Jeffery Simmons Would be A Dream Come True for Eagles
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It’s OK to dream, even wild ones such as defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons coming to the Eagles.
There’s a report, maybe more like a rumor, that the Tennessee Titans are ready to begin a teardown and rebuild with new general manager Ran Carthon.
Already, OT Taylor Lewan has been released, RB Derrick Henry has reportedly been on the trade block, and recently Carthon asked safety Kevin Byard to take a pay cut, to which Byard said no thanks.
Sometimes, wild dreams come true.
Like last year, when Howie Roseman plucked WR A.J. Brown away from the Titans on the opening night of the draft. Brown was entering the last year of his contract and Tennessee didn’t want to meet Brown’s asking price.
The Eagles GM did, and Brown had a career season for the 14-3, NFC champion Eagles.
The deal came together quickly, and Roseman sent Tennessee one of his three first-round picks last year (No. 18 overall), and a third-round selection (No. 101 overall). He signed the WR to a $100 million contract extension that hits the books this season.
So, dream away.
Simmons is 25. Brown was 24.
Simmons is also in the last year of his rookie contract.
Earlier this month, Simmons took down a lot of pictures from his IG account and stopped following the Titans, per ESPN Titans writer Turron Davenport.
Like Brown, Simmons would be a perfect fit in Philly, provided Roseman could work the defensive tackle into his budget.
The Eagles re-did right tackle Lane Johnson’s contract heading into the weekend and upped their money under the salary cap to about $22M. The expectation is that will be used to help extend the contract of Jalen Hurts, but maybe Roseman can find a way to make it work with both QB and Simmons if it were to come to it.
READ MORE: Howie Roseman Gets Creative in Finding Money to Pay ...
A first-round pick in 2019 out of Mississippi State, the same school that produced Fletcher Cox, Simmons would fill a big need on a defensive line that lost Javon Hargrave in free agency to the 49ers.
He had 7.5 sacks last season and 8.5 the season previously. At 6-4, 305, he has 21 sacks in his short career with 46 QB hits and 28 tackles for loss.
As for compensation, well, the Eagles have two first-round picks this spring and could maybe part with one. Philly also is expected to have a dozen or so draft picks in 2024 thanks to a slew of compensatory picks they should receive for losing several key players in free agency.
The Titans have a full allotment of picks this spring, except one in the fourth.
Maybe if they get another one, they could be in play to move up for a quarterback, unless they think Malik Willis, drafted in the third-round last year, is the answer.
Carthon, though, may want to pick his own QB to eventually replace Ryan Tannehill, who is in the final year of a deal that has a salary cap charge of $36.6M.
Something to remember, though: Jon Robinson was fired after Tennessee collapsed after starting 7-4 and missed the playoffs. Their five-game losing streak from that point began in Philadelphia, where Brown had eight catches for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles and Titans aren’t scheduled to play in 2023, but letting a player like Simmons go for whatever the compensation may prove to be a Brown-type mistake.
It doesn’t hurt to dream, though.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
