Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons has been the epitome of a leader since coming to Nashville, and that has been especially true after signing a monster extension last offseason.
And Simmons is ready to step up once again in 2024 as the Titans make the transition from former head coach Mike Vrabel to new head coach Brian Callahan.
During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Simmons said he’s ready to rally the troops around the Titans’ new head coach and has a very simple, straightforward message for his teammates.
“You know I am always that guy,” Simmons said, per team writer Jim Wyatt. “I am going to make sure I can keep the locker room tight, and make sure no matter what it might be, no matter the situation, of course we just got a new head coach, I think it’s going to be simple: Buy in or you just have to get left behind.
“For me, being a captain and a leader on this team, my job is to keep holding my end up on that,” he added. “At the end of the day, it is a new beginning for us. It’s a new chapter. We have a new head coach, so we just have to take off with it.”
Simmons has met Callahan and says he is excited for the staff he’s putting together, which includes the new defensive coordinator Simmons will play under, Dennard Wilson.
“I think coming up this season for us is it’s going to be one of those seasons where we have to really reestablish ourselves in Tennessee,” he said. “Having a chance to meet Coach Callahan in person, when I was in the building, I could tell that he is ready, he wants to win. And I am excited for the staff he is bringing in, especially with DC (Dennard Wilson) from Baltimore. I am excited, man. I think it is going to be good for us as an organization.”
