Isaiah Simmons: I Feel More Free With New Cardinals Staff
GLENDALE -- Travel back to the 2020 NFL Draft, where the Arizona Cardinals selected the versatile talents of Clemson defender Isaiah Simmons.
The Cardinals snagged what many believed to be the "unicorn" of the draft with Simmons possessing a rare blend of size, speed and athleticism that virtually made him playable at most positions. It felt like Arizona couldn't miss at the time of the pick.
Now to present day, where Simmons has been tried at various positions through his short tenure in the league with no time to master them and little success that followed.
Now playing at safety under the new regime of head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, Simmons has one more season left on his contract before hitting free agency after the Cardinals declined his fifth-year option earlier in the offseason.
It's a big year for the Clemson product, though he feels more comfortable than ever since entering the league.
"I feel comfortable, very comfortable back there. I feel like I picked everything up fairly quick and have a good grasp on basically every position in the secondary so far," Simmons said during his media availability after training camp.
Simmons made it appear that the new staff was far more player friendly in terms of installing new schemes, digesting information and even receiving feedback.
"I feel like this one, it's a little more simple but it's complex. It's a little less to learn than our last playbook we had. So I think that's allowed me to really hone in on details a lot faster, as opposed to learning such a big bulk," Simmons said.
"I just think that our staff does a really good job with the way we install things. Like we're not going to install 20 calls and then go run it that same day. We install things the day before, they give us time to go and study things as well as come to the meeting the next morning, as well as walkthroughs before practice.
"I just think the coaches' plan on how they teach it to us is also very key in helping me learn it, as well as the other guys. They've also been real open to ideas of what will help us and what won't."
According to Pro Football Focus, Simmons has registered snaps at various spots on the field during his career:
Box: 1,077
Slot: 641
DL/EDGE: 432
Corner: 65
Safety: 63
Simmons says Arizona's staff consulted with him before plugging him at safety, where he now roams in a single-high look with Budda Baker playing near the box and Jalen Thompson anchoring slot duties.
"That was actually one of the first things they asked me, like, 'So where do you see yourself?' and I told them I didn't want to play linebacker," said Simmons. "I just felt more comfortable getting back to things that I had done in the past.
"I'm very, very happy. If they came here and was like, 'you're gonna be a mike linebacker' then I would have did it to my best ability. I think that they understood that maybe wasn't my designed position I should have been at. I'm actually happy that they allowed me to just come in and lock in on one position first. I mentioned that to them. I said, 'before we get going on anything else, I would like to master one thing first in this defense', and thankfully they allowed me to do that."
Simmons is one of many Cardinals players to give glowing reviews of the new coaching staff. Left tackle D.J. Humphries dubbed Gannon's presence a "culture shock" while others have sang similar tunes.
When asked about playing various positions under former head coach Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, Simmons says he feels more free and more like himself under the new regime.
"A lot goes into play with that. A lot of that had to do with what we were doing on the field. There was times where I was playing in a position maybe because we were down in injuries or... I don't really want to say. It's just - certain circumstances that kind of played into me playing some positions last year as opposed to maybe doing what was best for me," Simmons said.
"Now, I think doing what's best for me is actually what's best for the team. I think now that's probably why it looks like - I just feel a little more free, more like myself in my game."
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