The Tennessee Titans took Jeffery Simmons with the No. 19 pick in the 2019 NFL draft. He was originally considered a top-five talent, but due to a pre-draft injury and an off-field incident, he slid down the board.
Titans general manager Jon Robinson has shown he is willing to take a risk for supreme talent and that’s exactly what he did when he selected Simmons.
Some were skeptical of the pick. How long until Simmons would play? Would he ever be the guy he was in college after the injury? Is he going to be a problem off the field?
Those were all questions that were being asked, but two and a half seasons into his career, Simmons has answered all of them.
In his first game ever with the Titans he had a sack and a game winning play on the goal line. The wait was only seven weeks. In his second season he blossomed into one of the best interior defensive linemen (IDL) in the NFL.
It wasn’t only the folks in Nashville that took notice, either. Simmons was rated the sixth-best IDL in a preseason ESPN Poll, and he made his first appearance in the NFL Top 100 at No. 78.
It is fair to say those around the NFL knew about Simmons, and Titans fans knew. After Sunday night, the whole world knows now.
Although Sunday’s win against the Los Angeles Rams may have been Simmons’ Mona Lisa, he has been painting destructive works of art all year.
Simmons has 30 tackles, seven tackles for loss (TFL) and 5.5 sacks. The TFLs are as many as he had in his first two years combined, and the 5.5 sacks is a half sack more than his first two years combined.
While Simmons beating his own personal best is impressive, comparing him to the league takes things to another level.
Simmons is currently second in the NFL in sacks by an IDL, trailing only Javon Hargrave, Jonathan Allen and Aaron Donald, all of whom have six sacks. Even more incredible, Simmons now leads the NFL in quarterback pressures by an IDL with 42!
Remember that Aaron Donald guy? Yeah, Big Jeff passed him in total pressures on Sunday.
Speaking of Donald, as mentioned before, Simmons’ magnum opus came against the Rams and opened the eyes of the football world to just how special Jeff is. He almost singlehandedly ruined the Rams’ offensive attack, racking up nine pressures, four QB hits and a career high three sacks!
As we do every week, let’s step into the film room and see how the “Broadway Bully” knocked out the Rams.