Pro Football Reference Blog
10 Best Strong Safeties of All Time
Posted by Andrew Weise on March 9, 2024
In the defensive backfield, the aptly named safety is the last line of defense. In order to be one of the top strong safeties in the NFL, a player needs the speed to cover receivers, and strength and tackling ability to cover tight ends and stop the run. Here is our list of the 10 best strong safeties of all time, using data and statistics from the Pro Football Reference database.
Troy Polamalu
Troy Aumua Polamalu
Position: DB
5-10, 207lb (178cm, 93kg)
Born: April 19, 1981 in Santa Ana, CA (Age: 42-308d)
College: USC (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 96 (190th overall since 1960)
Draft: Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1st round (16th overall) of the 2003 NFL Draft.
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2020 (Full List)
Pronunciation: \pole-uh-MAH-loo\
Twitter: @tpolamalu
Career
158
117
32
398
3
Spending his entire 12 year NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Troy Polamalu was arguably the best strong safety in NFL history. Polamalu was an eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time All Pro and won two Lombardi Trophies with the Steelers. He has 783 career combined solo and assisted tackles and 32 career interceptions. His career high for interceptions in a season came in 2008 and 2010, with seven in each season. He was named AP Defensive Player of the Year in the latter season. Polamalu called it a career following the 2014 season. In 2020, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.
Ken Houston
Kenneth Ray Houston
Position: DB
6-3, 197lb (190cm, 89kg)
Born: November 12, 1944 in Lufkin, TX (Age: 79-101d)
College: Prairie View A&M
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 95 (203rd overall since 1960)
Draft: Houston Oilers in the 9th round (214th overall) of the 1967 NFL Draft.
Career
196
129
49
898
9
East Texas native Ken Houston played 14 NFL seasons. He started his career in the city that bears his name, establishing himself as one of the top strong safeties in the NFL for six seasons with the Oilers from 1967 to 1972. Houston was traded to the Washington Redskins in 1973 where he continued his dominance. In his career, he made 12 straight Pro Bowls and earned All-Pro honors four times. In the 1971 season, he set a record with five defensive touchdowns, four interceptions and one fumble return. Though he was never a part of a Super Bowl winning team, he retired in 1980 as one of the best strong safeties to ever play the game. He became a Hall of Famer in 1986.
Kenny Easley
Kenneth Mason Easley Jr.
Position: DB
6-3, 206lb (190cm, 93kg)
Born: January 15, 1959 in Chesapeake, VA (Age: 65-037d)
College: UCLA (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 65 (859th overall since 1960)
High School: Oscar Smith (VA)
Draft: Seattle Seahawks in the 1st round (4th overall) of the 1981 NFL Draft.
Career
89
73
32
538
3
A member of the Hall of Fame’s All-Decade team for the 1980s at strong safety, NFL defensive star Kenny Easley spent his entire seven-year career with the Seattle Seahawks. Though his career was relatively brief, Easley made a name for himself, making five Pro Bowls and winning the 1984 defensive player of the year. In this season, he picked off a league-leading 10 passes, running two of them back for touchdowns. In 2017, Easley had his number 45 retired by the Seahawks. That same year he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
LeRoy Butler
LeRoy Butler III
Position: DB
6-0, 197lb (183cm, 89kg)
Born: July 19, 1968 in Jacksonville, FL (Age: 55-217d)
College: Florida St. (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 87 (311th overall since 1960)
High School: Robert E. Lee (FL)
Draft: Green Bay Packers in the 2nd round (48th overall) of the 1990 NFL Draft.
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2022 (Full List)
Pronunciation: \luh-ROY\
Career
181
107
38
533
1
Not only was the Green Bay Packers’ Leroy Butler an NFL-best strong safety throughout the 1990s, he berthed one of the great traditions in the league. Butler is credited with inventing the “Lambeau Leap” when he jumped into the crowd behind the endzone after a defensive score against the Los Angeles Raiders in 1993. But this strong safety NFL folk hero is more than just a footnote in the game’s history, he put together a Hall of Fame career that included four All-Pro honors and a Super Bowl title. Butler finished his career with 38 total interceptions and 889 assists and solo tackles.
John Lynch
John Terrence Lynch
Position: DB
6-2, 220lb (188cm, 99kg)
Born: September 25, 1971 in Hinsdale, IL (Age: 52-149d)
College: Stanford (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 88 (293rd overall since 1960)
High School: Torrey Pines (CA)
Draft: Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 3rd round (82nd overall) of the 1993 NFL Draft.
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 2021 (Full List)
As Exec: 7 Yrs (Full Record)
Relatives: Brother-In-Law John Allred
Career
224
116
26
204
0
Even some of the top strong safeties in the NFL still don’t have the career longevity that John Lynch had. Lynch played for 15 seasons in the league and made nine Pro Bowls, including four straight in his final seasons as a pro. Lynch is a member of the 1000 tackle club, as he recorded 1059 tackles and assists in his career and forced 16 fumbles. Lynch was a core member of the tough Super Bowl champion 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers secondary, that included fellow future Hall-of-Famer Ronde Barber. Lynch was inducted into Canton in 2021 as a player and currently serves as General Manager of the San Francisco 49ers.
Darren Woodson
Darren Ray Woodson
Position: DB
6-1, 219lb (185cm, 99kg)
Born: April 25, 1969 in Phoenix, AZ (Age: 54-302d)
College: Arizona St. (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 81 (404th overall since 1960)
Draft: Dallas Cowboys in the 2nd round (37th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft.
Twitter: @darrenwoodson28
Career
178
100
23
271
2
Darren Woodson earned his place on the list of top strong safeties in the NFL from his contributions to the Dallas Cowboys’ 1990s dynasty. Woodson spent his entire 12 year NFL career in Dallas and remains the Cowboys all-time leader in tackles. Woodson’s skillset made him the ideal NFL strong safety, as he could cover like a cornerback but hit like a linebacker, the position he played in college. He made five Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams in his career.
Donnie Shell
Donnie Shell
Position: DB
5-11, 190lb (180cm, 86kg)
Born: August 26, 1952 in Whitmire, SC (Age: 71-179d)
College: South Carolina St.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 91 (252nd overall since 1960)
Career
201
118
51
490
2
It would be fitting that a franchise that prides itself on defense as much as the Pittsburgh Steelers would have two candidates for the honor of the best strong safety in NFL history. Before there was Troy Polamalu, Donnie Shell excelled at the position in the Steel City. Shell was a five time Pro Bowler and four time Super Bowl champ. A ball hawk, Shell retired in 1987 as the strong safety NFL career leader in interceptions with 51 total. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
Dick Anderson
Richard Paul Anderson
Position: DB
6-2, 196lb (188cm, 88kg)
Born: February 10, 1946 in Midland, MI (Age: 78-011d)
College: Colorado (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 73 (584th overall since 1960)
Draft: Miami Dolphins in the 3rd round (73rd overall) of the 1968 NFL Draft.
Relatives: Brother Bobby Anderson
Career
121
83
34
792
3
Dick Anderson played strong safety for one of the NFL’s most storied teams, the 1973 Miami Dolphins. Not only was Anderson a part of the famous undefeated 1973 team, he was named AP Defensive Player of the Year that season. Anderson spent his entire career with the Dolphins and is second all-time in career interceptions for the franchise, only behind his teammate in the defensive backfield, free safety Jake Scott. While the two are considered one of the greatest safety duos in NFL history, neither has been inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Emlen Tunnell
Emlen Lewis Tunnell (The Gremlin)
Position: DB
6-1, 187lb (185cm, 84kg)
Born: March 29, 1925 in Bryn Mawr, PA
Died: July 23, 1975 (Aged 50-116d) in Pleasantville, NY
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 6 (10278th overall since 1960)
Hall of Fame: Inducted as Player in 1967 (Full List)
Career
167
6
79
1282
4
Not only was Emlen Tunnell one of the top strong safeties in the NFL in the 1950s, he made history by becoming the first African-American player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Nicknamed “the Gremlin,” Tunnel played 14 seasons in the league, including 11 with the New York Giants. Over the course of his career he intercepted 79 passes, an impressive feat considering the NFL scheduled a 12 game season for the majority of his career. He was named to nine Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams. He became a Hall of Famer in 1967 and tragically passed away from a heart attack in 1975.
Tyrann Mathieu
Tyrann Devine Mathieu (Honey Badger)
Position: CB
5-9, 190lb (175cm, 86kg)
Team: New Orleans Saints
Born: May 13, 1992 in New Orleans, LA (Age: 31-284d)
College: LSU (College Stats)
Weighted Career AV (100-95-…): 63 (931st overall since 1960)
High School: St. Augustine (LA)
Draft: Arizona Cardinals in the 3rd round (69th overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Pronunciation: \TY-run MATH-yoo\
2023
Career
17
163
7
78
4
33
122
501
1
4
Listed at 5’9” and 190lbs, Tyrann Mathieu earned the nickname “the Honey Badger” from all the qualities he shares with the ferocious mammal–undersized but tough and with a propensity for creating havoc. Mathieu’s skillset makes him a weapon at any position in the defensive backfield, however he has seen tremendous success in schemes that utilize him as a strong safety. Mathieu played the position for the 2019 Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, and earned All-Pro honors that year. In 2020 and 2021 with the Chiefs, he earned more Pro Bowl honors as the best strong safety in the NFL. 2022 was his first season in New Orleans where he is under contract through the end of the 2024 season.
Among 2023 All Pro safeties, the Baltimore Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton is the closest to a traditional strong safety. At 6’4” 220 lbs, he has the size of an old-school strong safety but has proven to be an adaptable weapon, capable of covering swift slot receivers as well. This versatility is what makes Hamilton such an elite defender in the modern NFL.
Traditionally, strong safeties are tasked with covering the “strong” side of the field, i.e. the side where the tight end has lined up. They are typically considered to be larger players and stronger tacklers contrasted with their free safety counterparts, who are quicker and better in pass coverage. However, the particular responsibilities of the strong safety position depend largely on the defensive scheme deployed. As NFL offenses have evolved, defenses have had to adjust as well. As modern schemes have developed the NFL into a passing-oriented league, the distinction between strong safeties and free safeties has blurred, as all NFL defensive backs now need size, speed, coverage ability and tackling skills.
The difference between a strong safety and a free safety depends largely on scheme. For example, in a Cover 2 defense both safeties are equally responsible for splitting the field and protecting against the deep ball. Here, the difference is minor. However, in a defense such as the 46, the strong safety takes a role more similar to linebackers and is tasked largely with covering the box and stopping the run while the free safety drops back in coverage.
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