In the 2022 NFL season, defenses played nickel (five defensive backs) on 12,630 opponent passing attempts. Defenses played dime (six defensive backs) on 2,715 opponent dropbacks. With just 3,206 opponent dropbacks against four defensive backs last season, base defense is no longer base defense — nickel is the new base, and has been for some time.
Moreover, the influx of three-safety looks in the NFL has increased, as has the specific “big nickel” looks with three safeties and two cornerbacks.
The point of this preamble? That slot defenders are more important than they’ve ever been. Whether it’s in a more traditional nickel or dime look with just one slot defender, or defenses aligning two slot defenders to the strong side of the 3×1 formation, slot defenders aren’t just pre-emptive starters anymore — they’re integral parts of modern defenses, and good luck having a great defense without at least one.
Slot defenders have their own skill sets. It’s not like it was 20 years ago, when the smallest, slowest defensive back on a roster was relegated to the slot. Now, those guys need to have the coverage skills of cornerbacks, the run-stopping abilities of strong safeties, and the blitz instincts of linebackers.
It’s a fascinating gig.
As Greg Cosell of NFL Films and ESPN’s NFL Matchup said in this week’s edition of the “Xs and Os” podcast/video, the requirements for top-tier slot defenders make it a unique position.
“Slot defenders are an interesting breed. They can come in all shapes and sizes. They can be smaller, like Mike Hilton, who I think is one of the best slot defenders in the league. They can be bigger; it depends on what you want. But think of it this way — I know the numbers might be going down a bit, but teams line up in 11 personnel [one running back, one tight end, three receivers] a majority of the time. And teams are playing out of 11 personnel on first down — on second-and-3. What we consider normal down-and-distance situations where the run game is part of the offense. It’s not jst a third-down situation.
“Your slot defender is not just a pass defender. Your slot defender has to be able to defend the run, because there are a lot of teams that run toward the slot defender, because they know he’s not as good a run defender as you’d see running to the other side, where you might have bigger bodies. He also has to be part of pressure schemes. How often do we see slot defenders in today’s NFL as blitzers?
“So, not only do you have to play man coverage against receivers who have a two-way go, you also have to play underneath zone coverage, which is different than playing underneath zone coverage if you’re an outside cornerback. There are different rules, because zones all have their own rules.”
As has been the case with other defensive backs on this year’s list, the transfer of power from season to season is inconsistent, at best. Just two slot defenders from last year’s list — Derwin James and Kyle Dugger — made it in the 2023 group. Sometimes, that was about positional changes; other times, the performances from last year’s top slot defenders were simply eclipsed by the new guys.
No matter how you slice it, it’s tough to be a great slot defender in today’s NFL, and here are out 11 best heading into the 2023 season.
The NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks
The NFL’s 11 best safeties
(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Sports Info Solutions unless otherwise indicated).
11. Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens
I was Team Kyle Hamilton coming into the 2022 draft — it was my belief that the Notre Dame alum was the best, and most unique, player in his class. The Ravens were quite happy to select him with the 14th pick in the 2022 draft, and while Hamilton played all over the secondary as he had in college, he was a captivating — if at times vulnerable — slot defender. From the slot in his rookie campaign, Hamilton allowed 34 catches on 41 targets for 283 yards, 123 yards after the catch, one touchdown, no interceptions, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 103.6.
You don’t generally put a guy in a top 11 list whose opponent passer rating represents a pretty decent fever, but you also have to watch Hamilton to put those metrics in context. The pass breakups were examples of Hamilton using his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, and movement skills you’d expect from a player five inches shorter and 30 pounds lighter, to issue Dikembe Mutombo-style denials to receivers around the league. Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton was one guy who got the finger-wag in Week 8.
And no receiver was exempt from Hamilton’s closing speed and intent to disrupt — not even Ja’Marr Chase.
Yes, there were a few times where Hamilton got okay-doked by better receivers than he’d faced in college, but for the most part, the negative plays were plays where he missed it by that much, and you’d expect a lot of those to turn the right way in his second season.
Then, we have to discuss Hamilton’s ability as a blitzer, which is certainly notable. Quarterbacks enjoy those hits about as much as receivers do.
10. Mike Hilton, Cincinnati Bengals
An undrafted free agent out of Ole Miss, Hilton filtered through the Jaguars and Patriots organizations before the Steelers signed him to their practice squad in December, 2016. He became Pittsburgh’s starting nickel cornerback the next year, and ever since then, he’s been an estimable slot defender from 2017 through 2020 with the Steelers, and over the last two seasons with the Bengals, who signed him to a four-year, $24 million contract in 2021.
Last season, Hilton allowed 51 catches on 75 slot targets for 610 yards, 268 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 99.3. Hilton has always had a great ability to jump routes from the slot, especially over the middle, and he worked that up on this Week 7 pass from Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota to tight end Kyle Pitts. At 5-foot-9 and 184 pounds, Hilton was giving up nine inches and 62 pounds to his assignment, but if you know what you’re doing in coverage, those things don’t matter.
Hilton has always been a great blitzer from the slot; even if you can run around like Lamar Jackson, it’s more likely than not that Hilton will catch up to you when he’s tasked to do that.
And for a guy his size, Hilton has no issue whatsoever getting dirty in the run game.
9. Kyle Dugger, New England Patriots
If you’re going to play for Bill Belichick, especially on defense, you’d best be versatile — both positionally overall, and to adapt to Belichick’s ever-changing concepts. Belichick has been an advocate of the big nickel thing for a long time now, and he had quite the group in 2022 with Devin McCourty, Adrian Phillips, Jabrill Peppers, and Dugger as his primary safeties in name.
Dugger, the 2020 second-round pick out of Lenoir-Rhyne, has been mostly a box/slot player through his NFL career, with some flexibility to move to free safety and outside cornerback. From the slot last season, he allowed 11 catches on 17 targets for 91 yards, 35 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 93.0.
Dugger’s ability to read what’s in front of him came in handy on this pick-six against the Raiders in Week 15, when he had Derek Carr’s quick shot to Davante Adams dead to rights.
And not that Zach Wilson of the Jets needed much help turning his passing game into a disaster last season, but Dugger’s follow of running back Ty Johnson on this deep wheel route was a force multiplier for the Patriots.
As you’d expect from a guy who’s also a great box defender, Dugger seems to enjoy dropping the hammer on enemy quarterbacks — that’s where his one sack and six total pressures came from last season.
8. Rayshawn Jenkins, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Chargers selected Jenkins in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of Miami, and he became enough of a presence — especially in the deep third — to get himself a four-year, $35 million contract with $16 million guaranteed from the Jaguars in 2021. A bit rich if you’re not familiar with Jenkins’ work, but the tape backed it up.
Jacksonville’s pass defense was hardly a plus last season — they ranked 30th in Pass Defense DVOA last season, ahead of only the Raiders and Bears — but Jenkins was an asset, especially when he was in the slot. There, he allowed 12 catches on 17 targets for 98 yards, 56 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 60.4.
You probably remember this game-winning 52-yard pick-six against the Cowboys in Week 15, when Jenkins was in the right place at the right time on Dak Prescott’s crosser to Noah Brown.
Jenkins was also the guy covering Giants tight end Chris Myarick in the flat in Week 7, and had the wherewithal to break off and deflect this Daniel Jones pass to Darius Slayton.
At 6-foot-1 and 220 pounds, Jenkins also has the size and athletic profile to blow things up for enemy running backs, even when those enemy running backs are Josh Jacobs of the Raiders.
7. DaRon Bland, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys put three safeties on the field on 609 snaps last season, and it appears that defensive coordinator Dan Quinn knew what he was doing when he did that, as Dallas is one of two teams with two slot defenders on this list. Let’s start with Bland, the fifth-round rookie out of Fresno State, who started to get serious reps in that defense as the season went along, and was basically a starter by Week 11. Bland allowed 44 catches on 59 slot targets last season for 398 yards, 208 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, four interceptions, two pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 81.0 — third-best in the league among slot defenders with at least 200 coverage snaps.
Bland was vulnerable at times in the red zone, which is where the high touchdown total comes from, but his opportunism and ball skills were also very much in evidence right away. This interception of Matt Ryan against the Colts in Week 13 (one of two he came up with on the day) showed his match-and-carry abilities.
There was more of that on this pick against Trevor Lawrence and the Jaguars in Week 15, when Bland was simply in a better place for the ball than Christian Kirk was.
Did we mention that Bland showed potential as a slot blitzer? He certainly did against the Titans in Week 17.
It will be fascinating to see how Bland continues to grow as a player in his second NFL season. It’s clear that he is in the right defense for his skill set.
6. L'Jarius Sneed, Kansas City Chiefs
A fourth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech in 2020, Sneed was one of the Chiefs’ surprise standouts in his rookie season. Now, the three-year veteran is an elder statesman in a Steve Spagnuolo secondary packed with young stars on the rise. Sneed has always been a prominent presence in the slot for the Chiefs, and in 2022, he gave up 51 catches on 64 slot targets for 417 yards, 273 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 97.7.
With Sneed, you have to start with his slot blitzing ability, because that’s always been a big plus in his palette. Last season, he amassed two sacks, four quarterback hits, and 13 quarterback hurries when pressing quarterbacks from the slot, and that doesn’t count this denial of a Russell Wilson pass in Week 14.
If you want an ideal distillation of Sneed’s knack for pressure off the edge, there are few better reps than this sack of Jimmy Garoppolo of the 49ers in Week 7. Not may defensive players at any position are going to find a way around San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams, but Sneed did just that.
Those blitz looks can give an advantage when he drops into coverage, as was the case on this rep against Hayden Hurst of the Bengals in Week 13.
5. Kader Kohou, Miami Dolphins
Kohou was our Dolphins pick for Touchdown Wire’s 2023 All-Underrated Team for his overall service to Miami’s defense, but we want to further focus on what the rookie undrafted free agent from Texas A&M-Commerce did in the slot. Kohou was tasked with that role from early in his inaugural season, and he took to it like the proverbial duck to water, allowing 46 catches on 72 slot targets for 422 yards, 201 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 83.2.
Kohou was tested early by Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd (one of the league’s best slot targets) in Week 4 on this quick slant, and Kohou had no issue working through that quick route for the deflection.
And as much as the Dolphins played man coverage last season (35% of their defensive snaps, sixth-most in the NFL), it helps to have a slot defender who can stay sticky with a receiver across the field in 2-Man, as Kohou did in Week 10 against Browns receiver David Bell on this pass breakup.
And for a 5-foot-10, 195-pound cornerback, Kohou is just fine going after power running backs like New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson.
4. Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers
James just missed our top 11 safeties list, but we’re happy to feature him here. In just 131 coverage snaps from the slot last season, James allowed 21 catches on 27 targets for 172 yards, 64 yards after the catch, one touchdown, two interceptions, three pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 74.7. James has the coverage range and athleticism to hang with any receiver from the slot, and this pick against the Cardinals in Week 12 was an ideal example, as James got on top of DeAndre Hopkins, and that was that.
James nearly got his third slot interception of this season on this great rep against Jaguars tight end Evan Engram in Week 3. If you’re going to try and b beat James outside when he’s on you from the slot, that’s a tough ask.
And while we’ve made the case for L’Jarius Sneed as the best slot blitzer in the NFL today, James has his own estimable case. This sack of Patrick Mahomes in Week 11, in which James just blew up running back Isiah Pacheco on the way to the NFL’s best quarterback, might be Exhibit A.
James is a great player all over the field, but it’s quite possible that the slot is the place where his skills shine the brightest.
3. Jimmie Ward, Houston Texans
Last season, the 49ers ranked second in the NFL behind only the Patriots with 652 snaps in which they had three safeties on the field. When you have Tashaun Gipson Sr., Talanoa Hufanga, and Jimmie Ward in your defense, that makes a ton of sense. In 2022, Gipson and Hufanga were underrated assets in deep coverage in DeMeco Ryans’ defense, while Ward was the pointman in the slot. Last season in slot coverage, Ward allowed 65 catches on 80 targets from the slot for 516 yards, 319 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, seven pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 91.5.
Some of Ward’s pass deflections came about because he read a scramble drill all the way through, as was the case on this rep against Dak Prescott and the Cowboys in the divisional round of the playoffs…
…and here, against Chris Godwin of the Buccaneers in Week 14, Ward showed his ability to match and carry through the route.
When it’s time to defend the run, Ward is a gap-shooting opportunist. Josh Jacobs of the Raiders would likely agree based on this one-yard gain.
The 31-year-old Ward signed a two-year contract with the Texans worth up to $14 million, which keeps him with Ryans, and allows him to shot Houston’s young defensive backs how do get it done. As we will see, the Texans already have one guy who’s more than capable in the slot.
2. Jayron Kearse, Dallas Cowboys
Remember what we said before about the Cowboys’ dynamite three-safety looks, and how Dallas has the only defense with two slot defenders on this list? DaRon Bland was the surprise name here, but Jayron Kearse has been doing this well for a while. Selected in the seventh round of the 2016 draft by the Vikings, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Kearse wasn’t really a starting presence until he signed with the Lions in 2020, and certainly with the Cowboys over the last two seasons after signing a one-year, $1,127,500 contract in 2021, and then, a two-year, $10 million extension before the 2022 season.
Like a lot of players in Dan Quinn’s defenses over the years, Kearse found himself with a coach attuned enough to his skills to put him in the best place to succeed. That was a whole lotta slot for Kearse in 2022, and he allowed 18 catches on 23 slot targets last season for 170 yards, 116 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 61.2.
Kearse’s size comes into play when he’s asked to carry and just envelop a poor slot receiver — this angry rep against Quez Watkins of the Eagles in Week 16 would be one such example. This was Kearse’s ball, because he was willing to fight for it.
Kearse nearly had another slot interception against the Texans in Week 14, when he “landmarked” receiver Jordan Akins on a crosser out of Cover-1.
And as one might expect, Kearse can be an intimidating presence off the edge, as was the case here when he beat the Ayahuasca out of Aaron Rodgers in Week 2.
1. Tavierre Thomas, Houston Texans
An undrafted free agent out of Ferris State (go Bulldogs), Thomas had three mostly undistinguished seasons with the Browns before signing a two-year, $4 million deal with the Texans in 2021. That was the jumping-off point for his NFL career, as Thomas started to become a force as a slot defender. In 2021, he allowed 24 catches on 363 slot targets for 173 yards, 78 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 73.0. In 2022, despite a quadricep injury that cost him the first half of the season, Thomas allowed 14 catches on 27 slot targets for 89 yards, 51 yards after the catch, no touchdowns, no interceptions, one pass breakup, and an opponent passer rating of 59.0 — by far the best for any slot defender who played at least 200 coverage snaps inside.
Whether he’s matching receivers deep, as he did against Parris Campbell of the Colts on this pass deflection in Week 18…
…or reading the quick pass and blowing it up, as he did against CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys in Week 14…
…Thomas is a smart and adept a slot defender as you’ll find in the league today. Add in his ability to stop the run, and Thomas may well be the most valuable slot guy in the NFL.
Honorable Mentions
Kenny Moore II. Indianapolis Colts
Taron Johnson, Buffalo Bills
Jalen Ramsey, Miami Dolphins
Rachad Wildgoose, Washington Football Team
Bryce Callahan, Los Angeles Chargers
Cobie Durant, Los Angeles Rams
Isaiah Simmons, Arizona Cardinals
Darnay Holmes, New York Giants
Michael Carter II, New York Jets
