Over the last decade, there is no denying that the NFL has morphed into a pass-happy league.
Case in point: Only two quarterbacks threw for more than 4,000 yards in the 2005 season, while 16 running backs rushed for 1,000-plus yards. In the 2015 season, 12 signal callers surpassed the 4,000-yard mark and just seven players reached 1,000 yards on the ground.
Talk about a change.
Defenses have had to adapt and counter these spread-out offenses in the NFL's ever-so-constant and evolving chess game. Recently, they have found an answer in the form of a hybrid player who fills both the safety and linebacker roles. These hybrids must be stout against the run and able to cover and tackle offensive players -- from running backs to tight ends to wide receivers -- in the open field. They are often larger than the average defensive back and smaller than most linebackers.
Two prime examples of players used as "rovers" reside in the NFC West: the Arizona Cardinals' Deone Bucannon and the Los Angeles Rams' Mark Barron. Both players entered the NFL as safeties but have transitioned to hybrid roles that see them frequently functioning as linebackers.
Bucannon (6-foot-11, 211 pounds), who is capable of successfully executing safety and linebacker duties, fell into the role during Arizona's 2014 rookie minicamp. He credits then-Arizona defensive coordinator Todd Bowles for his success, according to
an article on the Cardinals' team website. In two seasons, the versatile defender has registered 195 tackles (he led the team in tackles last season), five sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception, which he also returned for a score.
Barron (6-foot-2, 213 pounds) has enjoyed success as a hybrid player since transitioning into the role last October, when Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree suffered a season-ending injury. Last season, Barron, a fifth-year pro, tied for second in the league in total stuffs (12) -- a tackle for loss on a rushing play -- with All-Pro selection Aaron Donald, according to NFL research. Three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt was the only player with more at 14. In addition, Barron recorded a career-high 116 tackles in 2015.
The recent success of hybrids has sparked a league-wide trend as several other hybrid-like players -- Carolina's Shaq Thompson and Jacksonville's Telvin Smith, among others -- have become contributing components in their defenses.
"These guys give their teams flexibility, because they can match up against tight ends or in the slot and tackle in space," NFL Media analyst and former scout Bucky Brooks said. "They are fast enough to do the stuff in coverage but stout enough to stop the run. There is a huge need for those kinds of players right now, with the focus on the passing game."
Having worked with Barron and faced Bucannon in the NFC West, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher knows the value of the position. Fisher predicted in March at the NFL owners meeting that
"there will be more of those hybrid guys" in the league very soon. The following month at the NFL draft, that's exactly what many teams were searching for.
There was an excess of draft prospects who fit the role, allowing teams to potentially find their future stars at the safety/linebacker position. Among teams who strived to fill the hybrid role at the draft in attempts to slow the passing game were
the New York Jets (Darron Lee),
Jacksonville (Myles Jack) and
Washington (Su'a Cravens).
Hybrids flourish in the passing game because of their speed and ability to tackle in space. The biggest challenge is holding up against the run game. Hybrids must be physical enough to fill holes, get off blocks and make plays where the defense is vulnerable against the run.
NFL Media analyst and 15-year pro linebacker Willie McGinest knows the physicality necessary to stop some of the league's best rushing attacks. McGinest -- who measured at 6-foot-5, 270 pounds in his playing days -- was a run-stuffer for the New England Patriots during their three Super Bowl championship runs in the early 2000s, and he noted that smaller linebackers may struggle against run-first teams.
"It's tough finding that happy medium with these types of players," he said. "On one hand, they create mismatches against tight ends and running backs out in space. On the other, though, they can get consumed against teams that power-run the football.
"But I do think this type of player is good, and you have to have a hybrid at some point, because of the way the game has changed, especially on the offensive side of the ball."
Brooks expects that a majority of NFL offenses
will revert to the run-first mentality -- much like the current Minnesota Vikings and Buffalo Bills teams -- in an attempt to "run" hybrids out of the game.
"The run game alleviates pressure on the quarterback, and because there are so few elite quarterbacks in today's game, it is better to be a balanced offense," he said. "Running the ball will be more in vogue in coming years than it has been, which hybrids will struggle against because of their size."
But for now, NFL defenses will take their chances on the revolutionized position. And with what we've seen from hybrid players in recent years, it's a good chance to take.
