The transformation of the NFL into a pass-centric league over the past few decades has forced defensive coordinators to use various five-DB packages as their base defenses. While nickel defenses initially featured smallish cornerbacks in the slot, the league's adoption of more college concepts has sparked an uptick in three-safety schemes with a hybrid safety/linebacker/cornerback aligning in the slot to put a dynamic defender on the field in place of the third linebacker in a traditional base package.
In theory, the "star" is a multi-faceted playmaker with an alpha dawg mentality who is capable of mixing it up in the box, while also possessing the coverage skills to match up with wide receivers and tight ends in space. Additionally, he flashes pass-rush skills that allow him to create chaos off the edge as a designated blitz defender.
As a member of the Green Bay Packers in the mid-1990s, I watched defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur create a role that enabled LeRoy Butler to dominate the game from the slot. In a 12-year career spent entirely with the Pack, the 2022 Hall of Fame inductee became one of a few players to rack up at least 20 interceptions (he had 38) and 20 sacks (20.5). He received first-team All-Pro honors four times and earned a spot on the .
As a high-IQ defender with superb instincts, awareness and playmaking ability, Butler thrived in a hybrid role that tapped into his unique skills as a former collegiate safety/cornerback at Florida State. It is notable that Butler started his NFL career as a cornerback before transitioning to safety in his third season. The experience of playing on the island served him well when he moved inside to cover tight ends and slot receivers. Butler was stout enough to match up with big-bodied tight ends but also possessed enough quickness to shadow shifty receivers between the numbers.
Butler played in the slot extensively as part of the Packers' five-DB formations because it allowed him to showcase his strengths as an instinctive playmaker with pass-rush skills. Ultimately, he was at the cutting edge of a trend that eventually saw the slot go from a spot dominated by undersized cornerbacks to a position where teams could place their top defensive back, putting him closer to the action and creating more splash-play opportunities.
Fast-forward to 2026, and we're seeing more and more teams embrace the five-DB package with three safeties on the field. A pair of traditional deep defenders comprise the two-high shell, while a third safety roams around the box as a hybrid defender with slot cornerback, safety and linebacker responsibilities. With that latter role increasing in prominence, it's beginning to demand top dollar. Earlier this week, Derwin James received a three-year, $75.6 million contract extension with $57.1 million guaranteed. With an average annual value of $25.2 million, the deal eclipsed Kyle Hamilton's AAV of $25.1 million, making James the highest-paid safety in the league. But James is a true star defender, with usage that's far more diverse than a traditional safety role. Just look at how Pro Football Focus charted his alignment from this past season:
- Slot cornerback: 369 snaps
- Inside linebacker: 261 snaps
- Outside linebacker: 132 snaps
- Free safety: 128 snaps
- Strong safety: 48 snaps
- Outside cornerback: 21 snaps
Over the past five years, James is the only defensive back with 30-plus QB hits, 30-plus tackles for loss and 30-plus passes defensed, . The five-time Pro Bowler is the kind of Swiss Army knife most defensive coordinators covet in this new era of ball.
So, in the wake of James' blockbuster deal, this feels like the perfect time to rank the top-five star defenders heading into the 2026 season.
The first-team All-Pro is the prototypical slot defender defensive coordinators covet in the star role. DeJean's exceptional athleticism, versatility and coverage skills make him the ideal decathlete to match up with slot receivers and tight ends in space. He can shadowbox crafty route runners but also flashes the quick hands and knockout power to neutralize big-bodied pass catchers between the hashes. Although DeJean spent most of 2025 in coverage, on the third-year pro playing strong safety in base packages could signal more responsibilities in the box as a run stopper and pass rusher on simulated pressures and five-man blitzes.
The freshly paid superstar has transformed the game as a play-anywhere defender capable of manning any position on the second or third level. Whether he's stonewalling running backs in the box as an inside or outside linebacker, harassing quarterbacks off the edge as a pass rusher or shadowing tight ends and receivers down the field in coverage, James is the eraser the Chargers rely on to limit the opponent's top playmaker. In addition, he's a pack leader who sets the standard for the defense with his effort, energy and passion. James is a multi-dimensional weapon who can take over the game in various ways.
Head coach DeMeco Ryans and defensive coordinator Matt Burke prefer a straightforward approach, with Pitre roaming near the line of scrimmage. As the tone-setter for a unit that routinely bullies the opposition, the fifth-year pro relishes the chance to punish receivers for venturing into the middle of the field. Pitre's awareness and instincts shine each week. Additionally, Pitre's skills in coverage pop when he’s able to track the quarterback's eyes as an underneath defender matching short and intermediate routes. With 10 career interceptions and 33 passes defensed to complement a solid résumé as a tackler (averaging 92.5 per season), Pitre is a disruptive force near the box as a playmaking slot defender.
The 2025 second-round pick helped make head coach Mike Macdonald's vision of position-less football come to life. On the Seahawks' championship defense, Emmanwori seamlessly transitioned from safety to slot cornerback to linebacker to defensive end. In fact, he lined up at five different positions over 944 defensive snaps, per PFF, showing impressive versatility as a pass rusher, matchup specialist and quarterback spy. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder is routinely positioned at the line of scrimmage but possesses the athleticism to chase the quarterback or slam the door shut on a back running an option route. As Macdonald crafts plans to counter the 13 personnel (1 RB, 3 TEs, 1 WR) craze that's spreading across the league, Emmanwori will undoubtedly see his role expand in 2026 as one of the NFL's most dynamic defensive weapons.
The 6-2, 202-pound box-area bandit emerged as one of the league’s most dynamic multi-level defenders last season, his first with the Panthers after spending four years with the Raiders. Moehrig's versatility, instincts, awareness and physicality were showcased in a scheme that allowed him to line up all over the field. He took snaps on the defensive line (102 as an on-ball linebacker) and at inside linebacker (276), strong safety (205), free safety (160) and slot cornerback (322). As an ultra-aggressive defender with a knack for making plays in the backfield on blitzes or run-throughs at the line of scrimmage, Moehrig led all defensive backs with 51 stops (tackle that results in a successful play for the defense), tied for second with three sacks and ranked fifth with 14 QB pressures last season, per Next Gen Stats.
