Research on visual exploratory activity (VEA), or scanning, in soccer has primarily focussed on in-possession scenarios, where higher scan rates are associated with improved performance. However, little is known about defenders’ VEA out of possession, despite its importance for anticipation and positioning. This study examined the VEA of 16 English National Youth League academy defenders using manually coded VEO footage. Three out-of-possession phases were captured: (1) periods of ≥10 seconds without ball contact; (2) the 10 seconds prior to an opposition set piece; and (3) the 10 seconds preceding a positive defensive action (e.g. interception). A total of 696 clipped phases were analysed. Linear mixed models revealed significant differences in scan rate across phases (p < 0.05). Scan rates were the highest before set pieces (M = 0.32 scans/s, 95% CI [0.29, 0.35]), lowest before positive defensive actions (M = 0.17 scans/s, 95% CI [0.14, 0.21]) and intermediate during prolonged defending (M = 0.24 scans/s, 95% CI [0.20, 0.28]). These findings indicate defensive scanning is phase-dependent, informing practice on how defenders can optimise their scanning out of possession. Future research should investigate other variables affecting defenders’ VEA, the information defenders look for and if these findings are similar in elite defenders.