Why Justin Simmons Is An Ideal Fit For The New Orleans Saints

Why signing Justin Simmons makes sense for the New Orleans Saints, and perhaps for Simmons himself.

Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons (31) intercepts a pass against the Arizona Cardinals / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday evening, reports surfaced that former Denver Broncos and current free agent safety Justin Simmons would visit with the New Orleans Saints on Wednesday. The news was first reported by John Hendrix of the Saints News Network.

The Saints are hosting Justin Simmons on Wednesday for a visit, per source

— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) August 7, 2024

Simmons, 30, has been a free agent since his shocking release by the Broncos in early March. The biggest name remaining on the market, this will be his first visit with any team since his release.

Simmons would have been entering the final year of a four-year contract at the time of his release. He has been a 1st or 2nd Team All-Pro every year since 2019 and was voted to the AFC Pro Bowl team last season.

Justin Simmons was a third-round choice, the 98th overall pick, in the 2016 NFL Draft by Denver out of Boston College. All of his eight NFL seasons have been spent with the Broncos. Over that span, Simmons has 30 interceptions, including an NFL-high six picks in 2022, along with 64 passes broken up. He's averaged 76 tackles per season with 19 stops for loss, 4.5 sacks, and eight fumbles forced or recovered.

Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons (31) intercepts a pass against the Raiders / Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

New Orleans ranked 13th overall defensively and 10th against the pass in 2023. Their 18 interceptions were the second most in the NFL. This despite the lack of a consistent pass rush.

The Saints have arguably the best cornerback unit in the league with Marshon Lattimore, Paulson Adebo, Alontae Taylor, and rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry. However, there are some concerns about the quality of depth at safety outside of veteran Tyrann Mathieu.

Saints Current Safeties

• Tyrann Mathieu
• Jordan Howden
• Will Harris
• Ugo Amadi
• Johnathan Abram
• J.T. Gray
• Millard Bradford*
• Roderic Teamer
• Lawrence Johnson*

(* = Rookie)

Why Justin Simmons would be an ideal fit for the New Orleans defense.

Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons (31) returns a interception against Washington / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

At 6'2" and 202-Lbs., Simmons is physical enough to play close to the line of scrimmage. He wasn't used often in that capacity with Denver, but he's still shown the versatility to play either safety spot. If he signs with New Orleans, he'd team with Mathieu and Howden as safeties who could line up anywhere along the formation.

Simmons has the size to match up with any of the NFL's tight ends and has the athleticism to cover bigger wideouts. This gives him the added advantage of being able to cover the slot, a minor weakness in the Saints secondary last season.

Simmons has outstanding range as a deep safety. He's among the league's best at reading opposing quarterbacks, something that Mathieu has also excelled at throughout his career. He'd be lethal as either a single-high safety or in a two-deep alignment, areas where Mathieu has also been a consistent playmaker. His addition would enable the Saints to be even more aggressive and creative with their top-tier foursome of cornerbacks.

Adding Simmons would allow New Orleans to bring Howden along a little more slowly. He showed a lot of promise last season, his rookie year, but also some concerning inconsistencies.

Additionally, the tandem of Simmons and Mathieu should allow Will Harris to concentrate more on slot or deep safety duties in nickel and dime packages, again lending to more versatility in the team's defensive backfield.

Denver Broncos free safety Justin Simmons (31) intercepts a pass intended against the Kansas City Chiefs / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Denver's head coach in 2016 when drafting Justin Simmons was Gary Kubiak. On that Broncos offensive staff was Klint Kubiak, current offensive coordinator for the Saints and Rick Dennison, now a senior offensive assistant for New Orleans.

Even more importantly, Simmons' defensive backs coach with the Broncos in his rookie year was Joe Woods, would be promoted to Denver's defensive coordinator for 2017 and 2018. Brought in to be the Broncos defensive backs coach in 2017 was Marcus Robertson, who served two years in that position. Woods is the current defensive coordinator for the Saints, while Robertson is the defensive backs coach.

Justin Simmons has the range and versatility that Woods, Robertson, and Saints coach Dennis Allen value in their defensive backs. It's unknown what Simmons is looking for in terms of a contract. Unless it's an astronomical expectation, then New Orleans should push hard to sign him. Doing so would elevate an already top-tier secondary into a championship-level unit.