NFL Elite: The Best Safety Tandems In League History -

Finding one talented safety is difficult. Locating two standouts on the back end of a defense feels almost impossible.

Safety play, by and large, remains tricky for most NFL teams. If they find a keeper at one spot, they will struggle to find a bookend, capable of maintaining a high level of play. Moreover, keeping the group together for long periods of time seems rather onerous. Safety tandems are crucial to a team’s success. Yet, fleeting moments in time when salary and coaching decisions need to align. Below, are the five best safety tandems in the league.

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5. Kam Chancellor and Earl Thomas

Years As Teammates: 2010-2017

In assessing the Seattle duo, while stats do matter, you need to look at the overall composition of this defense. With these two as the last line of defense, Seattle ranked first in fewer points allowed for five consecutive seasons. Additionally, the defense ranked in the top ten in the fewest yards allowed for six consecutive seasons. Thomas filled the role of the centerfielder with aplomb. Meanwhile, Chancellor made receivers and backs pay with his ability to factor in the run game and get active versus the pass. These two combined for forty career interceptions, ten combined Pro Bowl nods, and a Super Bowl. For many, if not for the worst offensive play call in NFL history, Thomas and Chancellor would be regarded even higher.

4. Steve Atwater and Dennis Smith

Years As Teammates: 1987-1994

In the NFL, you don’t see teammates with such an age and experience gap. By the time Steve Atwater arrived in Denver, people lauded Dennis Smith as an elite safety, grabbing two Pro Bowl appearances and earning the reputation as a fierce hitter. Atwater was cut from a similar cloth. While they both struck fear into the hearts and souls of skill position players, each could play the pass. Granted, Simon Fletcher was the only true pass rush threat, so this duo needed to erase mistakes all over the field. Smith never lifted a Lombardi, but Atwater claimed two, The duo combined for fourteen Pro Bows and fifty-four interceptions.

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3. Jake Scott/ Dick Anderson

Years As Teammates: 1970-1977

An unheralded duo, no tandem flew under the radar more than this Dolphins duo. Scott, a former Super Bowl MVP garnered headlines for his ability to cover ground. Not the largest safety at 188 pounds, Scott would never back down from the challenge At the same time, Dick Anderson flashed the ability to show quick hands and the ability to track the ball from all angles. Three different times during his career in Miami, Anderson tallied at least eight interceptions. This duo combined for eighty-three interceptions and eight Pro Bowl appearances.

2. Donnie Shell and Mike Wagner

Years As Teammates: 1974-1980

Donnie Shell is a Hall of Fame safety, tallied fifty-one interceptions. People know his credentials all day. Yet, Mike Wagner, the eleventh-round selection from Western Illinois goes relatively unnoticed. On an all-time great defense, detractors believe anyone could play behind that front seven. However, Wagner made years of plays in Pittsburgh, earning respect and his spot among Pittsburgh legends. With eighty-seven picks and four Super Bowls each, this duo gave Pittsburgh a sense of calm and relief, with the ball aloft. The NFL never expected such different players from such disparate backgrounds to gel.

1. Yale Lary and Jack Christiansen

Years As Teammates: 1951-1958

The only Hall Of Fame duo on this list, this tandem terrorized teams as members of the Detroit Lions. As the fifties progressed, the necessity of not only stopping the pass but turning defense into offense. The burgeoning passing games needed an answer. Lary and Christiansen authored the greatest stretch in Detroit Lions’ history. For eight seasons, they played off each other. Lary, the speedster, that gave the Lions burst in the secondary and returns. The ball never found Lary. He sought it with abandon. While Lary was the electric game-breaker, Christiansen used his frame and speed mixed with his leadership. The Lions’ defense followed Christiansen to three NFL championships. Not to mention the ninety-seven interceptions between them. On top of that, fourteen Pro Bowls and eleven All-Pro honors set them apart from every other safety duo in NFL history.