Starters: Laron Landry will be the only unquestioned starter, playing free safety. He has improved over his first two years in the league, even while playing away from the position he was drafted for, strong safety. He has the ability to drop back in to coverage and play center field while landing punishing hits on receivers who dare to go across the center of the field.
The starter at strong safety will be a close competition between 4-year veteran Reed Doughty and second year pro Chris Horton. Doughty entered last season as the starter, but his season was cut short with an injury, allowing Horton to step in to the starting role, in which he performed at a much higher level than expected. Both players play the run well, but can be exploited in coverage. Play during preseason games should decide the starter, but the other will be sure to see playing time with Greg Blatche's creative scheming.
Reserves: Kareem Moore will be the primary backup for Landry. Moore, a sixth round draft choice by the team last year, didn't see the field much last year as he had trouble grasping the playbook. His playing time should increase this year, but he will also be a solid contributor on special teams.
As training camp approaches, I wouldn't be surprised to see the team add a veteran to this group. Last year they added Mike Green to the mix, and he made good contributions while injuries were keeping players off the field. This is the youngest group on the team and there is no reason for them to address it during the draft.
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