Yesterday was a bad day to be a playmaking defensive back. Two of the better ones from recent years were released by their teams. But it seems to be a good free agency period for looking for one of those types of players.
The Eagles released safety Kevin Byard (pictured), who they acquired from the Titans during the season, while the Patriots released cornerback J.C. Jackson. The Eagles had a lot of problems defensively so it can be debated whether Byard is still a difference-maker, but he was an All-Pro just two years ago; he's 30. Jackson is 28, and went to the Pro Bowl two years ago.
Those aren't the only opportunistic defensive backs on the market. The Dolphins last week released Xavien Howard; the 30-year-old started 13 games last year and has led the league in interceptions twice. The Dolphins might be hoping to bring him back. Another prospective free agent is Giants safety Xavier McKinney; especially factoring in youth, the 24-year-old might be the top defensive back on the market.
Each of those players has at least one season in the last five years with 5-plus interceptions; some of them have two. There have been 44 such seasons since 2019; by my count, 12 are by players on the market right now (and still playing), and there are others who might shake free before the start of free agency. (Tre'Davious White, for one, is a potential cap cut for Buffalo.)
In the table, which shows all defensive backs with a 5-interception season since 2019, current free agents are in bold.
| DEFENSIVE BACKS WITH 5 INTERCEPTIONS, 2019-2023 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Pos | G | Int | IntTD | PD |
| 2021 | Trevon Diggs | LCB | 16 | 11 | 2 | 21 |
| 2020 | Xavien Howard | RCB | 16 | 10 | 0 | 20 |
| 2023 | DaRon Bland | CB | 17 | 9 | 5 | 15 |
| 2020 | J.C. Jackson | LCB | 16 | 9 | 0 | 14 |
| 2021 | J.C. Jackson | LCB | 17 | 8 | 1 | 23 |
| 2023 | Geno Stone | S | 17 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
| 2023 | Jessie Bates | S | 17 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 2022 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | S | 15 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 2022 | C.J. Gardner-Johnson | S | 12 | 6 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | Justin Simmons | S | 12 | 6 | 0 | 7 |
| 2022 | Riq Woolen | CB | 17 | 6 | 1 | 16 |
| 2021 | Amani Oruwariye | RCB | 14 | 6 | 0 | 11 |
| 2020 | Tyrann Mathieu | SS/RLB | 15 | 6 | 1 | 9 |
| 2019 | Stephon Gilmore | RCB | 16 | 6 | 2 | 20 |
| 2019 | Anthony Harris | FS | 14 | 6 | 1 | 11 |
| 2019 | Tre'Davious White | RCB/LCB | 15 | 6 | 0 | 17 |
| 2023 | Rasul Douglas | CB | 16 | 5 | 1 | 14 |
| 2023 | Derek Stingley | CB | 11 | 5 | 0 | 13 |
| 2023 | Charvarius Ward | CB | 17 | 5 | 1 | 23 |
| 2022 | Jaire Alexander | CB | 16 | 5 | 0 | 14 |
| 2022 | DaRon Bland | CB | 17 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 2022 | Tashaun Gipson | S | 17 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | Patrick Peterson | CB | 17 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| 2022 | Jalen Pitre | DB | 17 | 5 | 0 | 8 |
| 2022 | Harrison Smith | S | 14 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 2021 | Kevin Byard | SS | 17 | 5 | 1 | 13 |
| 2021 | Quandre Diggs | FS | 17 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 2021 | Rasul Douglas | RCB | 12 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 2021 | Xavien Howard | RCB | 16 | 5 | 1 | 16 |
| 2021 | Micah Hyde | FS | 17 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 2021 | Xavier McKinney | FS/SS | 17 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 2021 | Jordan Poyer | SS | 16 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 2021 | Justin Simmons | FS | 17 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
| 2020 | Quandre Diggs | FS | 16 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 2020 | Justin Simmons | FS | 16 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 2020 | Harrison Smith | SS | 16 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 2019 | Kevin Byard | FS | 16 | 5 | 0 | 9 |
| 2019 | Minkah Fitzpatrick | DB | 16 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
| 2019 | Joe Haden | LCB | 16 | 5 | 0 | 17 |
| 2019 | J.C. Jackson | DB | 16 | 5 | 0 | 10 |
| 2019 | Jackrabbit Jenkins | DB | 15 | 5 | 0 | 16 |
| 2019 | Kevin King | RCB | 15 | 5 | 0 | 15 |
| 2019 | Devin McCourty | FS | 16 | 5 | 0 | 7 |
| 2019 | Marcus Peters | LCB | 16 | 5 | 3 | 14 |
--Andy Richardson