The Atlanta Falcons have been busy this week with the trade of Matt Judon and restructuring of Chris Lindstrom. And the brand new addition of All-Pro Safety Justin Simmons.
WHO IS SIMMONS
⁃ Justin Simmons is a former 3rd Round Pick (98th overall) from Boston College who was drafted by the Denver Broncos. Simmons has taken the NFL by storm during his time in Denver. During his time with the Broncos Simmons gained a reputation of being one of the best safeties in the NFL and was one of the Broncos' biggest game-changers. Out west he had a career stat line of: 118 games played, 108 starts, 30 career INTs, 64 PBUs, 5 FFs, 604 tackles, and an additional 4.5 sacks. The 30 INTs have been the most in the league since he got drafted in 2016. On top of those stats, Simmons has also been a 4-time All-Pro.
HOW WILL SIMMONS IMPACT THE TEAM
⁃ The Falcons have had a whole at the safety position all offseason. And that position was put on the ringer in game one of the preseason when Demarco Hellams went down with an injury. Simmons should provide some immediate relief to that position next to AllPro Jessie Bates.
⁃ In terms of what it’ll look like on the field, there are a lot of unique looks the Falcons can roll out. With the NFL switching to so many Nickel looks it gives the Falcons the ability to play so many unique looks and coverages on the backend that can cause massive confusion for opposing quarterbacks. The Falcons gain so much flexibility to run the Penny fronts that fans have come to expect while still having defensive support on the back end to limit the big plays.
⁃ With the additions of not just Simmons but also Judon, the Falcons gain so much creativity with stunts and blitzes. Jessie Bates and Richie Grant are both good at safety blitzes and with Simmons helping control the backend, it should help generate pressures all the way around.
Justin Simmons cutups for the TL. Generally think he's less likely to cheat than Bates, which will help them complement each other. The game vs Hockenson was very fun, both had some great reps against each other.
— Stephen H (@HarrahAtl) August 16, 2024
He's a good tackler coming downhill and a willing run defender. pic.twitter.com/uTkZiQxWH2
All in all, the Falcons got a steal here with Justin Simmons even if he had lost a step from his Denver days. The Falcons don’t necessarily need Simmons to regain his All-Pro level of play, they just need someone who doesn’t make mistakes next to Jessie Bates so that Jessie Bates can play more freely. It’s the start of a changing of the guard in terms of the NFL’s best safety from Simmons to Bates. And we Falcons fans get the best seat in the house.
