Steelers Miss Bad on Isaiah Simmons
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers missed badly on now-former Arizona Cardinals safety Isaiah Simmons, who is on his way to the New York Giants following a trade.
The Steelers spent all spring trying to find answers to their defensive holes at safety, inside linebacker and nickelback. Even if they seemingly filled all three spots this summer, the opportunity was in front of them to acquire a former first-round pick in Simmons.
They chose not to. Immediately, the belief was because of the cost/risk factor. Simmons still has plenty of upside, and therefore, it was believed he wouldn't be dealt for anything less than a second or third-round pick. A move the Steelers likely weren't interested in.
Well, they were wrong because Simmons is off to New York for a seventh-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. That's all.
Worst case scenario, the Steelers don't get any use out of Simmons this season. He doesn't work out and they have to continue to rely on names like Cole Holcomb, Elijah Riley, Chandon Sullivan and Keanu Neal. That's fine.
In the best-case scenario, this team has another weapon that they can utilize as a utility piece on their defense, much like they wanted to use Tre Norwood and much like they plan to use Connor Heyward on offense.
Mike Tomlin preaches it constantly that the Steelers love versatility. A seventh-round pick for one of the NFL's young versatility players with plenty of upside doesn't seem like a move you have to think about.
Again, Pittsburgh will be fine with the players they have in place. And really, their defense feels pretty good heading into the regular season. But too much talent is never a bad thing, especially when you give up virtually nothing for it.
If the Steelers were willing to trade a seventh-rounder for William Jackson III, who didn't play a snap for them, they should've made the call for Simmons.
And if the Cardinals were willing to trade him off to another NFC team for that cheap, they were willing to do the same for an AFC team - and probably more willing.
This was a miss by General Manager Omar Khan and the Steelers. One they could've added to their list of steals since he took over as GM.
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