It’s a strange feeling when a beloved Bronco returns to the Mile High City wearing the enemy’s colors.
No, Justin Simmons is anything but the enemy, but he is playing for the opposition on Sunday. It was a sad day when Simmons wasn’t retained by the Broncos. He ultimately signed with the Atlanta Falcons, this week’s opponent.
As luck – or perhaps not – would have it, Denver’s defense looks even better than it did last year… with Simmons. In Atlanta, meanwhile, the defense has been terrible… with Simmons. The two vastly different results bring Simmons’ return to Denver into the spotlight.
While the performance of both or either defenses has far more to do with 11 players and a handful of coaches – not just one safety – it’s an interesting situation to ponder. Would the Broncos defense be even better with their former Pro Bowler turned Falcon? Or did the Broncos make the right move?
Everyone in Denver misses Justin Simmons, but with the Falcons in town, everyone hopes to send him back to Atlanta with a loss.
Here’s what our Broncos writers think about the Broncos decision to part with Simmons.
Shawn Drotar
While I can hardly believe it myself, it appears that Sean Payton and the Broncos made the right call by moving on from Justin Simmons – who had been their best player for years.
Brandon Jones (when healthy) has replaced the majority of Simmons’ production at safety at a fraction of what Simmons would have cost had he stayed. The Broncos, in hindsight, should have dealt Simmons at the trade deadline last year instead of releasing him and letting him walk for nothing… but that’s another story. The effectiveness of the Broncos’ pass rush has a lot to do with the success of Jones, fellow safety P.J. Locke, and corners Pat Surtain II, Riley Moss and JaQuan McMillian; it’s obviously easier for the entire defensive backfield when quarterbacks are pressured, but Jones has been both dynamic and consistent. While plenty of Broncos fans with be justifiably cheering for Simmons – one the best human beings to ever don a Broncos jersey – it’s Denver’s defense that’ll be the better of the two on Sunday… and that’s likely to be the difference-maker in any potential Broncos win.
Mark Knudson
We’d all love to see Justin Simmons in predominantly orange this week and all season. One of the best Bronco DB’s ever. Last year when he was out (Miami) the defense was…less than stellar. However, can anyone really say he’s been “missed” this season? Brandon Jones and the others on the back end have filled in very nicely. The Bronco D is not better without Simmons…but they aren’t worse either, so you can bite down hard and credibility say that with Denver’s cap issues, they probably made the right decision. And that’s a tough thing to admit.
Dan Mohrmann
Before the start of the season, moving on from Justin Simmons had been the right choice. He’s a great dude and an all-time Bronco. But the reality may have been that he was an above-average player on a below-average team. And Denver – both organization and fans – has a tendency of overvaluing its homegrown assets. The Broncos defense has been nothing short of outstanding this season and I don’t know that Justin Simmons remaining here would have too much of an impact on its ceiling. Welcome home. Happy to see you. Glad to see all is going well. But we’re all better off for having moved on.
Cody Roark
The Denver Broncos never wanted to move on from Justin Simmons, but the Russell Wilson dead cap had big ramifications. Right now, the decision to sign Brandon Jones looks like a great one for Denver, and P.J. Locke’s return is big. Still, it’s hard to imagine Denver’s defense without Simmons and I wonder what it would look like if he was still on it. He’ll be a Bronco for life.
Nate Lundy
I actually don’t think it tells us anything about Justin Simmons or the decision to move on from him. He’s one of eleven guys. He’s at the mercy of his defensive coordinator and the rest of the players around him. Are the Falcons underperforming on defense? Without question. The Broncos wanted to go younger across the board and save themselves money when they come out of the Russell Wilson contract handcuffs. But Simmons is a great player and nothing about Atlanta’s performance this year changes my view of him.
