Antoine Winfield Jr.’s stellar play on the field earned him a lucrative contract this offseason that was the richest ever for any defensive back.
That play also led Winfield to be selected as the top safety in the NFL by The Associated Press.
A panel of eight AP Pro Football Writers ranked the top five players at safety, basing selections on current status entering the 2024 season. First-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.
Winfield earned six first-place votes, one second and one third to beat out Baltimore’s versatile safety Kyle Hamilton for the top spot. Hamilton got one first-place vote and was also picked on all eight ballots to come in second.
Minkah Fitzpatrick got the other first-place vote and was also named on every ballot to finish third in the voting. Jessie Bates III and Jevon Holland rounded out the top five.
Geno Stone, Derwin James, Justin Simmons, Kyle Duggar, Talanoa Hufanga and Xavier McKinney also got votes.
Winfield signed a four-year, $84 million contract this offseason after earning his first All-Pro selection in his fourth season in the NFL. Winfield led the NFL with six forced fumbles and also had six sacks and three interceptions as he showed the ability to dominate all over the field.
Winfield leads all NFL defensive backs in sacks (15), quarterback hits (21), forced fumbles (11) and fumble recoveries (eight) since entering the league.
Hamilton’s versatility was a key part of Baltimore’s defense that allowed the fewest points in the NFL last season. The second-year player had more than 230 snaps as a box safety, a deep safety or a slot cornerback, excelling at all three spots.
Hamilton had four interceptions, three sacks and 10 tackles for loss on the way to being a first-team All-Pro.
Fitzpatrick took a step back last season from his ball-hawking play in 2022 but still earned enough votes to finish third. He was limited to 10 games because of a pair of injuries.
After leading the league with six interceptions in 2022 when he earned his third first-team All-Pro selection, Fitzpatrick had no picks last season.
Bates was one of the top free agent additions last season when he left Cincinnati to sign with Atlanta. He had a career-high six interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown against New Orleans’ Derek Carr. He also forced three fumbles and had 11 passes defensed, earning second-team All-Pro honors.
Holland had one of the more memorable defensive plays last season when he returned a desperation pass attempt by Tim Boyle for a 99-yard TD on the final play of the first half in a Black Friday win against the New York Jets. He was strong the rest of the season as well to crack the top five.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
