Titans All-Pro Jeffery Simmons Ranked 3rd Best DT by NFL Personnel
NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans' biggest move of the offseason was re-signing all-pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to a four-year, $94 million contract. Titans' brass clearly sees Simmons as an elite player at his position, but we also know the rest of the NFL world agrees with what the Titans see.
In a poll of NFL personnel put together by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Jeffery Simmons came in at third on a list of the top-ten defensive tackles in the NFL. A lofty ranking for Simmons, but a spot lower than he ranked last offseason in the same poll.
Here is one of the tidbits Fowler collected for his rankings.
"I'd still take him No. 2 because he's very consistent," an NFC executive said. "Always plays hard, great against run or pass, affects the opposing game plan every snap. You have to account for him."
At the top of the list is future hall-of-famer Aaron Donald, but passing Simmons for the number two spot this year was Kansas City Chief Chris Jones. Simmons had an incredible season, but was limited late in the year with an ankle injury. Simmons still finished with 7.5 sacks on the year, but Jones more than doubled that with 15.5. Doesn't hurt the Chiefs won the Super Bowl this year either.
Jones is a fantastic player, but if Simmons is healthy for a full season, the odds are he grabs back that second spot and depending on the regression of Donald, maybe slides all the way to the top spot by this time in 2024.
Simmons has yet to break the double digit mark in sacks in his first four seasons. The Titans are paying him to take the next step and if he wants to be the best at his position in the league, he will need to take that step.
It would certainly help Simmons if the rest of the defense around him had some consistency as well. Like Simmons, most of that consistency will depend on health. If the Titans defense can stay healthy, Simmons will likely play better than ever before and the Titans will have a successful season.
While it will take some luck, if those dominoes fall, Simmons is primed to shuffle the rankings in 2024, but in the mean time, it is still obvious Simmons' talent is respected and revered around the NFL. The Titans were smart to get a deal done this offseason.
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