Dec 7, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) celebrates his safety with teammates during the first quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
As much as we want to focus on star players on the offensive side of the ball around the NFL, defenses are playing as large of a role in league-wide success in recent seasons.
The Seattle Seahawks have earned two consecutive NFC championships largely due to the team’s defense. Meanwhile, the New England Patriots added that elusive fifth Super Bowl trophy to their resume this past season after bringing on fortifications in the secondary—fortifications that have since moved on.
With training camp about two months out, let’s check in on the top-six defenses heading into the 2015 season.
1. Seattle Seahawks
Until someone unseats the Legion of Boom, it’s going to sit atop these lists for the foreseeable future. Seattle’s defense finished this past season first in points against, first in total defense, first in passing yards allowed and third against the run.
Flush will All-Pro performers at all levels, new defensive coordinator Kris Richard has everything he needs to continue the domination we have seen from this unit over the past three years. In reality, it should be as seamless of a transition as it was from Gus Bradley to Dan Quinn in 2013.
The one issue here is depth. If Bobby Wagner, Richard Sherman or Earl Thomas were to go down for an extensive period of time due to injury, there would be a vulnerability at that area. This is magnified at cornerback where Seattle lost Byron Maxwell to the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. While Jeremy Lane and Tharold Simon have the talent, neither has shown enough to be relied on as a starter. In addition to this, the signing of Cary Williams is laughable. He’s nowhere near a starter-caliber corner.
2. Buffalo Bills
Courtesy of USA Today Sports: Rex Ryan’s Bills have the necessary talent on defense to become elite.
This past season saw Buffalo finish fourth in the NFL in total defense at just over 312 yards per game. It also finished fourth in scoring defense. That latter statistic is simply amazing considering the Bills’ offense was downright dreadful in 2014. Usually in cases like that, good defenses finish near the top in yards allowed but give up more points due to short field and a time of possession disadvantage. This is a representation of just how good Buffalo’s defense was last year.
With one of the best defensive-minded head coaches in Rex Ryan now in the fold, the Bills’ defense should take that step towards elite status. This is only magnified by what promises to be a much better offense after the additions of LeSean McCoy, Charles Clay and Percy Harvin in the offseason.
In fact, Buffalo has a chance to surpass Seattle in terms of overall defensive performance. If McCoy can help the offense move the ball more consistently, it will enable one of the league’s top defensive lines to remain fresh throughout the game—a line that helped Buffalo’s defense rank first in the NFL with 54 sacks last season.
As with Seattle, there are Pro Bowl caliber players at all tiers here. Kyle Williams, Mario Williams and Marcell Dareus form one of the best defensive lines in the game. Meanwhile, the likes of Stephon Gilmore and Aaron Williams head a vastly underrated secondary.
If Buffalo can find a way to get above-average play from an unknown linebacker group, it will finish the 2015 season as one of the top defenses in the NFL. If that happens, the Bills could be looking at their first trip to the postseason since the Bill Clinton Administration.
3. New York Jets
Blessed with what is probably the best defensive line in the NFL after seeing Leonard Williams fall to them with the sixth pick in the draft, the Jets’ defense promises to be vastly improved from a season ago. Not only will the team’s front seven do the job, the Jets have pretty much an entirely new secondary. Veterans Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie will start at a cornerback position that gave this team fits over the past couple seasons. In addition to this, free-agent signing Marcus Gilchrist will now team up with 2014 first-round pick Calvin Pryor to form a solid safety tandem.
It’s going to be interesting to see how new head coach Todd Bowles utilizes the vast amount of talent he has on defense. Williams joins a defensive line that already includes Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson. That’s a good 900 combined pounds when the three are in the lineup together. This should help edge rushers Quinton Coples, Calvin Pace and Jason Babin get to the quarterback on a consistent basis. If so, the secondary will create a vast amount of turnovers throughout the season. Look for the Jets to have a dominating defense in 2015. It should be fun to watch.
4. Cleveland Browns
Probably the first surprise entrant in this article, Cleveland’s defense has been vastly underrated over the past couple years due to a lack of overall team success during that span. But make no mistake about it, this unit is absolutely stacked. Adding first-round pick Danny Shelton and veteran Randy Starks will fortify a defensive line that recorded only eight sacks last season. More than that, it should open up the edge for linebackers Barkevious Mingo, Paul Kruger and rookie Nate Orchard. It should be a nice mix between the two tiers within Cleveland’s defensive front.
However, the strength of this unit has to be in the secondary. It returns three Pro Bowl performers from a season ago in cornerback Joe Haden as well as safeties Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson. Cleveland also added veteran Tramon Williams to start opposite Haden until Justin Gilbert shows that he’s prepared to take over as a starter.
Even with a lack of a pass rush last season, Cleveland’s defense still ranked eighth in the NFL against the pass. If the team’s front can get more pressure on the quarterback, this unit will take the next step towards elite status.
5. Arizona Cardinals
Courtesy of USA Today Sports: Patrick Peterson will make the Cardinals defense go in 2015.
Arizona did a good job to address perceived weaknesses on defense. Sean Weatherspoon was added in free agency from the Atlanta Falcons. He should start at one inside linebacker position next to Kevin Minter. That was one of the team’s biggest issues last season, especially after losing Karlos Dansby to the Cleveland Browns the previous spring. Despite losing veteran defensive tackle Darnell Dockett to the division-rival San Francisco 49ers, the additions of Corey Peters and an underrated Cory Redding add depth along the defensive line.
As with the Browns, this team’s biggest strength on defense will be in the secondary. Patrick Peterson looks to rebound from a down season at one corner position, while high-upside youngster Justin Bethel prepares to take on a larger role. With Tyrann Mathieu and Deone Bucannon playing large roles at safety, this is a unit that could eventually rival the Legion of Boom in Seattle.
6. San Francisco 49ers
Most will focus on the losses of Patrick Willis, Chris Borland, Justin Smith, Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox as five reasons to expect San Francisco’s defensive to struggle in 2015. While those losses were huge, some more than others, new coordinator Eric Mangini has the foundation in place here.
The foundation of this defense will continue to be linebacker play. All-Pro NaVorro Bowman returns after missing the entire 2014 season with a knee injury. And while the loss of Willis is big, it’s important to note that Bowman had been the better player in the couple years prior to his injury. Aldon Smith is also returning for a full season after having to sit out for 10 games due to a suspension last year. San Francisco also boasts a talented young edge rusher in Aaron Lynch, who was extremely impressive in limited time as a rookie.
Some think San Francisco’s defensive line be an issue in 2015. However, the depth and talent is most definitely there to have success. Glenn Dorsey, Ian Williams, Darnell Dockett, Tank Carradine, Quinton Dial and rookie Arik Armstead make for an extremely talented unit.
In the grand scheme of things, it’s going to be the secondary that needs to step up. San Francisco boasts two Pro Bowlers at safety in Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea. Outside of that, there are a ton of questions marks. Who will be the team’s two starting corners? Can Jimmie Ward prove to be a starter-caliber nickel back? If these two questions are answered in the affirmative, San Francisco’s defense will still rank among the league’s best.