Cardinals Hope Versatile Isaiah Simmons Continues to Expand
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Not everything has gone to plan for the Arizona Cardinals this season, though the development of defensive weapon Isaiah Simmons has been notable to watch.
Simmons was considered to be a hybrid defensive player that was capable of playing multiple levels on defense thanks to his size and athleticism.
The last 16 games have featured him in a variety of roles across the board, although he's spent most of his time as a slot cornerback.
After Budda Baker fractured his shoulder, Simmons was able to add some time at safety to his resume against the Atlanta Falcons.
Sitting at just 24-years-old, Simmons has leaps and bounds to go until his full potential is realized. That's a scary thought for offensive coordinators but a very welcome reality for those who coach him.
"Obviously he's a guy that plays a lot of spots for us and that takes time to kind of master the techniques of being a Sam and a Nickel and being a Dime and now he's playing safety this week. So I think for him, it's just more time on task. He's going to grow - imagine what he was last year and what he became this year. So if you can fast forward to next year, hopefully it's twice as good," said defensive coordinator Vance Joseph when asked what he wanted to see Simmons improve on.
Coaches love the thought of Simmons roaming through a defense while playing a "positionless" role. Cardinals fans see former first-round pick Haason Reddick thriving in Philadelphia and are quickly reminded of how Arizona once tried that experiment with him.
"He is a hybrid player. He's not really a behind the ball backer. He's not really a defensive back. I think he is a hybrid and that's okay. I mean, there's been plenty of guys who have had great careers doing that," Joseph said.
"His numbers speak to it, his intelligence speaks to it. What he does on Sundays gives offenses fits to even name him during the package so I think he has embraced the role and it's helped us play good defense over the years, and it's gonna get better and better."
Arizona is set to have 30 players test the waters of free agency in the offseason with names such as Byron Murphy and Zach Allen potentially getting a payday elsewhere. Simmons will be looked at as a leader moving forward, especially with J.J. Watt riding off into retirement.
2022 wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Simmons, who was tasked with the famous green dot to relay calls from the headset to his teammates. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had a field day against Simmons and as a result the Clemson product was benched.
Yet Simmons fought through adversity and eventually worked his way back as a starter, making key plays throughout the season to remind everybody exactly how talented he is.
"I thought he did a nice job. I mean, he's played multiple positions since he's been a pro and we really liked the role that we found for him this season and now to expand it to some safety duties I think will only help and help us when we have different packages moving forward with him," head coach Kliff Kingsbury said on Friday.
"I think you got to maximize a player like that who has that hybrid-type versatility, that type of athleticism and just watching his knowledge of our defense, his understanding of NFL offenses really progressed this season. It's been great, and I think it'll continue to progress and should allow him to do multiple things for us."
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