Camp Countdown: Simmons set to be groomed for Broncos starting role

The countdown to training camp is on during the month of July. The Denver Broncos will take the field for the first day of training camp on July 27, but before then we need to examine the team’s prospects for the upcoming season.

Looking at this team realistically, the talent is there to make another — potentially deep — postseason run in 2017.

The new coaching staff is in a much better position than other new regimes taking over in the NFL.

New defensive coordinator Joe Woods takes over the league’s best defense after serving as the secondary coach, the strongest part of Denver’s unit. And now Woods gets to see if he can make the entire defense better than ever.

In order to do that, there must be players who emerge in which we’re not expecting. This roster is chock full of talent, but there’s a collection of players who might do more than what’s expected.

Will free safety Justin Simmons be one of those breakout players in 2017? Let’s take a look.

Signs of a playmaker

In a way, Simmons had a breakout season as a rookie in 2016. It seemed like anytime he received playing time, Simmons showed signs of a playmaker.

Whether it was on defense or on special teams, the young safety showed a knack for playing big during key moments.

Who can forget Simmons jumping over the center to block an extra point by the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 that led to Will Parks game-winning return? Leaping over the center on a kick is now illegal, with Simmons being the last to do so in spectacular fashion.

On defense, Simmons snared two interceptions as a rookie. One came in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, when Simmons almost returned it for a touchdown.

Simmons is one of those players who turns into an offensive weapon with the ball in his hands, and it’s that type of ball-hawking ability that could be featured in 2017.

Doing more in 2017

The Broncos have a history of not playing rookies in their first season. Since 2012, Denver ranks 32nd when it comes to rookie playing time.

However, Simmons bucked that trend a bit in 2016. The third-round pick from Boston College was one of two rookies who played more than 25 percent of the snaps for the Broncos last year.

In 2016, Denver’s defense ranked first in the NFL with only 185.8 passing yards allowed per game and was the only team in the league to allow less than 200 yards passing per game.

It was the second year in a row the Broncos were the league’s top unit in that category, and if they are first again this year, it will be the only time in NFL history we’ve seen a defense do that for three years in a row.

And getting Simmons on the field more may be a plan for Woods in 2017.

Simmons played 296 snaps in 13 games as a rookie. If he plays a full 16-game season, it’s not outlandish to project Simmons for almost double the number of snaps.

Summary

Base defense in the NFL is now the “nickel” defense. With so many teams going with pass-happy offenses, we see more teams playing extra defenders in the secondary to counteract that.

Veteran safety T.J. Ward is a beast when it comes to defending the run, but he’s not as good in coverage as someone like Simmons. We could see sub-packages for the defense that feature Darian Stewart and Simmons on the field at the same time. While Stewart usually roams in the secondary with Ward playing close to the line, in this scenario his role would be reversed.

Having players who can cover and tackle soundly gives the Broncos defense versatility. Opponents won’t be able to get Denver into a package they like to then exploit the pass defense with a hurry up offense.

Simmons may be a safety, but he’s really a center fielder in the back half of the defense who has a nose for the ball. With Ward in the final year of his contract, Simmons is in line to be groomed even further for an eventual full-time starter’s role.

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