Cardinals’ 2020 top pick Simmons says patience pays off this season
Isaiah Simmons is only 12 weeks into his rookie season, but he’s already able to analyze it in a way that sounds like a retrospective song lyric.
“Sometimes things gotta fall apart for things to come together,” Simmons said this week. “So that’s kind of the way I took it.”
It’s a big-picture perspective for Simmons, 22. The Cardinals’ first-round pick in the 2020 draft, Simmons has played a limited role until recently. The team wanted to ease him in, and he understood that. But still, spending more time on the sideline was adjustment for the former Clemson standout.
“It’s been a while since I haven’t played in games,” he said. “In my mind, I’m like, ‘ What did I do wrong?’ And it wasn’t much of what I did wrong — it was more just being patient and being able to learn the differences within this league.”
He did liken it “a similar situation” early on at Clemson. He first redshirted, and then even in his redshirt freshman year still wasn’t playing quite as much. The slow start paid off.
He played linebacker, defensive end, cornerback and safety at the perennial powerhouse, winning a national championship in 2018. In his final season at Clemson, he earned unanimous firstteam All-American honors and was named the 2019 ACC Defensive Player of the Year.
“Patience is always a hard thing, but most of the time, it ends up helping in your favor,” he said.
Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and head coach Kliff Kingsbury have repeated that the limited snaps were not a reflection of skill level, but simply giving a rookie time to adjust without the benefit of a preseason.
So the current increase in playing time is a trajectory the Cardinals always expected, but that didn’t make the waiting period any easier on Simmons. He’s been candid that it was hard, and Joseph understands that. He knows that for first-round picks, a drop-off in playing time can wear on guys, especially when they’re used to helping their teams win.
“I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty tough,” Simmons said.
But he listened to advice from teammates, family and friends. He centered
himself. And he waited for his opportunities. In Week 7, on Sunday Night Football, he made a splash.
He intercepted Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the Cardinals’ first meeting with Seattle. He did so in overtime, and it gave his team the chance to seal a 37-34 win.
“That play for Isaiah was obviously a big play for our team and for him,” Joseph said. “From that moment on, it definitely changed for Isaiah as far as his body level, his confidence and playing NFL football. ... It definitely turned his mindset a little bit.”
But just as important as the big moments was the continuity. Simmons emphasized the latter. He said that the interception was certainly a confidence booster, but it also likely led to more
snaps in the following games.
The stats back that theory. His season high for a while had been the 29% of defensive snaps in Week1. His low was that game against Seattle, with just 6%. Then, in the three games since, he’s had 53%, 44% and 68% — all squashing his previous numbers. And it’s not just simply being on the field; Simmons is soaking in all that he can while out there.
“Ever since I got consecutive snaps, I’ve been able to find a comfort level within the game,” Simmons said.
Not only are his snaps increasing, but the Cardinals are finding more ways to capitalize on his flexibility over the remaining six regular-season games.
“He was drafted to be a Swiss Army knife for us,” Joseph said. “And now he’s becoming that.”