Insider's Source: Broncos-Cowboys 'Have Not' Engaged in Trade Talks Over S Justin Simmons
On Thursday evening, we spotlighted an interesting ESPN article by Bill Barnwell that postulated a potential Justin Simmons trade before the NFL deadline. Barnwell connected the Denver Broncos and Dallas Cowboys as potential trade partners for Simmons' services.
In exchange, based on Barnwell's scenario, the Broncos would receive a 2021 second-round pick and a 2022 fourth-rounder. As I wrote, as amenable as some might be to such a trade (including yours truly) in the wake of Simmons and the Broncos failing to reach an accord on a long-term deal and his less-than-stellar play to open the first quarter of the season, it's a trade very unlikely to be consummated.
But in order for it to even become a possibility in the infinite NFL universe, one of the two teams would at least need to broach the subject. Up until now, we had no knowledge on whether the two teams had been in contact.
Thanks to some excellent reporting from CowboysSI.com's Mike Fisher, an Emmy Award-winning Dallas insider who's been on the beat for decades, we know with certainty that the Broncos and Cowboys have not been in communication on the topic of a Simmons trade.
Here's what Fisher reported on Friday:
An NFL source tells CowboysSI.com that the Cowboys and Broncos "have not'' engaged in trade conversation about the player, and it is suggested to us that the primary reason is financial.
So, it's not necessarily that Dallas wouldn't have interest in Simmons but rather, that his $11.441 million franchise-tag salary — of which he's only earned four game checks' worth — has disincentivized the Cowboys from even picking up the phone and calling the Broncos. Dallas could change its mind between now and the November 3 deadline but as I said on Thursday, the Broncos are very unlikely to move on from Simmons during this season.
While the player hasn't gotten off to a great start in 2020, there's plenty of time for him to turn it around. The Broncos still have 12 games left to play and if the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, there's reason to believe that Simmons can regain his 2019 All-Pro form.
He has the same coaches — Vic Fangio calling the plays, defensive coordinator Ed Donatell tying it all together, and DBs coach Renaldo Hill working with Simmons individually. That continuity, for a player with the football IQ that Simmons possesses, in theory, should provide the strong foundation for him to build on his break-out 2019 campaign.
That's why the first four weeks have been so mystifying. However, Broncos fans have to keep in mind that Simmons has been playing with two rookie cornerbacks for most of the season thus far, while his safety partner — Kareem Jackson — has shown extreme signs of Father Time exacting his pound of flesh and slowing him down.
Meanwhile, up until Week 4, the Broncos have had next-to-no consistent pass rush, thanks to the injuries to Von Miller, Jurrell Casey, Dre'Mont Jones, and DeMarcus Walker, which puts even more pressure on the secondary guys to hold up in coverage. Simmons had a nice bounce-back game in Week 2 at Pittsburgh, picking off Ben Roethlisberger, but has struggled to sustain it.
My educated guess is that the Broncos, including GM John Elway, and Coaches Fangio, Donatell, and Hill — fully expect Simmons to stabilize and get back to playing at an elite level. When No. 1 cornerback A.J. Bouye returns to the lineup, which could be this week at New England but is more likely to occur next vs. Kansas City, the Broncos' defensive backfield will more closely resemble the vision Coach Fangio originally had.
As for the Simmons-to-Cowboys rumors, what we've had confirmed with gusto, thanks to Fisher's reporting, is that there's certainly no fire, and zero evidence of even any smoke. Make sure you read Fisher's article for the full picture on Dallas' thinking.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
