The Indianapolis Colts have some competition if they want to get into the race for Pro Bowl safety Justin Simmons.
While the Colts could be one of the target candidates for the two-time Pro Bowler, the New Orleans Saints also want to throw their hat in the ring.
According to multiple reports – first from Nick Underhill – the Saints are bringing Simmons in for a visit on Wednesday.
There’s no denying what Simmons could do for the Colts’ secondary, a unit with the biggest question marks on the entire roster.
While the Colts have been battling for the free safety position in training camp between third-year defensive linemen Nick Cross and Rodney Thomas II, neither has made much progress toward the starting position.
Even strong safety Julian Blackmon played free safety a few times in the middle of training camp.
Simmons would be an immediate addition, although it might hinder the development of the young safeties. Whether it’s worth hindering the development of Cross and Thomas is one of the big decisions to be made, especially considering Chris Ballard is extremely bullish on the young secondary.
Since the start of the 2020 season, no player has had more interceptions than Simmons (19). This applies to both safeties and cornerbacks. According to Stathead, his 36 passes defended during this period are second among NFL safeties, only Jessie Bates III (38) is better.
The Colts have long been a frugal team when it comes to outside free agents, so there’s a real possibility they could be outbid for Simmons’ services.
Either way, we’ll keep an eye on this over the next week to see if the Saints are the ones to get Simmons.
MORE COLTS
Could the Colts be in the running to sign a Pro Bowler?
Squad forecast for the Colts after the first week of training
Key takeaways from Day 8 of Colts training camp
