Demarcco Hellams

Career StatsD

Year	Team	GP	INT	PD	Tkl
Career		26	—	—	50
2025		11	0	0	10
2024		1	—	—	—
2023		15

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Above-replacement production at the safety salary tier earns DeMarcco Hellams a D+ Contract Value Index. At $986.6K AAV on a four-year deal, Hellams is being paid like a depth piece, which aligns with his third-year standing and the production he's delivered thus far—his 2025 season saw him log 10 tackles across 11 games, a modest output that reflects both the opportunity constraints of his role and the ceiling limitations that have defined his NFL tenure. The safety market rewards consistency and impact plays; Hellams' lack of recorded interceptions or passes defended across his three seasons creates a structural gap between his compensation floor and his demonstrated impact, a dynamic that makes the CVI grade predictably unfavorable. His comeback narrative—returning from a lengthy injured reserve absence—generates sympathetic media coverage and cautious public optimism, but that sentiment cannot mask the hard truth that his statistical resume remains thin and his scheme fit, while apparently valued by Atlanta's coaching staff, has yet to produce measurable on-field results. At 26 years old with three years of service time behind him, Hellams occupies the precarious middle ground of a reclamation candidate: opportunity exists in 2026, but his ability to stay healthy and finally translate potential into counting stats will entirely determine whether this contract ultimately represents value or a sunk cost on Atlanta's roster.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the D band — a quick read on where Demarcco's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

On tape and on the stat sheet, DeMarcco Hellams earns a D performance grade among S peers. The 26-year-old third-year player has recorded 10 tackles across 11 games in the 2025 season, a modest counting-stat foundation that underscores his limited impact on the back end of Atlanta's defense. His most glaring weakness remains his complete absence of ball-hawking production — zero interceptions and zero passes defended across his three-year NFL tenure create a concerning ceiling question for a safety tasked with coverage responsibility in modern defensive schemes. Durability, the prerequisite for any safety role, has been Hellams' primary adversary: he missed nearly an entire calendar year on injured reserve before being designated to return, a lengthy absence that forced the Falcons to add offensive weapons elsewhere to compensate for the defensive gap his injury created. What keeps him from a lower tier is the organization's apparent scheme fit — the coaching staff's decision to activate him from IR signals that when healthy, he occupies a meaningful role in their system — but his statistical resume and injury history converge to paint a picture of a reclamation candidate rather than a foundational piece. Entering 2026 with opportunity in front of him, Hellams faces the binary reality that media and fan perception will turn entirely on whether he can finally marry durability with measurable on-field production; until that happens, he remains a below-average contributor operating on borrowed goodwill from his comeback narrative.

How Demarcco Compares at the Position

Demarcco Hellams ranks 153rd of 196 graded safeties by performance. That slots Demarcco between Daniel Scott (D+) just ahead and Miles Killebrew (D) just behind.

Current Sentiment

DeMarcco Hellams carries a cautiously optimistic "C" grade in public perception, viewed primarily through the lens of his comeback story rather than proven on-field production. Media coverage frames his return from a lengthy injured reserve stint as an inspiring perseverance narrative, generating sympathetic interest from fans curious to see if he can finally translate potential into performance. However, the positive sentiment is tempered by his underwhelming statistical resume across three NFL seasons, with zero interceptions or passes defended creating legitimate questions about his ceiling as an NFL safety. The Falcons' roster moves during his absence — notably adding offensive weapons to compensate for defensive gaps — subtly signal that his injury had real consequences, suggesting the coaching staff values his scheme fit even if the broader public remains skeptical. Hellams enters 2026 in that precarious middle ground where opportunity exists but expectations remain modest, with his reputation hinging entirely on whether he can finally stay healthy and produce the measurable impact that has eluded him thus far.