It was a frustrating season for Arizona Cardinals fans to see how their 2020 first-round draft pick, linebacker Isaiah Simmons, was used. It was frustrating for him, too, as he was used sparingly to start the season.
He did not get the playing time that many believed he would get and in his first snaps of his NFL career, it didn’t go well. He picked up an unnecessary roughness penalty and then was beat for a 76-yard touchdown.
However, his role eventually increased and he began making plays. He did enough to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team for 2020,
Simmons’ NFL career started just about as poorly as it could have against Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers’ offense in Week 1. Still, he has done an excellent job of rebounding and contributing positively to the Cardinals’ defense since. In two games against San Francisco, Simmons has earned a PFF grade of just 27.7, but that rises to 68.7 against all other opponents.
He has shown flashes of the kind of plays he can make in coverage — none bigger than the overtime interception against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks back in Week 7 — but he still hasn’t quite put it all together. What Simmons was able to put on the field narrowly edged out other players who delivered solid performances in limited samples, like Willie Gay Jr. and Kamal Martin.
He finished the season with 54 tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, two pass breakups and three quarterback hits. He earned a spot on PFF’s rookie team ahead of other rookie linebackers like Kenneth Murray for the Los Angeles Chargers, who started every game and had 107 tackles and a sack.
The Cardinals brought him along slowly and then used him at multiple positions near the end of the season.
He still has some weaknesses but will certainly be expected to take on a greater role on defense in 2021.
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