The 5 O’Clock Club: Obviously the Commanders know exactly what they are looking for at the safety position

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The four safeties on the left side of the table are the players returning from the 2023 Commanders squad. Those on the right side were brought into the team by Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt. Jeremy Chinnwas of course one of the better known free agent signings in March. Dominique Hampton was selected in the 5th round of the April draft and described by the Washington Post as a “promising player in terms of size, weight and speed.” Thomas B. is an undrafted college free agent from the University of Texas and Texas Tech.

Here is part of Tyler Owens’ draft profile from NFL.com:

He’s big, physical and lanky, with a temperament that makes him want to strike near the line of scrimmage. He’s not ready to take on high safety responsibilities yet, but can be a tough opponent when he’s in position to block a throw. His A+ potential on special teams could buy him time as he continues his education as a higher-ground, lower-target hybrid linebacker/safety.

The fourth safety acquired this offseason — Ben Nickel — is an undrafted college player from Iowa State. It’s unlikely he’ll take a defensive snap in 2024 (if ever). NFL.com describes Nikkel this way:

(H)e deserves a look for his work on special teams. He has good size and runs down the field like his hair is on fire, both on kickoffs and as a gunner. Nikkel played in all five phases of special teams at Iowa State, but he is far from ready to compete as a safety in the NFL.

When we’re not looking at Nikkel as a special teams star or a practice player, we’re more likely to focus on the three safeties Quinn and Whitt brought in for their defense this offseason – Chinn, Hampton and Owens.

height and weight

For consistency, I’ve included all players with the height and weight listed on the team website. These may differ from Combine measurements or other sources, but based on the numbers shown, it seems clear that the coaching staff has a prototypical height/weight target in mind. All three players (Chinn, Hampton, Owens) are listed at 6’2″ and 6’3″ respectively, and weigh 215 and 220 pounds respectively.

Camel Curlwho played the position for four seasons but was allowed to leave as a free agent in the offseason, was similar in size but weighed less than 200 pounds.

athletics

Obviously, coaches are also looking for very athletic players. I shared Tyler Owen’s RAS chart and spider chart above, and while his testing was less comprehensive than many other candidates, there is enough evidence to suggest he has outstanding traits.

And then there’s Jeremy Chinn, who is entering his fifth year in the NFL.

Rounding out the group is Dominique Hampton, who also doesn’t have very complete test results, but still has enough results to draw some conclusions about his athleticism. Hampton doesn’t quite match Jeremy Chinn’s test results, but he comes pretty close:

In a recent interview with the Washington Post, Asst GM Lance Newmark explained what the team liked about Hampton in the pre-draft process:

“(Hampton has) a lot of traits that fit what we like,” Newmark said. “He was a guy that worked his way up through the (scouting) process, the cross-checks, the meetings. (He) became more and more interesting to us and then all of a sudden (he) had the really good (athletic) test data.”

These three players represent a large part of Adam Peters and Dan Quinn’s first joint foray into rebuilding their roster and give us a glimpse into their goal for the safety position – namely, big-framed defensive backs with speed and dynamism.

What was Dan Quinn doing in Dallas?

When Dan Quinn took over as defensive coordinator in Dallas in 2021, the team immediately signed two experienced free agent safeties: Jayron Kearse And Malik Hooker. Kearse, in particular, fits the mold of a “big safety” at 6’4″ and 215 lbs, while Hooker is a bit smaller at 6’1″ and 215 lbs.

Since signing the pair in 2021, Kearse has played at least 815 defensive snaps each season (about 88% on average). Malik Hooker got off to a slower start in 2021, playing less than half of the defensive snaps, but over the past two seasons he has been on the field for more than 825 defensive snaps (about 82%).

Neither Kearse nor Hooker have tested the speed and dynamism of Chinn, Hampton and Owens, but they show what DQ and Whitt are up to in terms of size and length at the position.

evolution

Quinn, of course, was the defensive coordinator in Seattle during the heyday of the Legion of Boom, which included a safety from Maury High School in my hometown of Norfolk Virginia (and later from DBU, Virginia Tech). His name was (and still is) Kam Chancellor — two-time All Pro, four-time Pro Bowl player and Super Bowl winner. Chancellor stood at 6’3″ and weighed 230 pounds at the Combine. While it would be too much to ask a player to live up to Chancellor’s legacy, I think he created the prototype that always has Dan Quinn in mind when he thinks about the position.

Chancellor, despite his great performance as a player, was not as fast as Chinn, Hampton and Owens. If these players can develop anything like the football IQ at the position that Chancellor had, their edge in athletic stats would give them a chance at very successful NFL careers.

Adam Peters

Both Peters and Dan Quinn have spoken about the roster-building process several times this offseason. This quote from Peters in late February seems interesting:

Most coaches do a really good job of communicating to the players what they expect from them. And last week all of our scouts were there, and We took what we call profile shots. They presented players and showed what they were looking for for certain positions.be it defensive line, defensive end, linebacker, all these different things. And they do a good job of presenting exactly what they’re looking for in our particular scheme that we’re using.

It is clear from many of Peters and Quinn’s statements that the process is designed to help coaches communicate what the blueprint is for each player they are looking for. That blueprint includes measurable values, style of play and personality traits.

With the additions of Chinn, Hampton and Owens in the offseason, the requirements profile for the safety position was clear.