Dating back to 2014, NFL teams have used the franchise tag 37 times. But a safety was hit with the tag on only two of those occasions, which seems odd because the tag price at that position isn't overly expensive.
Per Albert Breer of The MMQB, safety, running back, tight end and kicker/punter are the only positions that cost less than $12 million for a first-time tag in 2019.
Several big-shot safeties with expiring contracts were tag candidates. And yet Landon Collins, Adrian Amos, Lamarcus Joyner, Tyrann Mathieu and Earl Thomas will all apparently hit the open market next week.