With the offseason for the NFL in full swing, articles highlighting the best players entering the 2023 season are heating up.
Touchdown Wire recently ranked its 11 best NFL safeties and the author of the list, Doug Farrar, ranked the Denver Broncos’ very own Justin Simmons as the 10th best overall safety in the NFL.
Here is part of Farrar’s commentary on Simmons:
Simmons missed five games last season with knee and quadriceps injuries, but he still managed to tie for the league lead with six interceptions. Overall, he allowed 34 catches on 41 targets for 416 yards, 210 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, one pass breakup, an opponent passer rating of 101.9, and those six interceptions. We’ll tack up the numbers to those injuries to a point, and possible schematic issues — Simmons is better in man coverage than in zone, and the Broncos were a zone-heavy team under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero in 2022.
While this ranking is a drop from 2022 (No. 2) and 2021 (No. 1), Simmons is still considered one of the top safeties in the league even after a slightly down year.
With new defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and head coach Sean Payton in tow, look for Simmons to continue to build on his successful 2022 season.
Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts