Jeffery Simmons’ Defensive Player of the Year campaign recognized on ESPN’s latest ranking, coaches can’t stop talking about him

Jeffery Simmons has been phenomenal in 2025. Every positive thing you’ve heard about him so far is true. It’s hard to over do it when describing how unstoppable he’s been as an interior lineman. And despite the Tennessee Titans being the worst team in the league through four games, Simmons is beginning to get some serious recognition for his efforts.

Jeffery Simmons Makes DPOY Podium Through First Month

ESPN columnist Bill Barnwell put out a quarter-season awards article this week, and Simmons made the podium for defensive player of the year. He’s currently ranked third, behind Denver EDGE Nik Bonitto and Cleveland EDGE Myle Garrett.

He made sure to point out Simmons’ inclusion wasn’t thanks to his insta-sack against the Texans last week that went viral. Funny enough, this sack is amongst the least difficult things Simmons has done this season. He got off the instantly, but the Texans offensive line gave him an eight-lane superhighway directly to Stroud thanks to massive miscommunication on their part. No, that sack wasn’t a high level of difficulty, but it might as well act as a summary for the season Simmons has had so far. He has been the best interior defensive linemen in the league by practically every available metric. Barnwell laid a handful of them out:

“Pass rush win rate? First at 17.6%. Pressures? His 14 are tied with Seattle’s Byron Murphy II for the most of any tackle. Quick pressures, which are a better measure of how quickly a player wins at the line? Simmons has eight, three more than any other defensive tackle. He has done all this while being double-teamed more than 46% of the time, above the league average of 41%.”

Simmons also has 8 pressures above expectation according to Sports Info Solutions, meaning he isn’t just cleaning up on the lighter reps. He is winning despite the situation he’s put in. And perhaps above all else, the fact that he’s doing this on the league’s worst team with very little help elsewhere on the DL speaks to his ability to be a singular force.

Coaches In Tennessee And Beyond Heap Praise On Simmons

There’s no question the Titans coaching staff is over the moon about how Simmons has played for them so far. He’s been easily the best player in the entire team through four games, and is doing a lot of the heavy lifting for a defense that’s been devoid of playmakers lately. Head Coach Brian Callahan was as complimentary of Simmons as I’ve ever heard him speak about any of his players this week:

“I’m happy you asked that and gave me an opportunity to point it out because Jeff (Simmons) has played at a level that I’ve not seen many defensive players play at. He’s been absolutely fantastic in every way shape or form you could ask of him. I don’t know that there’s somebody playing interior defensive line at the level he’s playing at right now. I mean, he’s been phenomenal. He has been super disruptive in the running game. He is getting pressure and push on the quarterback. And then I think the area that I’m probably the most proud of him and excited for him is his leadership, and how he carries himself, and talks to the team and that area of his professional growth has been incredible. It’s really been cool to see that maturity process in the leadership role. It’s cool, it really is. And he’s backing it up with how he plays and I point him out all the time because you got a team of guys that can play like Jeff plays— now, Jeff’s also supremely talented. He’s one of the top players at his position for a reason, but he backs it up with how he works, and how he plays, and the effort he plays with and the tenacity he plays with. And then on top of that, he’s really grown in a leadership role. So he’s been fantastic.”

Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon was asked about facing Simmons this week as well. He summed up the player in two words: “Game wrecker. The first thing that jumps on the tape is, for lack of a better term, stamina. He plays a ton, (and) doesn’t really come out of the game. You put four hands on him, he makes a play for a TFL in the run game  You put four hands on him in the pass game, and he sacks the quarterback. He’s all over the place. They do a good job of deploying him. He is a big, strong, violent guy who’s hard to block, so that’s definitely a focus of ours. We cannot let him wreck the game, understanding that he’s going to make his plays. He does it versus everybody. That’s why he is who he is, but I have a high level of respect for him. He’s a good player.”

Simmons is on a tear, playing at a level we haven’t seen from him since he arrived as a nationally-relevant force in 2021-2022. He’s a man on a mission, on the worst team in the league. If he keeps it up, some hardware and additional dollar signs may be in his future. If only his teammates were exceeding expectations like he is…