Sam
Franklin Jr.
S
#28
Sam Franklin Jr.
#28S
Buffalo Bills
Height : 6' 3" · Weight : 210 lbs · Age : 30
NFL record
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | AST | SACK | FF | FR | YDS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Buffalo Bills | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | Buffalo Bills | 17 | 13 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Carolina Panthers | 10 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Carolina Panthers | 17 | 30 | 20 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Carolina Panthers | 17 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | Carolina Panthers | 16 | 24 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | Carolina Panthers | 14 | 23 | 15 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Contract
Buffalo Bills payroll →- 2026 cap number
- 1.92 M$
- Average per year
- 2.33 M$
- Total value
- 7.0 M$
- Seasons left
- 3 · through 2028
2026
1.92 M$
Guaranteed
2027
2.67 M$
Not guaranteed
2028
2.42 M$
Not guaranteed
Cap number: the season's salary plus the share of the signing bonus spread over the contract. Total value and average per year cover the whole contract, from its signing.
Advanced stats, 2023 Safeties
NFL stats →2023 season. The percentile ranks the player among regular safeties: 90th means better than 90% of them.
Tackles
28
2th percentile
Interceptions
1
42th percentile
Passes defended
3
22th percentile
Targets in coverage
16
Yards allowed
133 yd
Yards allowed per target
8.3 yd
40th percentile
Passer rating allowed
102.3
28th percentile
Missed tackle rate
14.3 %
7th percentile
Tackles for loss
0
15th percentile
Defensive snaps
289
0th percentile
Regular season. Data: nflverse (play-by-play, snap counts), Next Gen Stats, Pro Football Reference. EPA: expected points added. CPOE: completion percentage over expected.
2024 projection
NFL trends →Projected WAR
0.1
Games
17
WAR 2023
0.1
Games played
17
The pace of the last three seasons (WAR per game, 60/25/15), pulled toward the group average, over the games expected from his availability in the last two, adjusted for age.
Trend
→ Stable (-1)
- 20210.0 WAR · 0.000 per game
- 20230.1 WAR · 0.006 per game
The trend compares this season's WAR per game with last season's, weighted by games played.
Outlook, age included
+9 · 27 y.o. · prime years
It is only a projection. It knows nothing about injuries, trades or role changes.
Player ratings, 2023
All ratings →Ratings from 0 to 100, computed over four seasons from data, never by hand, against regulars in the same position group. 75 = established regular, 87 = 90th percentile, 95+ = elite.
OV · Overall
74
Established starter
- COV
- Coverage
- 76
- BAL
- Ball skills
- 78
- TCK
- Tackling
- 58
- DUR
- Durability
- 87
- EX
- Experience
- 50
Why these ratings?Hide details
- COV — Coverage : Yards and passer rating allowed per target
- BAL — Ball skills : Ball carrier: fumbles avoided. Defender: interceptions and passes defended
- TCK — Tackling : Tackles made and missed tackles
- DUR — Durability : Games played out of his team's, over several seasons
- EX — Experience : Seasons in the NFL
WAR and PAL Rating, 2023
How we rate →WAR: the EPA (expected points added) of every play, above replacement level, shared among those who made it, then converted to wins (35.3 points = one win). PAL Rating scores performance from 0 to 100 against regulars in the same group (50 = median).
PAL: dimensions
Where WAR comes from (in wins)
Half the EPA of his sacks, interceptions, passes defended, forced fumbles, tackles for loss and QB hits, against his position's average per snap.
Yards allowed per target against his position's average, 0.12 points per yard (measured).
Replacement level: the share of defense the league spends on his position (by payroll), prorated by snaps.
How much better or worse than average his team's defense was (EPA allowed), minus what is already credited to players, prorated by snaps.
The individual part is splash plays and coverage. The rest is the position share and his team's defense, split by snaps played.
| Season | Team | G | WAR | PAL | OV | Tkl | INT | PD | Yds/tgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | CAR | 17 | 0.1 | 70 | 74 | 28 | 1 | 3 | 8.3 |
| 2021 | CAR | 16 | 0.0 | 39 | 67 | 18 | 0 | 1 | 11.3 |
Sam Franklin Jr. in five questions
What are Sam Franklin Jr.'s stats in 2023?
Sam Franklin Jr. has 1 interception and 3 passes defensed in 17 games in 2023.
How old and how tall is Sam Franklin Jr.?
Sam Franklin Jr. is 30 years old. He is 6'3" (191 cm) and weighs 209 lb (95 kg).
How good is Sam Franklin Jr.?
Sam Franklin Jr. produced 0.1 wins above replacement (WAR) in 2023. His PAL rating is 70 out of 100: very good for his position.
What number does Sam Franklin Jr. wear, and what team does he play for?
Sam Franklin Jr. plays for Buffalo Bills in the NFL, at S, and wears number 28.
What is Sam Franklin Jr.'s projection for 2024?
Our projection has him at 0.1 WAR in 2024, based on his weighted recent seasons and age.
