NFL free agents: Top 5 defensive backs include a pair of starters from the Chiefs
Teams looking for a free-agent defensive back that can make a huge impact might not find one this offseason.
There are some good cornerbacks and safeties about to hit the market, but few stars. There are only two defensive backs in the top 25 available overall free agents. But there are still some starters and depth pieces that can help teams.
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Here are the top five defensive backs available in free agency:
1. CB Jamel Dean
Dean has been a regular starter for the Buccaneers and is coming off what might have been his best season. He posted the best Pro Football Focus grade of his career, ranking fifth among all cornerbacks. PFF’s stats had him allowing just a 46.9 passer rating last season. Dean turns 30 years old in October and that can be an age in which cornerbacks decline, but Dean’s strong 2025 season makes him a top option among free agent cornerbacks.
2. S Bryan Cook
Cook is a good all-around safety coming off his best season for the Chiefs. He is a factor against the run and the pass, and set career highs last season with 82 tackles and six passes defensed. Cook hasn’t made a Pro Bowl yet but he is a high-end starter whose versatility will make him even more attractive as a free agent.
3. CB Jaylen Watson
Watson made an immediate splash as a seventh-round draft pick of the Chiefs in 2022, becoming a starter late in the season for a team that won a Super Bowl. He started all 15 games he played in last season, which was a career high, and had a solid season. Watson is 27 years old and is on the rise, so he’d be a reasonable option for a team looking to get multiple starting seasons.
4. S Kamren Curl
UPDATE: Curl and the Rams reportedly agreed on a three-year, $36 million extension on Friday.
Curl won’t turn 27 years old until late March but he already has 86 career starts with the Commanders and Rams. He hasn’t missed a game since 2022. Curl is a physical safety. He put up a career-best 122 tackles last season. He also had a pair of interceptions last season.
5. CB Tariq Woolen
Woolen saw his role with the Seahawks decrease last season, so it’s no surprise he’ll hit the open market. As a rookie he tied for the NFL lead with six interceptions and was a full-time starter for his first three Seahawks seasons. He’s a big corner at 6-foot-4, will be just 27 years old next season and while there’s some concern about what happened in Seattle last season, he’ll get plenty of interest.
