The New York Giants added veteran linebacker Isaiah Simmons on Thursday, acquiring him from the Arizona Cardinals in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick.
Initial reports suggest the Giants will use Simmons at linebacker only, but head coach Brian Daboll didn’t seem quite ready to commit to that.
“I’d say let’s get him here first and then kind of see what he does,” Daboll told reporters when asked what position Simmons will play. “I think he has some multiple-role potential, but again, we’ve got to see it.”
Given Simmons’ athleticism and versatility, he seems like the perfect fit for Wink Martindale’s defense. Retired offensive lineman and current NFL analyst, Brian Baldinger, certainly thinks so.
.@Giants @isaiahsimmons25 is a NYG! Can’t wait to see how Wink takes his talent and utilizes it in a framework of this defense. Might be different than anything we have seen. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/BjY5nglskx
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) August 24, 2023
“Wink Martindale is the master of getting the free hitter to the quarterback,” Baldy said. “(Simmons) is going to get used in ways that nobody has ever been used before. You take that talent and you make the best of that talent. That’s what the Giants are going to do.”
If nothing else, the Giants boosted their overall speed on defense with the addition of Simmons. They also added a quality edge rush talent, which they were short on outside of Kayvon Thibodeaux and Azeez Ojulari.
Perhaps most importantly of all, Simmons has a long history of health. He’s never missed an NFL game and once the defensive system becomes second nature to him, he’s a guaranteed Sunday presence.
