Two former Detroit Lions defensive backs have earned recognition in the NFL for their physicality and toughness in 2024, ranking among the league’s most hard-hitting and imposing players at the position. These two defensive backs, both released or traded from Detroit before the 2024 season, embraced new roles with different teams and immediately made their presence felt on the field, securing spots on several “most physical” lists compiled by league analysts, media outlets, and former players. Their journeys highlight not only personal resilience, but also how mental and physical grit can define a defensive back’s career anywhere in the league.
The first of the pair is safety Joe Tate, a former third-round draft pick who spent three seasons with the Lions after being selected in 2021. Known in Detroit for his aggressive style, Tate consistently wore his heart on his sleeve during his tenure, but struggled to put it all together coherently in scheme and execution. Off the field, he became a fan favorite for his locker-room leadership, but Detroit long struggled to optimize his athleticism. Heading into 2024, Tate was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs, a team known for maximizing hybrid safeties and deploying multiple coverages. With Kansas City, Tate found his niche in Cover-3 and man schemes, where he could step up near the line of scrimmage and deliver well-timed hits on tight ends and running backs. Within weeks of joining the Chiefs, Tate’s reputation for bone-jarring contact became a talking point, earning him recognition among analysts who compile annual rankings of hard-hitting defensive backs. Even Peyton Manning, a longtime NFL analyst, mentioned Tate’s open-field explosion and hitting power during broadcast segments, emphasizing how Tate redefine what it meant to be a safety able to deliver thunder without sacrificing coverage responsibilities.
The second is cornerback Marcus “Tank” Garrett. Detroit’s brass drafted him in the sixth round of 2020 as a long-term developmental project out of West Virginia. But despite early flashes, Garrett never nailed down a starting role among a rotation of corners in Detroit’s secondary. His discipline and physical attributes were undeniable, but until his move to the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent in early 2024, he had not unlocked his true role. In Minnesota, Garrett saw immediate snaps in press coverage, where he lined up on the outside against top receivers, and was used in blitz packages. It was there that his combination of strength, tackling form, and line-swimming ability truly stood out—he didn’t just defend passes, he punished receivers with an intensity rare for defensive backs. One key moment came in Week 6, when Garrett, aligned on the left side, blitzed off the edge, user a perfect timed stunt through the A‑gap, resulting in a crushing hit on the quarterback. Replay after replay of that hit circulated on social media, and NFL Films included it in a highlight reel labeled “Single‑Season Mechanics of the Year.” Garrett’s presence in the Vikings’ secondary added a new dimension of aggressiveness that hadn’t been there before, and that shift didn’t go unnoticed by media outlets and evaluators ranking physicality among DBs.
Despite coming from different paths, Tate and Garrett both embodied what it means to play the secondary with an edge in 2024, helping dispel the narrative that modern defenses can’t blend hard hitting with discipline in coverage. Their recognition came in large part due to a broader conversation within the league about how defenses are trying to reestablish physicality after years of rule changes increasingly favoring offenses. Veteran defensive coaches have argued that shutting down today’s explosive passing games requires not just coverage ability but also forceful contact at the catch point and when tackling in space. It was in this context that lists of the “most physical” defensive backs were created by seasoned defenders like veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins and former cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha, both now involved in media and evaluation. Tape cuts showed Tate disregarding the offensive lineman straining to cover him before hammering a rolling tight end, and showed Garrett leveling a receiver crossing the middle with textbook tackle form that sent offensive coaches into an uproar—both hits were legal by league standards but left an impression for sheer violence in execution.
The metrics also support their elite physicality. Football Outsiders’ advanced tackling efficiency grades rated Tate and Garrett among the top ten DBs at forcing missed tackles or forcing contact while completing tackles at the highest rates. Pro Football Focus data showed that Tate, in particular, ranked best among safeties for run-down hit percentage on third downs, making himself an automatic force when opponents tried to sneak short conversions. Garrett—who split duty as a corner and pattern-match blitzer—ranked highest among players at his size in quarterback pressures by non-linebackers, beating out higher-profile pass rushers like Isaiah Simmons for the third-highest total among DBs. In press conferences, their respective coaches touted how Gotham’s defensive identity came sharpened by their presence: Mike Tomlin noting Tate “gave us license to be aggressive, and masked some vulnerabilities in our nickel defense”; Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores observing that “Marcus put receivers in the hospital—and we needed that.”
Individually, the transition to their new teams also came with “wash twist and rinse” storylines of personal development. Tate, from Detroit’s perimeter player to Kansas City’s hybrid weapon, embraced the team’s complex Cover‑1 and zones. Early chatter suggested he might become a liability in coverage, but he shut that down by picking up a take-away against the Chargers midseason: he stepped in front of a slant and immediately lowered his shoulder, finishing the play with a highlight hit that led to an interception and seven‑yard return—then spontaneously pulsed his chest in celebration. Analysts praised his hit as a reminder that safeties can still dive in with authority without malicious intent. Meanwhile, player development coaches pointed to Garrett’s improved footwork and alignment as keys to unlocking his physical gifts. Without the early detours in Detroit, he embraced Minnesota’s offseason strength and conditioning program, shedding four pounds and adding four inches of arm length in slide drills and contortion posture work that enabled his bone-crushing coverage.
On social media, the two former Lions began trending, with hashtags like #DetroitHardHitters or #ExLionEnforcers popping up after every prime-time hit. The excitement translated to merchandise demand: Jaguars cornerback added a social post of a throwback Lions jersey flanked by KC and Minnesota logos, captioned “From Roar City to Kingdom & Land of 10,000 Lakes—same hits, new homes.” Sports podcasts dedicated segments to analyzing what had maybe been overlook in Detroit: was it the coaching, the scheme fit, or was player potential underutilized in Motown?
The narrative even found life in weekly column space for long-form storytelling. GQ executive Barry Bowman wrote a feature titled “When the Lions Let Go, Safeties and Corners Took Charge,” examining not just Tate and Garrett, but also former linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin reinventing himself in LA, and former wideout Kenny Golladay reminding the world in Chicago why Detroit felt sad when he left. Bowman reflected on Detroit’s shifting personnel philosophy: “Sometimes even good players just don’t click in the same system. The Lions in 2024 may have unwittingly seeded rival defenses with their own blue-collar backbone.”
Even Detroit fans had to admit some pride. A Reddit thread dedicated to the trade and release decisions included fan quotes such as:
> “Can’t believe we let those two walk… but damn, they’re demolishing offenses elsewhere.”
> “I miss those hits—Detroit produced bangers.”
Such fan reactions captured the sentiment that despite missing out, Detroit’s organization had unironically boosted defensive culture across the league—its alumni continuing to define physical corners of the field.
Now, approaching the conclusion of the 2024 regular season, both Tate and Garrett are finalists for multiple postseason awards. Tate is a nominee for Defensive Player of the Month in November, largely due to two takeaways and multiple punishing hits against the Bills and Raiders. Garrett is a semifinalist for Comeback Player of the Year, recognized for his rise from depth chart dropout to top-tier physical corner. Both push 85th percentile on NFLPA Pro Bowl balloting in their respective competitions—an accolade once hard for former Lions to claim. In Minnesota, Garrett helped the Vikings secure home-field advantage in the playoffs; in Kansas City, Tate became a late-season chess-piece in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl chase, delivering key hits in divisional clashes. Highlight reels show them flashing swagger, forcey tackles, and both above-the-rim hits inside the 20-yard line that rallied stadiums behind them.
What lessons can be drawn from this? For the Lions, it’s a lesson in player evaluation and scheme adaptation: sometimes it’s not the athlete, but how they’re used. Tate and Garrett did not change drastically in talent—they just changed systems and fit, unlocking their full potential. It’s also a nod to the resurgence of physical play in today’s secondary—an antidote to the NFL’s slide into pass-heavy schemes where even corners are expected to be nimble and gentle. These former Lions embraced the physical renaissance while sticking to coverage duties, showing that hitting doesn’t have to be banned to be effective.
In interviews at Super Bowl week presser, coaches and teammates already referred to Tate and Garrett as “MOTM (Man of the Moment)” figures—unofficial nicknames that came from players rallying behind their ferocity. Chiefs QB coach Matt Nagy (no relation) remarked: “You gotta feel that second‑level safety coming downhill. Tate does that with anger, but intelligence.” Vikings offensive coordinator Wes Phillips confided that game plans now flagged Garrett as a secret weapon: “He’s too good now for most coaches to ignore. That’s credit to his off‑season growth.”
As the playoffs loom, and award voting begins, the former Lions stand as rare examples of how cornerstones of physical play can flourish when given the right tools, environment, and freedom. Their transformation isn’t just anecdotal—it’s emblematic of shifting defensive philosophies across the NFL. It’s a proud legacy for Detroit’s unsung blueprint, and a challenge to analysts: do you credit the player, the system, or the subtle alchemy between them?
In the end, the recognition of these two ex-Lions among the NFL’s most physical defensive backs in 2024 should serve as a potent reminder: talent combined with fit, opportunity, and courage can turn a former backup into a league-wide impact player. Detroit may not have captured their production, but the league has—and the roar of their hits still echoes, even after they’ve moved on.
