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The Arizona Cardinals are going all-in at inside linebacker with their two most recent first-round draft picks. Isaiah Simmons, selected No. 8 overall in 2020, and Zaven Collins, the No. 16 overall pick in this year’s draft, are expected to be the team’s starters on defense.
Relying on both to essentially play almost all the team’s defensive snaps, they are placing a lot of trust in both and have high expectations.
Jim Trotter spoke with Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and said on NFL Network, “They are expecting a huge improvement from Isaiah Summons this year.”
“Vance told me that Isaiah Simmons has to be their ‘fixer’ in the weekly game plan,” he continued.
This is what the Cardinals envisioned when they drafted him. General manager Steve Keim and Joseph used the term “eraser” when describing him a year ago.
“He’s so versatile playing outside linebacker, inside linebacker even safety that Vance says he’s going to be that guy in terms of matchups from week to week where they can use him in different positions,” Trotter said.
There is one area in which Simmons needs extra work this offseason.
“He’s comfortable at outside linebacker,” Trotter said Joseph told him. “He’s comfortable rushing the passer, we even used him at safety for two games, but the one area we want to work with him on this year is playing inside linebacker behind that line of scrimmage in the run game and then the dime package.”
With no on-field offseason reps and no preseason last year, Simmons had to be brought along slowly. He played 376 defensive snaps, only 34% of the team’s defensive snaps a year ago. Joseph, however, believes that by the end of the year Simmons was the best defensive rookie in the league.
Simmons has a lot on his plate in 2021, but if he can do what he did in his final season at Clemson, he will be one of the best defensive playmakers in the entire league because of his versatility.
That, combined with a healthier defensive line and improved pass rush, could make Arizona’s defense great.
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