Outside Linebacker
This group was tricky to rate because of Justin Houston’s injury, but even a fully healthy Houston and Tamba Hali would land here in Tier 2. This placement has nothing to do with them, but rather who’s behind them. We all know how special the duo of Houston and Hali are, but unfortunately we’ve seen major drop offs when one or the other misses time.
Dee Ford has shown flashes but hasn’t taken enough strides as an overall player to be deemed worthy of the first round pick that was used on him two years ago. Frank Zombo was kept around primarily for his special teams value, and all the rest are pretty much unknowns.
Similar to the defensive line, this group needs capable depth behind the starters that can hold their own and allow the starters to rest every now and then. Regardless of the official timetable of Houston’s return, this group as a whole needs to improve and become more consistent.
Safety
With Ron Parker likely going back to his more natural position of safety and the return of Eric Berry, the safety position will again be crucial to the overall success of the defense. We saw how much the defense flourished when Parker, Berry, Husain Abdullah, and Tyvon Branch were all on the field at the same time playing their respective roles. We problem here is that Abdullah and Branch are both gone, and John Dorsey has yet to make his yearly under the radar safety acquisition that turns out great.
While I like the conversion of Jamell Flemming from corner to safety, I still do not believe there’s enough quality depth for Sutton to use as many safeties as he did last year. Daniel Sorensen was a decent fill-in for Abdullah’s nickle linebacker role but should primarily be a special teamer so overall I envision at least two new safeties added to the roster by training camp.
Next: Getting offensive...