Simmons 'Feeling Great' After Coronavirus

The Tennessee Titans' 2019 first-round draft pick is the latest returned to the active roster after being sidelined by COVID-19.

Jeffery Simmons said that he has never been one to sit in the house.

When he tested positive for coronavirus, the Tennessee Titans’ second-year defensive lineman had no choice but to stay put at his home. He did what he could to stay prepared but knew he would not be available against the Buffalo Bills.

If his Twitter feed during the Tennessee Titans’ 42-16 blowout victory over the Bills on Tuesday was any indicator, Simmons was chomping at the bit to get back on the field with his teammates.

Simmons will be bored no more. The 6-foot-4, 301-pound defensive tackle has been activated from the COVID-19 reserve list. One of the Titans’ most important pieces will be back in the lineup on Sunday against the Houston Texans at Nissan Stadium.

“I am feeling great right now,” Simmons said on Thursday. “I am just glad to be back with the team, I am glad to be back in the building around my teammates and the coaching staff, everybody here.”

Simmons was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list on Oct. 3. Other than the challenges he encountered trying to keep himself entertained, the effects he experienced from the illness were relatively minimal.

“During the process of the virus, I didn’t have too many bad symptoms,” Simmons said. “Of course, I lost taste and smell, but other than that, I felt pretty good during quarantine.”

Simmons was one of nearly two dozen members of the organization to test positive for COVID-19 over a two-week span.

Just like the rest of the team, he watched as fans, media and others around the league scrutinized the Titans for potentially breaking the league’s COVID-19 protocols in one or more ways, leading to the NFL and the NFL Players’ Association to open and investigation into what could have spurred the outbreak on.

As he saw his teammates and coaches dismantle a previously unbeaten Bills team on Tuesday from his home, he became saturated with pride.

“I saw a team that fought adversity,” he said. “I saw a team who was hungry and tired of all of everything else. They just wanted to play football. Just sitting on my couch being so excited, I was tweeting play-by-play because it was just so much fun watching our guys fly around, making big plays. Every phase of this team, special teams, offense and defense.”

Simmons missed the first six games of the 2019 season with a knee injury he suffered during the pre-draft process. He needed reconstructive surgery that caused him to fall in the draft and kept him out of action (other than rehabilitation) throughout the offseason a his first NFL training camp.

The 19th overall pick, an All-American at Mississippi State, recorded 40 tackles, two sacks and 14 quarterback pressures in nine regular season contests in 2019. In three postseason games, he made just three stops.

This offseason, Simmons spent time rehabbing and said he lost weight. At the beginning of training camp, the 6-foot-4 defensive tackle said he was at 310 pounds, down from 320 a year ago.

Simmo

ns’ efforts have more than paid off. Not only has he become one of the team’s leaders, his impact on the field has been significant in three games this season.

He has recorded one sack and 12 tackles, including six solo and one for a loss. In the Titans’ 16-14 Week 1 victory over the Denver Broncos, Simmons made a play that effectively shifted momentum. On a fourth down play late in the second quarter with the Broncos threatening to take a 14-7 lead, Simmons shed a block and blew up the play, stuffing tight end Jake Butt one yard shy from the endzone.

While Simmons knew he wouldn't play against Buffalo on Tuesday, he still sat in on team meetings. However, he also began to plan ahead for the Houston Texans, who will enter Sunday’s matchup at 1-4.

Simmons said that he doesn’t expect there to be any limitations as he works his way back this week. Simmons unsurprisingly expects himself to be a full go.

“It’s no different way to attack this week from the way I attack Week 1, Week 2 and so on,” he said. “I am not thinking about how tired I am going to be. If I get tired, oh well. I am going to push myself. Every day I step on the field, no matter how I feel, I want to give it my all and be the best I can be. I am going full steam to this game.”