We’re learning more about the responsibilities of the safety position in Ryan Walters’ defense as Spring practice progresses at Washington. In this new defense, there are two different safety positions, each with their own responsibilities. One is the “post” safety, also referred to as the single-high safety. The other is the “down” safety, or “box” safety, which plays closer to the formation inside the box. We’ve seen several Washington defensive backs rotate at each of these positions this Spring. Safeties coach Taylor Mays broke down his coaching philosophy towards this position, as well as some of the responsibilities of each.
Breaking Down The Safety At Washington
Post Safety
Throughout the majority of Spring practice, FIU transfer CJ Christian has been the starter at the single-high, “post” safety position. In Walters’ defense, this player roams alone anywhere from 15 to 25 yards behind the line of scrimmage pre-snap. Their general responsibility is to not let anything get behind them. Their understanding of the assignments of the entire defense is critical, as it helps inform their decision making and pursuit angles.
“He’s got to be able to get sideline to sideline, take good angles to eliminate explosive plays,” Walters said of the post safety position player. “They’ve got to be cerebral in some of our motion adjustments.” At FIU, Christian’s responsibilities mirrored what’s being asked of him in the post safety position at Washington.
“They brought me in to play that back post safety guy,” Christian said on Tuesday. “That’s what I played at FIU as well. At FIU we had kind of the same thing, I was always the post guy and we always had a down guy.” In three years with the Panthers, Christian tallied 152 tackles, five interceptions, and six pass breakups. Last season was his best, where he totaled 80 tackles (fifth most on the team) with three tackles for loss and three pass breakups. Vincent Holmes has been taking reps with the second team in the post safety position. He has unofficially tallied an interception and a pass breakup during team periods this Spring. We’ve also seen redshirt freshman Paul Mencke Jr. and true freshman Rylon Dillard-Allen repping at the post safety position this Spring.
Box Safety
The other safety spot in the Washington defense is considered the “box” safety or “down” safety, and this player is typically going to line up closer to the formation. As such, this safety needs to be able to guard tight ends and slot receivers, while also getting involved in the run game with the ability to make tackles inside the box. Northern Arizona transfer Alex McLaughlin has been one of the players rotating at this position with the starting defense.
“A lot of it is running and tackling.” safeties coach Taylor Mays said after practice. “And that is [McLaughlin’s] game to a T.” At Northern Arizona, McLaughlin could have been described as a “tackling safety.” He led his team in 2023 with 71 total tackles as a true freshman. The following season he tallied 96 total tackles. McLaughlin’s physical style of play makes him an ideal contributor as a box safety in the Husky defense.
“I think Alex is used to playing a lot closer to the ball,“ Mays said this week. “I think his ceiling is still even higher… He’s a guy you want closer to the ball, running down the ball carrier.” During last Saturday’s practice, McLaughlin had a quality outing during team periods. He recorded a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup on the goal line. Senior Makell Esteen has been the primary box safety with the first team thus far. But McLaughlin’s performance in the first half of Spring has earned him a lot more time with the starters. We’ve seen Mencke play this position as well.
Taylor Mays’ Philosophy
“To me, you’ve got to be able to do both,” Mays explained. “If Alex is the box safety, he’s got to be able to play in the post and play deep.” The reasoning behind this idea is twofold. Primarily, Mays wants his players to always be prepared for any game situation that arises. “I don’t ever want them to go into a situation where they feel uncomfortable with what they’re being asked to do because they weren’t prepared.”
The other goal of teaching versatility in the safety room is to create different looks for the opposing offense. Christian explained it after Tuesday’s practice, “If all of us are versatile enough to play at different positions, the [opposing] quarterback or the offense… they never know, ‘This guy’s back, now he’s down.’ They won’t know what we’re in.” The various looks that the secondary can show have been a challenge for the Husky offense this Spring as well. Head coach and play caller Jedd Fisch detailed some of these challenges from the offensive perspective last week. “They give you a lot to deal with, they give you a lot of pressures, they give you a lot of different schemes.”
Ultimately, the safety position in Washington’s defense requires a player who understands the assignments of everyone in front of them. The post-safety uses this understanding to inform pursuit angles and where to help. All while not allowing anything behind him. Playing more towards the formation, the box safety has to be a physical player who’s able to also communicate coverage assignments to the defense as the offense adjusts pre-snap. Mays is coaching his players to be able to do both. The results we’ve seen on the field this Spring indicate the group is adjusting well to the new defense at Washington.
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