2018 NFL Free Agency: The Curious Case of the Safety Position

Something weird is going on in 2018 NFL free agency. By this time of year, most of the top talent should be gone, but one position remains curiously stacked.

Nobody is entirely sure what’s happening at the safety position this year. By the look of things, there are still some tremendous young talents available. Yet for whatever reason, they remain unsigned to this point. Eric Reid, a former Pro Bowler is the most shocking of the bunch. Under normal circumstances, he’d have been one of the first defensive players signed. Unfortunately, his history with the national anthem protests has hindered his options.

It’s not just him though. Kenny Vaccaro is also a notable name. He’s been one of the best run-defending defensive backs in the league the past couple years. Due to his lack of prowess in coverage though, several teams likely don’t see his value. For Tre Boston, it’s the complete opposite. He had five interceptions in 2017 and was a nightmare to escape in coverage. However, he was atrocious in run defense with some terrible tackling and read-react moments.

NFL is playing a dangerous game as those men stay unsigned

All that being said, the rationalization for why these men aren’t on rosters already is weak. Though he participated in the protests last year, Reid is reportedly anything but a locker room cancer. He’s a good teammate and several players have insisted on that. For somebody considered weak in coverage, Vaccaro had three interceptions in 2017 and was 5th on the team in tackles. As for Boston, there aren’t many safeties who can deliver five interceptions in a season. His run defense issues can be worked around.

Suffice to say the reasoning behind these three men being unemployed grows thinner by the day. It certainly doesn’t reflect well on NFL teams, either meaning they lack basic common sense or are too afraid to take a risk. Bottom line is at some point a team, probably a contender is going to get one of them on the cheap and the rest of the league will regret watching the said team be that much harder to knock off.