Simmons Believes Healthy Knee Gives Him a Leg Up on 2020
NASHVILLE – Jeffery Simmons does not have to think twice when asked about the state of his left knee. That’s because the Tennessee Titans’ second-year defensive lineman does not think about it at all.
“It’s kind of one of those deals, if you didn't know you were hurt, you're not thinking about it,” Simmons said Monday. “And that's how it is right now. I’m not even thinking about the knee, especially when I’m on the field I’m just trying to put in the work.”
It is possible that there is no player on the Titans’ roster more excited about training camp than Simmons, their first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. After all, this time last year he was in the throes of rehabilitation from reconstructive surgery to repair an injury sustained during pre-draft training February.
He spent all of last offseason, all of training camp, all of the preseason and the first six weeks of the regular season on the Non-Football Injury list. That designation barred him from taking part in any practices, organized team activities, minicamps or any of the other formal workouts that typically take place.
So, the opportunity to be involved – even in this year’s amended version of training camp – represents a dramatic change for Simmons.
“First of all, I'm just excited because I get to be able to be on the field with just the guys, the guys that are around here,” he said. “We're doing a lot of things around the building, which is different, but at the same time, just being able to be around your teammates and the excitement from all the guys that we're able to play football again. That's excitement right there.”
For much of this offseason, Simmons’ focus was on weight loss, which he says was successful. He said he currently is at 310 pounds, down from 320 a year ago and that, he noted, adds to his peace of mind regarding the knee injury and allows him to move better than he did at any time during his rookie campaign.
His expectation is that it will all add up to marked improvement over his 2019 performance, which included 40 tackles, 14 quarterback pressures and two sacks in nine games.
“I’m excited about this year,” Simmons said. “I feel like I’ve got a lot … to prove to myself because I have a lot of high standards for myself. This past year coming in hurt, I wasn't expecting that. But at same time, everything happens for a reason. But I'm excited for this year just to be on the field and get back working.
“… I had an injury for sure, but at the same time that’s the whole point of this year here. To see how much I can grow from that this past year. I mean, that's why I'm so excited, especially with the coaches that we have. I know they're going to put me in a great position to see how much I can get better from last year.”
