Injuries remain the headline for defensive players heading into Week 5 of the regular season, and there are several elite IDP options without clear timelines at the time this article is published. We’ll hit on some in this article, but another major situation to watch closely is in San Francisco with both Talanoa Hufanga and Fred Warner.
Risers
Derick Hall, DE
The Seahawks’ front seven is decimated, and we saw the end result Monday night as the Lions moved up and down the field as they pleased. However, there have been some individuals who have benefited from new-found roles, and Hall has excelled as a pass rusher by tallying four sacks in as many games this season. He’ll lose some time once Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and Boye Mafe (knee) return, but Hall was a second-round pick by Seattle in 2023, so there should be a plan to keep him in the pass-rushing rotation.
Justin Strnad, LB 
Losing Alex Singleton (knee) was a big blow for the Denver defense, and it was unclear who would step in to fill his spot. I speculated on Kwon Alexander last week, and the team also added Zach Cunningham to the practice squad. In the short term, though, Strnad looks to be the primary beneficiary. He played 77 percent of defensive snaps in Week 4 after failing to record any in the first three games of the season. Strnad also took advantage by tallying a sack, two tackles for a loss and
Injuries remain the headline for defensive players heading into Week 5 of the regular season, and there are several elite IDP options without clear timelines at the time this article is published. We’ll hit on some in this article, but another major situation to watch closely is in San Francisco with both Talanoa Hufanga and Fred Warner.
Risers
Derick Hall, DE 
The Seahawks’ front seven is decimated, and we saw the end result Monday night as the Lions moved up and down the field as they pleased. However, there have been some individuals who have benefited from new-found roles, and Hall has excelled as a pass rusher by tallying four sacks in as many games this season. He’ll lose some time once Uchenna Nwosu (knee) and Boye Mafe (knee) return, but Hall was a second-round pick by Seattle in 2023, so there should be a plan to keep him in the pass-rushing rotation.
Justin Strnad, LB
Losing Alex Singleton (knee) was a big blow for the Denver defense, and it was unclear who would step in to fill his spot. I speculated on Kwon Alexander last week, and the team also added Zach Cunningham to the practice squad. In the short term, though, Strnad looks to be the primary beneficiary. He played 77 percent of defensive snaps in Week 4 after failing to record any in the first three games of the season. Strnad also took advantage by tallying a sack, two tackles for a loss and four total tackles.
Chad Muma, LB 
Ventrell Miller looked to be the primary beneficiary of Foyesade Oluokun’s (foot) injury. However, with Devin Lloyd (knee) also sidelined, Muma saw a significant uptick in his snap rate in Week 4. Muma may be a short-term add, but he’s worth speculating on to see how injuries and usage shake out in the coming weeks with a lot of moving pieces in the Jacksonville defense.
K.J. Britt, LB 
Britt was a faller just a few weeks ago, as it appeared his role would slip due to the emergence of SirVocea Dennis. Unfortunately, Dennis suffered a serious shoulder injury in Week 4, leaving Britt as a primary inside linebacker once again. He recorded six tackles on a 91 percent snap route in Week 4 and should have some room to improve his stop total in the coming weeks.
Devin Bush, LB 
For now, it’s appropriate to take a wait-and-see approach with Bush. He was on the field more in Week 4 due to the absence of Jordan Hicks (elbow). The exact nature and severity of Hicks’ injury are currently unclear, but he also had rib injuries heading into Week 4 and his elbow issue is an aggravation. He could be set to miss some extended time, with Bush appearing to be the potential beneficiary.
Jeremy Chinn, S 
Chinn fell out of favor in Carolina as the team struggled to find a role for him in 2023. Dan Quinn and company have not had the same issue in Washington, as he’s reached 80 percent of defensive snaps in all four games this season while working a versatile role that includes snaps at free safety, in the box and in the slot. The results haven’t always been there, but his change in circumstance is worth noting after he posted 10 total tackles (seven solo) against the Cardinals.
Isaiah Pola-Mao, S 
The analysis for Pola-Mao is straightforward. Marcus Epps is done for the season with a torn ACL and Pola-Mao was a one-for-one replacement, playing 100 percent of defensive snaps while tallying six tackles, a sack and a pass defended. He should have a clear path for the rest of the season and is a priority add over most of the other names on this list as a result.
Fallers
Nick Bolton, LB 
There were a lot of legitimate excuses for Bolton’s slowed pace in 2023, primarily that he was dealing with several different injuries. That hasn’t been the case in 2024, as he’s played more than 90 percent of defensive snaps in three of four games (82 percent in the fourth). Despite that, he has only 27 tackles. To be fair, it should be pointed out that he has four tackles for loss and has played well in coverage. That just won’t lead to the same IDP value we saw in 2022.
Josh Metellus, CB/LB 
Metellus is a perfect illustration of defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ scheme, because he lines up all over the field and is best described as a playmaker. That was at least the case last year, as he had a great combination of tackles, picks and sacks that made him extremely valuable in IDP. It’s not time to panic about him because he’s played 100 percent of defensive snaps in each of the last two games, but he hasn’t shown the same playmaking ability as he did in 2023 to this point. For example, he has only one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit.
Jaelan Phillips, LB [LOGO]
There have been a lot of serious injuries to go around on both sides of the ball this season, but Phillips has had some particularly bad luck. He’s returning from an Achilles injury and went down with a knee injury in Monday’s loss to the Titans. Phillips has been all but ruled out for Week 5, but the extent of the injury is not yet known.
