Debates over who is the best at each position in the NFL are always heated. There are so many good players across the league, some of whom are so eerily similar it's hard to choose just one player that sits atop the throne.
At safety, many believe that the Jets' Jamal Adams leads the pack. He can get it done everywhere on the field, and is actually among the very few who is changing the position as we see it. But then there's those in the Derwin James camp, saying the Chargers' elite safety actually beats Adams -- even with only 21 career games under his belt. Anthony Harris joins that conversation as well, playing as a more traditional cover safety.
But Pro Football Focus might have put a rest to that debate (for now) after releasing their Top 50 players in the NFL list heading into the 2020 season. Adams came in at No. 20 overall while the next-best safety was Harris at No. 30 and James at No. 31.
Here's what they had to say about Adams:
"If you set the sample-size low enough, Jamal Adams has a top-10 PFF pass-rushing grade in the entire league over the past two seasons. He has become the prototype of a new breed of do-it-all safeties who occupy more of a positionless role in NFL defenses. Adams can line up anywhere and cover, defend the run or even rush the passer as a legitimate edge rusher on any given snap - and he does it all at a high level. Adams isn't redefining the safety position as much as he's pioneering a completely new role on defense."
Adams playing in the box -- or just roaming around the line of scrimmage in general -- is something DC Gregg Williams exploited last season, and it paid dividends. Adams should've broken the single season sack record for a safety but was forced to miss two games due to injury. He had 6.5 on the year to go along with two forced fumbles, which included one where he simply ripped the ball out of Giants QB Daniel Jones' hand and ran it in for a touchdown.
If there is a knock on Adams' game it isn't the ability to get into the backfield (10 tackles for loss in 2019), but his coverage ability. But even with that argument, Adams still posted a 75.2 opponent passer rating last season with seven passes defended and a 55.3 QB completion percentage as well.
The reason some believe James rivals Adams is because he was truly a game-wrecker in his rookie season. He had 13 passes defended with three interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 105 combined tackles, and an 82 opponent passer rating over 16 games. As PFF put it, "only injury kept Derwin James from being higher on this list, but like Jamal Adams, he is a pioneer of the positionless role within a defense."
James was forced to get surgery on his foot fracture this past season, and because of that, he wasn't able to replicate his sensational rookie performance.
It is a tough argument to make because these two players are very close in how they play, how few weaknesses they have, and what kind of impact they make on the stat sheet and on their teams in general. Adams, though, has a tad more experience. He seems to get better by the season with consistent play, and though James could -- and should -- do the same thing, we can't know for sure just yet. The sample size is too small.
For now, PFF believes Adams takes the cake at that position group. Who knows what will happen down the road, but there is a reason Adams wants to be paid like he is the best safety in the league. He knows his worth, and others certainly do as well.