Former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons has been looking for a team to give him a contract that he feels he deserves, and the Atlanta Falcons could very well be that team. This comes on the heels of the Falcons trading for 32-year-old veteran Matthew Judon from the New England Patriots. The Falcons haven’t been major shoppers in free agency or the trade market in quite some time, but Simmons could make be an immediate impact in Atlanta for a few reasons.
The pairing of Simmons and Jessie Bates III will hands down be the best safety duo in the league, and finally give the Falcons defense the star power they need to fix a defense that has struggled for almost a decade. The defense last season finished 11th in yards allowed, the highest that the team has been in that category since the teams Super Bowl run in 2017.
It remains a mystery that Simmons still hasn’t been picked up by a team yet, as he finished the 2022 season with the most interceptions in the league, and was selected to the Pro Bowl last season. He has been one of the best safeties in the league over the past two seasons, yet presumably contract issues have arose.
The Falcons are already heading into the season with a lot of confidence, playing in the worst division in the NFL, so the time to stack up players is now while you can. If they land Simmons, they have the pieces on defense to create something special on that side of the ball, while the new-look offense prepares to find its footing under new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson and new quarterback Kirk Cousins. The league doesn’t know much of what to expect for the team with so many new changes, but Simmons can only help in that regard.