The veteran free agent safety seems interested in coming to Philly.
The Philadelphia Eagles need a new starting safety after unexpectedly trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans.
Could they add a veteran player to help fill that role? Given their reported interest in signing Justin Reid, it seems like it’s possible.
If that’s the case, maybe the Birds will be interested in an established defender who has ties to Philly’s coaching staff.
Free agent safety Justin Simmons recently discussed potentially reuniting with his former head coach/current Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and his former position coach/current Eagles defensive passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker.
Here’s what Simmons had to say on the Talkin’ Ball podcast with Pat Leonard:
Q: Would the Philadelphia Eagles be a dream landing for you given that [starting safety] vacancy now?
SIMMONS: “Man, having the chance to reunite with Vic and also the defensive backs coach, Christian Parker, he’s over there. I worked with him the last maybe four years with Denver. He was a huge piece of— obviously there’s a lot of rotating coaches, defensive coordinators. And so he was a huge piece of the stability year in and year out, the terminology, the practices, there was a lot of familiarity with him. There’s a lot of good things about Philly. Obviously, I think their offense is clearly one of the most talented in the league. That offensive line is unbelievable. But what the defense did this past season, to go win that Super Bowl, is crazy. Like, watching those guys operate, you can tell the leadership there top down is by far one of the best in the league. So, to have an opportunity to go play in Philly, especially reuniting with Vic and CP, like we just talked about, it’s high on the list.”
The Eagles had a chance to sign Simmons last season after he was released by the Denver Broncos. He ultimately ended up signing with the Atlanta Falcons in mid-August, however.
Appearing in 16 games with the Falcons, Simmons logged two interceptions, seven passes defensed, and just a 81.9 passer rating allowed when targeted. There’s reason to believe he can still be a good contributor despite the fact he turns 32 in November.
Signing Simmons would make sense as a stop-gap starting option. But it wouldn’t make sense if it’s a significant investment that blocks Sydney Brown from playing and also counts against Philly’s compensatory pick formula. But, again, their interest in Reid might suggest they want more instant credibility at the safety position.
