Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons is entering a contract year, so he needs to have a big season in order to earn a big contract during free agency in 2020. Fortunately for Simmons, new Broncos coach Vic Fangio has a knack for putting safeties in positions to make plays.
“I was actually doing an interview a couple of days ago [and] I was just talking about how excited I was to be a part of Vic’s defense,” Simmons said during a press conference after practice on May 23. “Obviously, looking at the production that he’s had on the safety side of it has been huge. I can remember last year watching some of the [Chicago] Bears film and seeing those guys run around — Eddie Jackson and [Adrian] Amos making plays.
“I had the same feeling to when I was coming out of the draft process and watching Denver play in the Super Bowl. That looks like a defense that I want to be a part of. I was just super excited to hear that we picked him up and now I have a chance to put my footprint on the defense.”
After the Broncos won the Super Bowl, they eventually moved on from T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart, their two starting safeties. Fangio’s options at safety will include Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Will Parks and Su’a Cravens, among others.
Eddie Jackson had a career year in Chicago last season, notching one sack and six interceptions. He also forced two fumbles and scored two touchdowns. Simmons would love to put up those kinds of numbers playing in Fangio’s defense in 2019.
