Jeffrey Simmons has rapidly become one of the most important franchise pillars for the Tennessee Titans.
When he is completely healthy and has competent help around him, you could make the argument that he is one of the most dominant defensive linemen in the NFL.
Prior to suffering an ankle injury, Simmons was having a Defensive Player of the Year-caliber start to his season, with the Mississippi State legend accounting for 31 pressures and six sacks over his first seven games.
However, from Weeks 9-18, Simmons only finished with 22 pressures and two sacks while hardly ever practicing throughout each game week.
This undoubtedly played a large role in Pro Football Focus’ recent rankings in which Simmons was listed as the ninth-best defensive lineman in the league (81.1) in 2022.
Here’s what PFF had to say about the ranking:
Simmons set a new career-high in pass-rush grade (79.3), which was top 10 at his position, while also finishing within that range with 53 total pressures. Simmons’ strong year across the board led him to finish inside the top 10 in PFF WAR for the second time in his four-year career.
Considering everything that happened with his injury and team success, I would say this is a fair ranking for Simmons’ 2022 season.
However, don’t be surprised if he’s ranked much higher next season barring some type of unfortunate injury.
