The Arizona Cardinals are placing a heavy responsibility on second-year linebacker Isaiah Simmons in 2021. After getting limited snaps as a rookie, he viably could play every snap this season.
It is for that reason that Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar includes Simmons in his list of 15 breakout players for 2021.
Whenever I see NFL teams selecting multi-position defensive players early enough in the draft to virtually force a starting role sooner than later, I’m reminded of something Casey Stengel once said on another matter: “They say it can’t be done, but sometimes that doesn’t always work.” Unless your coaches have an absolute plan for such a player, that player will get lost in transition until and unless such a plan comes together.
This was the case for Simmons, the former Clemson weapon everywhere from the defensive line to the slot, who the Cardinals selected with the eighth overall pick. General manager Steve Keim has long been interested in multi-positional players — his history with that goes back to former draft picks Tyrann Mathieu in 2013 and Deone Bucannon in 2014 — so you would assume that Simmons would come on board with a specific goal in mind for his unique gifts.
That didn’t really happen. Simmons started just seven games last season, playing 89 snaps on the defensive line, 193 in the box, 71 in the slot, eight at free safety, and 15 at slot cornerback. He was predominantly effective as an interior blitzer and coverage guy, but overall, it seemed that option anxiety got the better of him.
It would be unfair to say the Cardinals didn’t have a plan. With no offseason or preseason, it would have been irresponsible to have expected him to play the six positions he learned regularly.
His role increased as the year progressed. Defensive Vance Joseph believes Simmons was the best defensive rookie in the league at the end of last season.
Now he knows the defense. He had some success. He had an offseason. He gets the preseason.
Because he will be used to cover, tackle and blitz, he has the chance to fill the stat sheet all year.
As the Cardinals are trying to win this year, they expect him to breakout.
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