The 5 O’Clock Club: Tyler Owens, Safety, Texas Tech

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere…

The 5 o’clock club is published from time to time during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.

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Right after the draft, it was reported that the Commanders had agreed to terms with Texas Tech safety Tyler Owens, and that the team had offered him a $20,000 signing bonus with $225,000 guaranteed base salary.

I took a quick look at the 98 entries from our Pick-3 draft prediction contest, and didn’t see his name listed by any of the entrants, so I figured people might be unfamiliar with him.

Today seemed like a good day to learn a little bit about him.

Lance Zierlein wrote a pre-draft profile on Owens that indicates that he has good traits, raw skills, flashes of potential, and the kind of special teams skills that could potentially win him a roster spot, writing that “his A+ special teams potential could buy him time as he continues his schooling as a hybrid linebacker/safety with a higher floor and lower ceiling.”

To do so, he’ll have to compete with some talented athletes on the Commanders team. At 6’2”, 215 pounds, he sounds like a young player in the mold of Kamren Curl, though Owens is both quite a bit heavier and more athletic. In fact, Owens’ raw athletic skills might be enough to keep him on an NFL roster. He’s tall, long, explosive, and fast — and he tackles well. That’s an intimidating combination.

Owens is possessed of incredible athleticism.

[D]uring the NFL draft process, the Red Raiders defensive back has lived up to that status: He was the fastest player at the East-West Shrine Bowl a few weeks ago, with a reported speed of 21.55 mph at one point during the game.

Owens traveled to Indianapolis this week setting out to run the 40-yard dash in the low 4.2-second range at the NFL combine in hopes of turning the heads of NFL scouts and improving his overall draft stock. But, despite turning in impressive numbers in key events at Lucas Oil Stadium, he was unable to turn in a time in that most illustrious of events, pulling up on his first attempt with a limp. Stacy Dales of the NFL Network reported that Owens suffered a right groin injury and, despite putting ice on the affected area, was unable to run the 40. She added that he was emotional and that he was done for the day.

He almost certainly improved his draft stock with an impressive showing at the combine, including a near-world record attempt in the broad jump [he was 1-inch short of the world record] and an impressive vertical leap.

One nice thing about Next Gen Stats and other on-field tracking is that teams don’t have to see a prospect run a timed 40-yard dash at the Combine to be confident in his speed. We know that Tyler Owens is fast and explosive.

In an interview with The Draft Network, Owens talked a little bit about almost setting the world record in the broad jump and other things:

I was pretty satisfied overall. I really wanted to beat the broad jump record, but I fell just short of doing that. At the end of the day, I was very happy with the results I managed to capture at the NFL Combine.

I feel like I’m at my best when I’m playing near the football. I love playing inside the box because it keeps me closer to the action. That’s where I can really make plays. That position just comes so naturally to me.

You said it, though. I’ve also played in some more traditional safety looks as a two-high safety. I’m pretty comfortable [playing both in the box and in coverage]. I like holding opposing offenses to as few yards as possible (laughs). That’s why I’m a very aggressive tackler. I like fitting the run from those positions near the box. I feel great when I’m put in those spots. [At the same time], if it’s 3rd-and-long, I don’t think there’s a receiver that can run faster than me in man coverage. There isn’t a receiver that’s running past me. I feel really good in man coverage.

For a defense that wants to give multiple looks to challenge opposing offenses and play predominately press-man coverage, a player like Owens has obvious appeal. He increases the team speed and coverage without sacrificing tackling ability or being stout against the run.

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Tyler Owens | Safety | Texas Tech | 2023 Highlights

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Owens also got his name mentioned in a few headlines during the Combine when he explained why he didn’t believe in space:

“I’m real religious, so I think we’re alone right now. I don’t think there’s other planets and other stuff like that. I thought I used to believe in the heliocentric thing where we used to revolve around the sun and stuff. But then I started seeing flat earth stuff and I was like, this is kind of interesting.”

Given that he used the word “heliocentric” in a sentence, I’m gonna take him at his word that he is smart enough to know what other people believe, but chooses to put his religious faith ahead of science.

It’s going to be a challenge to get the Commanders to believe in Owens ahead of the other options they have available.

It’s common to keep 10 to 12 defensive backs on a 53-man roster. The math might be against Owens, even if he plays in the box (given the team’s sudden depth at linebacker). The Commanders could keep anywhere from 4 to 6 safeties. Here’s the competition:

1. Jeremy Chinn
2. Derrick Forrest
3. Quan Martin
4. Jeremy Reaves
5. Percy Butler
6. Dominique Hampton
7. Ben Nikkel

The first 4 appear to be roster locks based on NFL experience or draft position.

Butler, of course, is a 3rd year safety who was drafted by Ron Rivera and who plays special teams when he isn’t playing most of the defensive snaps. Because of injury to Forrest, Butler played 836 defensive snaps in 2023.

Dominique Hampton was a 5th round pick in this year’s draft.

Depending on the number of safeties Adams and Quinn decide to keep, it seems like Owens will need to beat out Butler and/or Hampton — both of whom were drafted — to make the 53-man roster. It’s easy to envision Tyler Owens as the kind of player who starts on the practice squad but gets elevated for a few games, and then gets his chance at a regular roster spot when a mid-season injury strikes.