Paul Bretl | 4/28/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — After having linebacker Isaiah Simmons in for a visit earlier this month, Ian Rapoport reported that the Packers have signed the free agent to a one-year deal.
Simmons, the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, may be listed as a linebacker, but he brings a very unique skill set to the Packers’ defense, as a linebacker/safety hybrid, who can pass rush one play, line in the slot on another, or cover the middle of the field.
“He could do a lot of different things. Explosive, athletic. That’s why he was picked where he was picked,” said New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
Measuring in at 6-4 and weighing 238 pounds, Simmons is a terrific athlete who posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.97 during the pre-draft process in 2020. This included running a 4.39-second 40-yard dash.
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As eluded to, Simmons can handle a variety of roles defensively. According to PFF, over his five NFL seasons, he has spent 1,325 snaps in the box, another 583 along the defensive front as a pass rusher, and 796 in the slot.
“I would do everything in college,” Simmons said. “Just kind of like a Swiss Army knife, move me around because I’m able to show what I can really do. I wouldn’t say I’m really tied down to one position.
However, there’s a reason that the versatile and uber-athletic former eighth overall pick is a free agent–the production hasn’t been there throughout his career.
Simmons spent just three seasons with Arizona–the team that drafted him–and didn’t make it through his rookie deal before the team traded him to the New York Giants in 2023. Over the last two years, Simmons has been on the field for fewer than 600 defensive snaps, including only 181 last season.
Over the last two years in particular, missed tackles have been an issue, although it has been a relatively small sample size, while quarterbacks have been efficient when targeting him in coverage.
Like we’ve seen in the past under GM Brian Gutekunst, additions like Sammy Watkins or Andre Dillard last year, he’s willing to bring in high draft pedigree players to see if, in the right system and environment, there is more production to be had.
While we do not know Simmons’ contract details at this time, I’ll guess that this is a deal that the Packers could get out of fairly easily later this summer if needed. So he likely isn’t even a lock to make the 53-man roster.
But as the Packers continue to shape the defense in Jeff Hafley’s image, versatility has been a priority through free agency and the draft, not to mention that Simmons and fifth-round draft pick Collin Oliver bring some unique skill sets to the defense.
While Simmons is a hybrid between a safety and a linebacker, Oliver has experience playing off-ball linebacker and pass rusher from his time at Oklahoma State. At 240 pounds, he doesn’t fit the usual big-bodied mold we see the Packers’ covet at defensive end either, and can provide that unit with a change-up with his speed.
That general versatility element throughout the Packers’ defense gives Hafley a lot of flexibility as he builds out his weekly game plans, where he can really customize things based on the opponent. This can also make the defense difficult to game plan against with there potentially being so much film to watch, new looks being shown in game, and not being able to get a beat on what’s coming, just based on where everyone is lined up.
“You start having these different packages of people so you can get guys in different roles so you can create some mismatches,” Hafley said last season. “So you take advantage of situations. So you put yourself in better position to have success.
There is still a long ways to go when it comes to figuring out if Simmons is going to be on the team, let alone what his role might be. But with his size and athleticism, he can provide immense special teams value, having played 566 career snaps across four of the six different phases.
On defense–if it gets to this point–Simmons’ presence as a potential pass rusher could provide a change of pace at defensive end and allow Rashan Gary or Lukas Van Ness, for example, to kick inside on obvious passing downs. He could also see snaps as a dime defender during obvious passing situations, patrolling the middle of the field or as a blitzer.
Again, we will have to see what transpires, but with Simmons’ versatility, there are options for the Packers, whether he provides depth, fills a niche role, or is a possible special teams ace.