of their career, not a corner or a strong safety. Without further delay, here are some of the fiercest hitters and most versatile players to ever grace the gridiron: ten of the best free safeties in NFL history.

The first free safety on the list was actually a skilled punter as well: Yale Lary. This multifaceted Detroit LIon was a key cog for three NFL Champions in the 1950s. His 50 career interceptions are 35th all time, and he was First-Team All-Pro three times. In the secondary, he played with fellow Hall of Famers Dick “Night Train” Lane and Dick LeBeau. How many players in NFL history can say they have had both a punt and a punt return of at least 70 yards? Lary can make that unusual claim. With three punting crowns and nine Pro-Bowl selections, Yale Lary was one of the most unique players in NFL history, and he deserves a place with the best free safeties of all time.

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If you were a key member of Vince Lombardi’s Green Packers in the 1960s, there is a good shot you were on the road to Canton. Willie Wood, an undrafted college quarterback from USC, smoothly switched to safety and was vital to the Packer dynasty. Four straight seasons Wood was First-Team All-Pro with eight Pro-Bowl appearances. In 1962, this ball magnet led the league in interceptions (9) and finished with 48 career interceptions; that goes with 16 career fumble recoveries. He was also a skilled punt returner with close to 1,400 career yards and two touchdowns. Wood can proudly claim to be the starting free safety for victorious Packer squads in both Super Bowls I and II; his crucial pick in Super Bowl I helped seal the title for Lombardi. Willie Wood, a part of five NFL championship teams, did reach Canton in 1989, and that makes him one of the best free safeties in NFL history.

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Do yourself a favor…go watch an old NFL Films video of Larry Wilson with the iconic voice of John Facenda narrating. This free safety was one of the first truly intimidating safeties in the NFL. He could deliver a smashing hit, or he could snag a pick six (five in his career, one was a 96 yarder). Drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1960, Wilson was a pillar in their secondary for 13 seasons. He was so versatile that he was one of the first players regularly utilized for the safety blitz, and he made quarterbacks and running backs pay the piper. Wilson was a First-Team All-Pro from 1966-1970, and his 52 career interceptions rank 26th all time. In 1966, he led the NFL in picks (10) with two touchdown returns. Larry’s toughness is legendary: he once played a game with two broken hands…and still got an interception. Although he never got to compete in the playoffs, Larry Wilson was an innovative and exciting player that was an easy Hall of Fame choice, so he certainly qualifies as one of the best free safeties of all time.

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Here is a tricky NFL trivia question…who is the all-time leader in interceptions? The answer is legendary free safety Paul Krause with 81. As a rookie with the Washington Redskins in 1964, Krause led the league with 12 interceptions and was a First-Team All-Pro; that year he also had a pick in seven consecutive games. After four successful campaigns in DC, this pick machine was traded to the Minnesota Vikings where he enjoyed tremendous personal and team success. Along with the Purple People Eaters up front, this safety was part of a Vikings team that won ten division titles in an 11-year stretch. Those teams reached Super Bowls IV, VIII, IX, and XI, and Paul unsurprisingly collected an interception in his first Super Bowl appearance. Krause broke Emlen Tunnell’s all-time interception record during his final season in 1979. Paul Krause, the all-time interception leader, has a bust in Canton, and he has a place with the best free safeties in NFL history.

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There aren’t many players, let alone free safeties, that were as dynamic or instilled more fear in opponents than Ronnie Lott. The highlight-reel plays are famous, and so are the mythical stories…you know, the one about him choosing to remove a piece of his pinky to avoid missing a game. San Francisco drafted Lott 8th overall out of USC in 1981. With out-of-this-world athletic ability, Lott actually was a highly effective corner back his first five seasons in the NFL. In his rookie year, he was part of a Super Bowl champion as he collected seven interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns, and he registered 89 tackles; this was the start of the 49er dynasty. Notoriously known as a ferocious hitter, Lott had five 100-tackle seasons and is 48th on the all-time list (1,146). In 1986, this ball hawk led the NFL with 10 picks. His team success is that of legend: as a 49er, he won four Super Bowl titles and helped establish them as the team of the 80s. With nine career playoff interceptions, he is tied for the all-time lead, and his 63 career interceptions are 8th all time. He closed out his stellar career as an LA Raider and then a New York Jet. Ronnie Lott was a ten-time Pro Bowler, a six-time First-Team All-Pro, a Hall of Famer, and he is definitely one of the best free safeties of all time.

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This recently inducted Hall of Famer is remembered for one of the most monumental hits ever; just ask the Nigerian Nightmare about it. Steve Atwater, a.k.a. the Smiling Assassin, was a first-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 1989 and went on to have a phenomenal career at free safety in the Mile-High City. In his rookie year, Atwater made an immediate impact helping lead the Broncos to the Super Bowl with 129 tackles and three interceptions; that Denver defense also allowed the fewest points in the league. This menacing presence had at least 129 tackles his first five seasons and also added two First-Team All-Pro nods. His greatest team success came at the back end of his career when he was a part of back-to-back Super Bowl winning teams with John Elway. This former Arkansas Razorback was much more than a tackling machine as he collected some impressive career turnover numbers: 24 interceptions, eight fumble recoveries, and six forced fumbles. Over 1,000 career tackles, a selection to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s, and that powerful pop on Christian Okoye, get Steve Atwater a spot with the best free safeties in NFL history.

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As an Eagles fan, I get chills thinking about this guy: Brian Dawkins. Without a doubt, B-Dawk is one of the most revered athletes in Philadelphia history. This free safety out of Clemson was selected by the Birds in the second round of the 1996 NFL Draft. Both a punishing tackler and very versatile cover guy, Weapon X was the engine of Jim Johnson’s defenses in Philadelphia. Dawkins was a four-time First-Team All-Pro and an eight-time Pro Bowler. Often utilized as a blitzer, #20 in midnight green recorded 26 career sacks, 3rd all time for defensive backs. You can add that to 37 interceptions, 36 forced fumbles, 19 fumble recoveries, and 1,147 tackles; he is one of only four players in history with 35 interceptions and 20 sacks. His teams in Philadelphia won five NFC East crowns, made five NFC Championship Games, and got to Super Bowl XXXIX. In one epic 2002 game against the Houston Texans, Wolverine had a quadrafecta: a receiving touchdown, an interception, a sack, and a fumble recovery. His last game in Philadelphia as an Eagle, he forced two fumbles versus Dallas to get the Birds back to the playoffs. This franchise luminary also had big playoff moments: a legendary hit on Michael Vick in a 2002 divisional game, an overtime pick of Brett Favre in a 2003 divisional game, and a fate-sealing interception of Michael Vick in the 2004 NFC Championship Game. Brian Dawkins is a Philadelphia icon, and he has also earned a place among the best free safeties of all time.

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The U knows how to produce top-tier NFL talent, especially at the safety position. Coral Gables may not have delivered a better safety ever than Ed Reed. This 2019 entrant to Canton was an institution for that vaunted Baltimore Ravens defense for 11 years. A complete free safety, this dude could tackle, cover receivers, force turnovers, and collect return yards on those giveaways. His 64 career interceptions are 7th on the all-time list, and he is 1st all time in interception return yards (1,590). Almost hard to believe, Reed has two interception returns of at least 106 yards; he three times led the NFL in picks. A five-time First-Team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler, this #20 in purple and black was the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in 2004. Along with fellow former Hurricane Ray Lewis, Reed helped fuel the Ravens to seven playoff berths, four AFC North Division titles, three appearances in the AFC Championship Game, and a Super Bowl trophy during his last season in Baltimore. He is also tied for 1st on the all-time list in playoff interceptions (9). Ed Reed is a University of Miami legend, a treasured Baltimore Raven, and he is undoubtedly one of the best free safeties in NFL history.

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Seattle’s Legion of Boom was a pretty potent secondary, and this free safety was a vital part of it: Earl Thomas. A 2010 first-round pick from Texas, Thomas started all 16 games his first six seasons in the NFL as he and the Seahawks created a feared defensive backfield. Like others on this list, Earl combined ball-hawking centerfielder skills with that run-stuffing human-cannonball presence. That defense was a turnover-generating squad, and Thomas delivered the goods with 30 career interceptions, 12 forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries. The Legion of Boom drove the Seahawks to a dominant 43-8 win in Super Bowl XLVIII against a high-octane Denver Broncos offense, and they returned the next year and were within a play of repeating as champions. Thomas was a three-time First-Team All-Pro and a member of the 2010’s All-Decade Team. It’s very possible he will have a spot in Canton some time soon. The Legion of Boom set a standard for secondaries that is emulated to this day, and that helps Earl Thomas solidify a ranking with the best free safeties of all time.

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This entry was posted on Saturday, March 23rd, 2024 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Top Lists. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.