GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons wonders whether his ability to play multiple positions may have worked against him at previous stops.
After trying to fill multiple roles during his first five seasons, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft hopes he has found a home with his new team.
“I think that this is probably where I’ve been appreciated the most,” Simmons said Thursday. “Not that I haven’t been appreciated at other places, but I feel like I’ve been categorized in a lot of other places and put in a box that doesn’t define me. Here they’re letting me be myself, letting me flourish, letting me grow in one place before I grow in a whole bunch of other places.”
Simmons, 27, has alternated between linebacker and defensive back without really thriving at either spot. After playing primarily linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals his first three seasons, Simmons spent more time in the secondary the last two years with the New York Giants.
Now he’s back at linebacker and showcasing the athleticism that made the former Clemson star a highly touted prospect. The Packers believe he can benefit from sticking to one position.
“How quickly he can pick everything up and how quickly he can get everything down will determine how much we can really do with him, but I think he’s off to a really good start,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said.
Simmons likes the opportunity to focus on playing linebacker.
“My versatility has kind of been, kind of not like a downfall, but kind of a downfall because everybody just expects me to be the All-Pro at 15 positions,” Simmons said. “This league’s hard enough to dominate at one position.”
Simmons also had to deal with the scrutiny of being a top-10 overall draft pick.
Although Simmons has been one of only six defensive players in the league to appear in all 84 regular-season games over the last five years, his playing time dipped recently.
He was on the field for only one-third of the Giants’ defensive snaps in 2023 and just 17% of them last year.
“Everybody wants to say what they want to say,” Simmons said. “At the different positions I played, some people think I ain’t tough. Some people think I don’t want to be physical. Some people say I can’t cover. Everybody’s got something to say, but I don’t really care what nobody’s got to say. At the end of the day, I know who I am.”
His new teammates and coaches are saying good things about the way he has performed at linebacker in camp.
“He’s kind of a unicorn at that position,” running back Josh Jacobs said. “He can run. We can put him out on guys in the slot. He can cover guys.”
The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Simmons described how he has a unique set of skills that can help him succeed as a linebacker.
“My length, it allows me to get to people before they can get to me,” he said. “That helps a lot with playing down on the line, setting edges and whatnot. I’ve also got the speed of a DB or a receiver or whatever you want to say. I feel like I’m kind of unorthodox at the (linebacker) position, and it allows me to win in various ways.”
All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney played alongside Simmons with the Giants in 2023.
“He’s making plays everywhere out there on the field, and obviously he can play everywhere on the field,” McKinney said. “He can play backer, he can play in the box, he can cover guys, so he’s going to be a huge asset for our team and for our defense.”
Simmons said he was early in the free agency process when McKinney advised him Green Bay might be an ideal fit.
“Actually the first thing I said when I visited here was, ‘Dang, this gives me a Clemson feel,’” Simmons said. “As small of a town as it is, I really think more eyes are on you because everybody knows who you are and whatnot.”
NOTE: Packers coach Matt LaFleur said RB MarShawn Lloyd’s groin injury is “not going to be a long-term deal” but added that the 2024 third-round pick likely won’t return this week.
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