ESPN poll shows NFL executives raving about Broncos' safety Justin Simmons
One Denver Broncos veteran gets extreme praise from some of the NFL executives around the league, showing he is one of the best at his position in the NFL.The Broncos may not be a good team, or at least they weren't in 2022, but they have some guys on their team that can play some […]
One Denver Broncos veteran gets extreme praise from some of the NFL executives around the league, showing he is one of the best at his position in the NFL.
The Broncos may not be a good team, or at least they weren't in 2022, but they have some guys on their team that can play some football. They have guys on both sides of the ball that almost any team would want on their side. One of those guys is safety Justin Simmons.
Simmons is a top-three safety in the league, as voted on by NFL executives around the league. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN does rankings by position yearly, but he bases the rankings on what executives, coaches, and others around the league say. He then has them all rank the players at each position and compiles it together in a consensus ranking. Here are some of the things they said:
Simmons lost his grip on the No. 1 ranking but is still in the top three for most voters. He's the classic post-safety with range.
"He plays a nice, clean, smart game," an NFC exec said. "Always in the right place with ball skills and instincts… Not a splashy knock-you-out guy, but the splash comes from takeaways."
Simmons recorded a career-high six interceptions despite missing five games due to injury. He had been an iron man type before 2022, missing zero games the previous four years combined.
"I saw a little drop-off, maybe because of the [thigh] injury, but he's still elite," a veteran AFC assistant coach said. "Coverage skills and football intelligence are very high." – Eric Edholm, ESPN
Simmons is part of one of the best, if not the best, safety-cornerback duo in the league. Pat Surtain is the best cornerback in the league, as voted by these executives, and Simmons is a top-three safety. The thing about this ranking is Simmons came in at No. one last season. The reason he didn't get that this season is because of the time he missed with his injury.
When Simmons came back from his thigh injury, he wasn't the same. Sure, he was still very, very good, but he could have been better, which is the scary thing. The Broncos expect their secondary to be even better in 2023 because of his health, instincts, and ability to continue making plays.
Broncos: Justin Simmons gives Patrick Surtain a one-of-a-kind compliment
The Denver Broncos have one of the best payers in the league at his position, and a guy who can shut down one half of the field.
Featured Image Via Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
