After moving on from veteran safety Justin Simmons this spring, the Denver Broncos replaced him with Brandon Jones, a former Miami Dolphin.
Simmons was more than just a star player in Denver — he was a team captain and heavily involved in the community, a leader in the locker room and a fan favorite off the field. He’s now playing for the Atlanta Falcons and the Broncos have moved forward with Jones.
The 26-year-old safety knows he has big shoes to fill in Denver.
“He’s one of the best to do it in my opinion,” Jones said of Simmons earlier this summer. “You guys probably know his numbers better than me, but he had over 30 interceptions over his career here, which is super impressive. Like I said at OTAs, I had the chance to meet him and he’s a super nice guy and super humble. It’s definitely some shoes to fill, but I kind of look at it as a new journey and a new road to be able to pave for myself.
“Throughout my career, I’ve always been labeled as only being able to do certain things. This opportunity, I will be able to show how versatile I can be, how I can do a lot of other things and branch out from being labeled as one thing and a guy that can do everything.”
After spending the first four years of his career in Miami, Jones is now set to start across from P.J. Locke in the Broncos’ secondary this fall.
He has totaled nine pass breakups, eight sacks, four forced fumbles and three interceptions through 54 career games. Not quite Justin Simmons numbers, but a good start. Jones will make his Denver debut against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 1.
