Who were the 10 best defensive players for the Ducks in 2022 according to PFF?
It was an up-and-down season for the Oregon defense in 2022. The Ducks struggled as a team and individually to the new scheme Dan Lanning and his coordinators Tosh Lupoi and Matt Powledge installed.
But to no surprise, Christian Gonzalez was one of the Ducks superstars on the defensive end of the ball. But to some surprise, safety Bryan Addison was just a little bit better, according to the PFF rating system. Addison was Oregon’s best cover guy and it wasn’t even close. His rating was nearly five points better than Gonzalez and that’s what put Addison’s overall defensive rating over the top.
While there were some highlights, there were some disappointments.
Noah Sewell stands out. Although his overall rating was 0.2 points better than last season, the Duck linebacker played almost 300 less snaps this season. Sewell’s run defense was seven points less and his pass rush rating went from 88.6 to just 73.5.
As a team overall, the Ducks’ defensive rating went from 74.6 in 2021 to 79.0 in 2022 under Lanning and his staff. Check out the top 10 defensive players in 2022, according to PFF.
S Bryan Addison — 81.5
© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Total Snaps: 304
Stats: 27 tackles, 2 INT, 4 breakups, 1 forced fumble
Grade for Run Defense: 66.8
Grade for Tackling: 73.1
Grade for Coverage: 85.9
CB Christian Gonzalez — 81.0
Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
Total Snaps: 718
Stats: 45 tackles, 3 INT, 7 breakups
Grade for Run Defense: 74.8
Grade for Tackling: 83.0
Grade for Coverage: 81.4
CB Trikweze Bridges — 74.3
Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK
Total Snaps: 633
Stats: 42 tackles, 3 INT, 3 breakups
Grade for Run Defense: 64.0
Grade for Tackling: 70.6
Grade for Coverage: 75.9
DL Brandon Dorlus — 72.7
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Total Snaps: 590
Stats: 31 tackles, 9 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks
Grade for Run Defense: 70.0
Grade for Tackling: 32.6
Grade for Coverage: 64.2
Grade for Pass Rush: 72.2
CB Bennett Williams — 72.1
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Total Snaps: 715
Stats: 59 tackles, 1 sack, 2 INT, 6 breakups, 2 forced fumbles
Grade for Run Defense: 83.2
Grade for Tackling: 73.7
Grade for Coverage: 67.7
Noah Sewell — 71.7
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Total Snaps: 601
Stats: 51 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 1 INT
Grade for Run Defense: 62.9
Grade for Tackling: 72.3
Grade for Coverage: 72.6
Grade for Pass Rush: 73.5
LB Mase Funa — 68.2
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Total Snaps: 417
Stats: 23 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT
Grade for Run Defense: 62.3
Grade for Tackling: 54.8
Grade for Coverage: 72.2
Grade for Pass Rush: 64.9
S Jamal Hill — 67.0
AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Total Snaps: 414
Stats: 38 tackles, 3 breakups
Grade for Run Defense: 63.3
Grade for Tackling: 79.8
Grade for Coverage: 71.5
DE D.J. Johnson — 66.6
© BRIAN HAYES / STATESMAN JOURNAL / USA TODAY NETWORK
Total Snaps: 439
Stats: 36 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 1 fumble recovery
Grade for Run Defense: 66.8
Grade for Tackling: 63.3
Grade for Coverage: 50.7
Grade for Pass Rush: 72.3
DL Keyon Ware-Hudson — 63.9
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Total Snaps: 327
Stats: 17 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery
Grade for Run Defense: 59.6
Grade for Tackling: 80.6
Grade for Coverage: 61.8
Grade for Pass Rush: 63.7
