After a regular season rich in lessons and twists, here is the typical team of the most successful defensive players in 2024.
Below is an NFL defense with a basic 335 scheme.
Defensive end: Myles Garrett (Cleveland)
Stats: 22 tackles for losses including 14 sacks
No other player caused more tackles for a loss of yards. After 14 sacks in 2023, Myles Garrett repeats the performance with 14 sacks again in 2024!
His 22 tackles for loss included 14 sacks of a quarterback and 8 stops of a runner before he crossed the line of engagement. He necessarily suffered from a mediocre Cleveland team, because he is undoubtedly the best at his position in the NFL.
Defensive Tackle: Zach Allen (Denver)
Stats: 61 tackles including 15 for losses including 8.5 sacks
Second in pressure rate and first in number of sacks, Denver's defense took the NFL by surprise in 2024! Made up of players that no one really wanted like Cody Barton or Brandon Jones, the collective created by Vance Joseph was formidable.
Author of 68 pressures and 8.5 sacks, Zach Allen gives the Arizona Cardinals a lot of regrets for not retaining him in 2023!
Defensive end: Trey Hendrickson (Cincinnati)
Stats: 46 tackles including 17.5 sacks and 6 passes defended
Playing in a defense that was far too permissive in the first half of the season, he was the one who allowed the Bengals to believe in qualifying for the playoffs until the end.
Linebacker: Zaire Franklin (Indianapolis)
Stats: 173 tackles including 11 for losses, 6 passes defended including 2 interceptions
No one has tackled an offensive player more than him! If this is mainly due to the fact that the Colts defense is the one having spent the 3rd highest time on the field, his quality as a linebacker is nevertheless undeniable!
For three seasons, Zaire Franklin has been the leader of the Indianapolis defense: 166 tackles in 2022, 179 in 2023 and 173 in 2024! Every Sunday, he is merciless for the opposing riders!
In this defense, he occupies the position in the axis of the second defensive curtain: surrounded on both sides by two other linebackers.
Linebacker: Andrew Van Ginkel (Minnesota)
In the NFL, defenders must stop attackers: the base. And for the players front 7this must be done as quickly as possible, in order to prevent opponents from gaining sufficient yards for a new series of four attempts.
But there's something even better: stopping the attack by pushing it back onto the field! With 18 tackles for loss, Andrew Van Ginkel was 4th in the NFL in 2024, behind only Myles Garrett, TJ Watt and Trey Hendrickson.
Under the command of Brian Flores (his portrait here), his former Miami team must regret letting him go: 79 tackles including 11 sacks! Andrew Van Ginkel's intelligence also allowed him to defend 6 passes including two interceptions: both times returned for a touchdown!
Linebacker: Zack Baun (Philadelphia)
Stats: 151 tackles and 5 forced fumbles
Who expected him at this level? Certainly not Saints fans! In the most French city in the United States, Zack Baun was just a player in the rotation for four seasons. An edge rusher in college, he was able to become a complete linebacker in the NFL.
Signed with a modest contract ($3.5M), he proved to be the linebacker that the Eagles have been looking for for ages: 151 tackles including 11 inflicting a loss as well as 5 snatched balls!
Cornerback: Patrick Surtain (Denver)
Stats: 45 tackles, 11 passes defended including 4 interceptions
Quarterbacks avoid throwing to their side as much as possible! He is the robot portrait of the “shutdown corner”, the one who shuts out the best opposing receiver: only one touchdown conceded in scoring in 16 games!
Cornerback: Derek Stingley (Houston)
Stats: 54 tackles, 18 passes defended including 5 interceptions
Derek Stingley is the jewel of a back line having intercepted quarterbacks 19 times in 17 games! Intelligent and athletic, he perfectly complements the action of a successful pass rush in Houston: the coverage gives more time to the pass rushers, the pass rush helps the coverage by forcing the QBs to throw quickly.
Cornerback: Marlon Humphrey (Baltimore)
Stats: 67 tackles, 15 passes defended including 6 interceptions
Marlon Humphrey is experienced and it shows on the pitch! Since his alignment mainly inside the field, he knows how to defend against the run and also the aerial game. As agile in coverage as he is willing to tackle, he is the leader of the Ravens' impressive defense.
Safety: Budda Baker (Arizona)
Stats: 164 tackles including 10 for losses, 5 passes defended
Small but strong! This advertising slogan from the 80s fits him like a glove. Hyper active against runners, Budda Baker is also extremely intelligent in coverage. If even one or two other Cardinals defenders had his quality, this defense would be much better.
Safety: Kerby Joseph (Detroit)
Stats: 83 tackles and 9 interceptions
Recruited at the very end of the top 100 of the 2022 draft (97th), Kerby Joseph has gained strength in the Detroit defense. He plays 77% of defensive games in 2022, then 83% before being the most used defender in 2024 with 98% of defensive games!
Already author of 4 interceptions in each of his previous seasons, he signs 9 in 2024! If the media rightly praise the talent of his teammate Brian Branch, Kerby Joseph is the true leader of the Motown back line.
Coach: Brian Flores (Minnesota)
If Kevin O'Connell was able to lead a successful attack around Sam Darnold and Justin Jefferson, the Vikings' exceptional record is also due to his defense.
Although he left his best player to seek happiness elsewhere in the offseason (Danielle Hunter), Brian Flores' defensive expertise foiled all of the opponents' offensive plans. Mainly using the blitz (38%, 1st NFL) to overwhelm the quarterbacks, his game tactics are worthy of those of the chess player Magnus Carlsen: a Viking-sounding name, as if by chance!
