Safeties that could be traded or cut during the 2023 NFL Offseason

The NFL offseason doesn’t officially begin for a few weeks, but teams are beginning to make major personnel decisions for next year. This time of year is usually dedicated to teams figuring out if they want to put a Franchise or Transition tag onto one of their unrestricted free agents. 

Over the past few days, teams have been letting go of notable veteran players to free cap space for this off-season. Derek Carr, Taylor Lewan, Bobby Wagner, and Carson Wentz are some of the players who have already been let go this off-season.

There are plenty of players who could still be released or even traded before the official start of the 2023 off-season. Here are the safeties that could be moved during the 2023 off-season.

Chuck Clark, Baltimore Ravens

The writing was on the wall for Chuck Clark when the Baltimore Ravens drafted Kyle Hamilton with the 14th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Baltimore had already signed former Saints safety Marcus Williams to a five-year $70 million deal earlier in the offseason. Despite being a versatile starter for Baltimore for the three prior seasons, Clark found himself as the third safety on the depth chart.

This past season Clark had his first 100+ tackle season in the NFL. He had 101 combined tackles (61 solo tackles), a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. PFF gave Clark a 66.0 grade for the 2022-23 season.

The Baltimore Ravens cannot afford to have luxuries like Clark on the roster this off-season. They need to manage their cap space so they could sign former league MVP Lamar Jackson to an extension or find his replacement.

If Baltimore was to trade Clark they would only have to take on a $2.6 million dead cap hit. Trading Clark would provide Baltimore with $4.1 million in cap relief. However, if they were to release Clark the Ravens would have to take on a $3.3 million dead cap hit. Baltimore would then gain $3.5 million in cap space if Clark was released.

Malik Hooker, Dallas Cowboys

Former first-round pick Malik Hooker has become an impactful player for the Dallas Cowboys over the past few seasons. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has made gotten great production out of him in a rotational role. Hooker was considered a draft bust after being taken 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts in 2017. After four years with the Colts, Hooker signed a one-year deal with the Cowboys late in the 2021 offseason. Last offseason Hooker signed a two-year $7 million extension with the Cowboys.

Last season Hooker started six games for the Cowboys. He finished the season with 62 combined tackles (44 solo tackles), three interceptions, and a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown. PFF gave Hooker a 73.9 grade this past season.

Dallas has two major free agents this offseason on the offensive side of the ball in Tony Pollard and Dalton Schultz. The Cowboys need to clear cap space if they want a chance at retaining both of them. Dallas would only have to take on an $850K dead cap hit if Hooker was traded or released. They would free $3.47 million in cap space if they parted ways with Hooker.

Eric Murray, Houston Texans

After starting at safety for the past two seasons in Houston Eric Murray was put in a reserve role behind rookie second-round pick Jalen Pitre and Jonathan Owens. The Texans signed Murray to a three-year $18 million deal in 2020 after being a rotational player in Kansas City and Cleveland to begin his career. Houston then signed Murray to a two-year $10 million extension last offseason.

Murray did not start a single game for the Texans this past year. He finished the season with 27 combined tackles (18 solo tackles). PFF gave Murray a 65.1 grade for the 2022-23 season.

Houston would only have to take on a $1.4 million dead cap hit if Murray was traded or released. The Texans would gain $4 million in cap space if they were to part ways with Murray.

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