After hours of waiting, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the best safety tandem in the NFL.
According to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero, the Atlanta Falcons have signed two-time Pro Bowl and four-time Second Team All-Pro safety Justin Simmons. Atlanta received Simmons on Monday in hopes he can help shape the Falcons’ vision for their defense. With safety Demarcco Hellams out “for a significant amount of time” due to a lower leg injury, general manager Terry Fontenot was forced to make a significant move to fill the lack of depth. It turns out the move was more significant than we could have imagined.
Since being drafted by the Denver Broncos out of Boston College in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Simmons has the most interceptions of any defensive lineman in the NFL with 30. There hasn’t been a season in which he hasn’t had the ball in his hands at least twice, including tying for the league lead in 2022 with six interceptions.
The combination of him and Bates, who was third in the league with six interceptions last season, would arguably be the best safety duo in the NFL and would allow for flexibility in the back end that could help change the trajectory of the Falcons defense.
