The Tennessee Titans paid Jeffery Simmons this offseason, in part because if everything goes according to plan, the cost would have only increased next year.
The Titans and Simmons agreed to a three-year, $105.8 million contract extension that includes $100 million guaranteed. The $35.276 million per-year average made him head-and-shoulders above the rest of the interior rushers (Chris Jones is No. 2 at $31.75 million).
Tennessee expects Simmons to thrive in Robert Saleh's scheme, which asks its interior defenders to get upfield and play disruptor more than the defenses the DT played in the past. The Titans also plan to use more of a rotation for Simmons to keep him fresh for key moments.
"The whole point of the rotation is to make sure that Jeffrey Simmons is ready for that one-on-one when we need it," Saleh said during minicamp last month, via Turron Davenport of ESPN. "Third down, two-minute, make sure he's fresh, ready to roll and ready to exert every last fiber in his body and winning that one-on-one. So that's really the purpose behind it."
In every season he's participated in at least 15 games, Simmons has seen at least 750-plus snaps. Simmons has played in at least 80% of defensive snaps per season when available dating back to 2020, per Pro Football Reference. Saleh believes that taking a few more reps off here and there in the middle of a tilt will enable Simmons to be more impactful when he's on the field.
"If he's able to go to 50 plays out of 60, he's not doing it right," Saleh said.
The new head coach said last month that he had yet to have a sit-down meeting with Simmons about the rep plan. Asked about his expectations for how that conversation will go, Simmons said he's out to prove he can handle the workload.
"I want to have that mindset of, 'Nah, coach, I could go for more,' or whatever it may be," Simmons said during minicamp. "With the way I train, the way I try to get my body ready, I want to show him that maybe I could go six plays instead of the four that they're talking about."
Simmons said he's in the best shape of his career after fixing an elbow issue that had plagued him the past several seasons.
In Saleh's scheme, Simmons will be attacking more readily than the "two-gap" defenses he played in before -- which required holding the double team at the line of scrimmage. Saleh wants his DTs to penetrate, split doubles and be disruptive in the backfield. The plan should unleash Simmons.
Even in schemes that don't exactly put defensive tackles in prime positions to make plays, Simmons was a disruptor. Per Next Gen Stats, Simmons generated 60 QB pressures and a 13.9% pressure rate with 11 sacks last season, all of which were league-highs for a DT. He also led all interior defenders with 26 quick pressures and a 6% quick QB pressure rate.
Now project those figures into a defense that implores him to get into the backfield. Even taking away a few reps to keep him fresher shouldn't hold back that production in 2026. Simmons has DPOY upside in Saleh's scheme.
