The Green Bay Packers signed LB Isaiah Simmons at the end of April. He was not a home run, high profile free agent signing like Xavier McKinney or Josh Jacobs. Now a few years ago, Isaiah Simmons was the end all be all. In 2020, the Arizona Cardinals selected Simmons with the 8th overall pick. However, he has not lived up to the expectations that come with the number 8 pick. Simmons may not amount to much in Green Bay but his ceiling is high and on day 1 of training camp, he caught some people’s attention.
Isaiah Simmons is a freak athlete. During the 2020 NFL Combine, he registered a 10.0 RAS. His explosion and speed grade were considered to be “elite”. His struggles in the NFL have more so been contributed to scheme and mental struggles. Earlier in the offseason, Simmons expressed relief that he will be playing only one position, linebacker, in Green Bay. In New York and Arizona, Simmons was asked to play linebacker and safety.
The Packers understand that they have a unique athlete in Simmons. Their plan is straightforward. Hafley and LaFleur want to simplify the mental side of football so that Simmons’ can play without thinking. This approach is similar to Quay Walker, who is another explosive athlete but at times, he looked like he was thinking too much which led to poor play. In the second half of 2024, it seemed like Walker started to play fast and started to think less. By placing Simmons in the linebacker room and allowing him to focus on just that position, Green Bay hopes to be the team that capitalizes on Simmons real ability.
Isaiah Simmons Receives High Praise From Josh Jacobs
On Day 1 of training camp yesterday, Isaiah Simmons already made some noise. During a team portion of practice, Simmons busted through the line to stop a screen pass to Josh Jacobs. After practice, Josh Jacobs went on to say this about Simmons, “He’s a unicorn”. Jacobs did not stop there. He added, “He can run. We can put him out on guys in the slot, and he can cover guys,”. These are some awfully kind words from one of the Packers biggest stars.
Isaiah Simmons is only 26 years old. He still has plenty of gas left in the tank. There is a chance that his career in Green Bay is not much to boast about but maybe a new system and a strong coaching staff can be the difference maker for Simmons. It might be smart not to get too far ahead of our skis with Simmons but the one true aspect of his game is that he is a strong special teams player. During his career, he has blocked a field goal, recorded 15 special team tackles, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble. Simmons certainly can contribute in that phase for the Packers.
The Packers and Isaiah Simmons have a lot more work ahead of them during camp and the preseason. When the pads come on and the preseason games start, it will be interesting to see how Simmons plays. Time will tell what Simmons can really do but so far, his athleticism is catching people’s attention. The hopes are high that Simmons can put it all together because Cooper, Walker, and Simmons could be a very fast, very quick, and very explosive linebacker group.
