Horse Tracks: Time for Justin Simmons to shine

After the Denver Broncos released veteran safety T.J. Ward on Saturday, it signaled the beginning of the Justin Simmons era in the Broncos “No Fly Zone” secondary.

The 6’2”, 202lb second-year safety is now the Broncos starting free safety after the release of T.J. Ward. Former starting free safety Darian Stewart will move from free safety to strong safety to replace Ward.

Simmons called earning this starting job is a big opportunity for himself and a nice confidence boost as well.

“It definitely boosted my confidence. I definitely didn’t expect it to be the way it played out as far as how things happened, but this definitely was a goal. Obviously you don’t want to come in and just be a backup you want to come in, contribute, be a starter, and earn those snaps and earn those reps. It’s just a great opportunity.”

Now Simmons did earn this job while T.J. Ward was sidelined with an injury, but he knows his job is likely on the line week in and week out so he knows the pressure is on. However, he feels prepared for this role because of the playing time he got at the end of the season last year and the work he put in during the offseason to get him where he is now.

“This league is pressure performance based so there’s not a week of a game where you’re going in whether you’re a backup, a starter or whatever where it’s not based off of pressure and performance. That just comes with the game. As far as playing with the guys in the back end, that trickled in a little bit last year with those last few games and having a significant amount of playing time due to some injuries. That’s going to kind of roll back into this season and it’s been great. Like I said, the end of last year then we had the off season, then training camp and preseason. Now heading into the regular season, I had all that time to really connect as far as communication goes with those guys, it’s continually getting better and I’m still learning each and every day as I go.”

I am a big fan of this move. It sucks losing Ward as a leader, but I think it improves the Broncos secondary. Stewart can replace or even improve on the play at strong safety while Simmons gives the Broncos a true ball-hawking coverage safety. Something they have lacked consistently for quite some time.

Simmons had 8 total interceptions during his four-year career at Boston College, but 5 of them came his breakout senior year. That’s the sort of player the Broncos are hoping to see this season for them.

Another positive trait about Simmons is his elite athletic ability. He showed this off during the NFL Scouting Combine where he tested top in his group in multiple workouts which gave him the highest SPARQ(an analytic that charts athleticism) rating of every safety in that class.

Simmons tested in the 97th percentile in 60-yard shuttle, 98th percentile in 20-yard shuttle, 97th percentile in the 3-cone drill, 85th percentile in the broad jump, and 92nd percentile in the vertical jump. He also ranked in the 83rd percentile for arm length among safeties in that draft class. Add in his size, 6’2”/202lbs, 40 inch vertical, and has 32 5/8" arms so he has all the athletic traits you look for in a free safety.

This gives the Broncos secondary an element it has lacked for quite awhile. Add in his ball skills and potentially the Broncos secondary may have gotten even better on paper. Of course, it all comes down to on the field play, but I have high hopes for Justin Simmons.

Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib added to my thoughts by calling Simmons a “really smart kid”.

“You see it. You see his production in OTAs. You see his production last year. He’s a smart kid. It’s not like we have to worry about him knowing his assignments or knowing what the other team is doing. He is professional. He is mature. He’s married. He’s going to go home and study like a vet. This should be an easy transition for him.”

That’s comforting to hear from someone like Aqib Talib. He’s smart, mature, studious, and has elite athletic traits? The Broncos may have a budding star in the making here.

Horse Tracks:

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