Player
Julian Love
S · Seahawks
Tracking a safety's positional evolution from slot nickel to full-time box safety is rare — the PD spike after the move to Seattle shows the scheme fit unlocked his ball-hawking instincts.
7 seasons — went from NYG nickel-DB to Seattle's top-2 safety in PDs.
TrendLove by season — tackles, PD, INT
| Season | Team | Solo | Ast | TFL | Sacks | PD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | NYG | 25 | 7 | 5 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2020 | NYG | 45 | 17 | 1 | 0.0 | 3 | 1 |
| 2021 | NYG | 33 | 30 | 1 | 0.5 | 7 | 1 |
| 2022 | NYG | 67 | 45 | 6 | 1.0 | 5 | 2 |
| 2023 | SEA | 73 | 38 | 1 | 0.0 | 10 | 4 |
| 2024 | SEA | 70 | 30 | 3 | 0.0 | 12 | 3 |
| 2025 | SEA | 22 | 11 | 1 | 1.0 | 6 | 1 |
Love's arc is a positional re-classification story. His first three NYG years he was a slot/nickel hybrid (low TFL, low coverage volume). The 2022 contract year he posted 112 combined tackles, 6 TFLs, 5 PDs, 2 INTs as a deeper safety — and parlayed it into a deal with Seattle in 2023.
In Seattle he became a PD machine (10 in 2023, 12 in 2024) — finishing 2nd among all safeties in pass defenses in 2024 with 12, trailing only Brian Branch (16).
Pass defenses per season
| Season | PDs |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 7 |
| 2022 | 5 |
| 2023 | 10 |
| 2024 | 12 |
| 2025 | 6 |
Why it matters. Tracking a safety's positional evolution from slot nickel to full-time box safety is rare — the PD spike after the move to Seattle shows the scheme fit unlocked his ball-hawking instincts.
112 combined tackles in 2022 — #3 among all DBs in the NFL that year.
MilestoneLove 2022 line (NYG)
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Solo tackles | 67 |
| Assists | 45 |
| TFL | 6 |
| Sacks | 1.0 |
| PD | 5 |
| INT | 2 |
| FF | 1 |
Love's 2022 NYG season was the breakout — first full year as a starting safety, 112 combined tackles with 6 TFLs flashing the run-stopping value that earned him a contract in Seattle. He played 16 of 17 games and led NYG safeties in tackles, helping them reach the wild card.
Among all NFL defensive backs in 2022, only Jalen Pitre (131) and Richie Grant (117) had more combined tackles.
Top 5 DBs by combined tackles in 2022
| Rank | Player | Team | Solo | Ast | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jalen Pitre | HOU | 83 | 48 | 131 |
| 2 | Richie Grant | ATL | 64 | 53 | 117 |
| 3 | Julian Love | NYG | 67 | 45 | 112 |
| 4 | Jonathan Owens | HOU | 70 | 41 | 111 |
| 5 | Rayshawn Jenkins | JAX | 66 | 43 | 109 |
Why it matters. Finishing top-3 among all DBs in combined tackles in a contract year is a concrete performance signal — it helped Love secure a deal in Seattle and established him as a starting-caliber safety.
4 INTs in his first Seattle year — he's tripled his NYG INT output in fewer seasons.
SplitINTs by season
| Season | Team | INTs |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | NYG | 1 |
| 2020 | NYG | 1 |
| 2021 | NYG | 1 |
| 2022 | NYG | 2 |
| 2023 | SEA | 4 |
| 2024 | SEA | 3 |
| 2025 | SEA | 1 |
Love's first three NYG seasons each gave him 1 INT — a steady but unspectacular ballhawk profile. Then he moved to Seattle and immediately put up 4 INTs in 2023, 3 in 2024.
That's 8 INTs in his Seattle tenure (through 2025) — compared to the 5 he produced across four NYG years combined. The scheme change to a coverage-heavy Seattle defense put him in better position to make plays on the ball.
Why it matters. The INT spike after moving to Seattle isn't random — it reflects a real positional upgrade from nickel corner to full-time safety in a scheme that asks him to patrol the intermediate zone.
Career: 13 INTs, 46 PDs, 513 combined tackles — and 10 forced/recovered fumbles.
MilestoneCareer totals (regular season)
| Stat | Total |
|---|---|
| Solo tackles | 335 |
| Assists | 178 |
| TFL | 18 |
| Sacks | 2.5 |
| QB hits | 5 |
| Pass defenses | 46 |
| Interceptions | 13 |
| Forced fumbles | 6 |
| Fumble recoveries | 4 |
More than 510 combined tackles in 7 seasons. But the hidden production is the 6 FFs + 4 FRs (10 total) — Love consistently finishes plays by creating and recovering loose balls, not just tackling. That's an extra layer of takeaway value that the INT column alone understates.
His 13 career INTs and 46 career PDs in 7 seasons give him one of the higher ball-production totals among safeties entering the league since 2019.
Why it matters. Ten forced or recovered fumbles on top of 13 INTs and 46 PDs signals a player who doesn't just make tackles — he shows up around the ball at an above-average rate for the safety position.
2024: 12 PDs as a safety — #2 in the NFL among safeties, behind only Brian Branch.
AnomalyTop 5 safeties by PD in 2024
| Rank | Player | Team | PDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brian Branch | DET | 16 |
| 2 | Julian Love | SEA | 12 |
| 2 | C.J. Gardner-Johnson | PHI | 12 |
| 2 | Kerby Joseph | DET | 12 |
| 5 | Xavier McKinney | GB | 11 |
Love's 12 PDs in 2024 tied for the 2nd-highest total among NFL safeties, behind only Brian Branch (16). Combined with 3 INTs and 100 combined tackles that year, the production (15 total pass plays impacted) was top-tier.
The 2024 season also included 2 FFs and 1 FR — a 5-takeaway year. At a position where the typical starter produces 6–8 PDs, Love's 12 was nearly double the baseline.
Why it matters. Finishing 2nd in safety PDs in a season where you also post 100 tackles and 3 INTs is rare — most elite coverage safeties sacrifice box presence. Love doesn't.
2025 injury year: 0.86 PDs per game — that pace ranked 2nd among all safeties with 5+ games.
AnomalyTop 5 safeties by PD/game in 2025 (min 5 games)
| Rank | Player | Team | PDs | Games | PD/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quentin Lake | LA | 10 | 10 | 1.00 |
| 2 | Julian Love | SEA | 6 | 7 | 0.86 |
| 2 | Jalen Pitre | HOU | 12 | 14 | 0.86 |
| 4 | Tykee Smith | TB | 13 | 16 | 0.81 |
| 5 | Nick Emmanwori | SEA | 11 | 14 | 0.79 |
Love missed 11 games in 2025 with injury, yet in the 7 games he played he recorded 6 PDs and 1 INT — a rate of 0.86 pass defenses per game. That ranked him tied for 2nd among all NFL safeties with at least 5 games played.
For context: Brian Branch, the top safety in PDs in 2024, posted 0.75 PD/game in 2025. Love's rate topped almost every healthy safety who played a full season.
Why it matters. A player's rate stat in a shortened injury season is one of the cleaner signals of true ability — it strips out sample-size noise and shows peak production without the late-season fatigue drag.
FanIQ answers any NFL stats question with receipts, on your phone.
Get FanIQ freeGet it on Google Play