There was chatter going around about Tennessee Titans DT Jeffery Simmons after Week 1. The Titans endured a lifeless performance versus the New York Jets, and Simmons didn’t pop enough. Well, it’s clear after Week 2 that he’s still a dominant defender.
Simmons leads the entire NFL in pass-rush wins through two weeks, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The Pro Bowl defender has been credited with 19 wins as a pass rusher. No contender has more than 15, with Minnesota Vikings EDGE Dallas Turner currently
ranking second.
Simmons’ pass-rush-win-rate stands at 37%. Only New England Patriots DT Christian Barmore has a slightly higher win rate at 38%, because Simmons has played more reps. Not a single edge rusher in the NFL currently matches Simmons’ 37% win rate.
Pro Football Focus’ metrics largely agree. They have Simmons tied for first among defensive tackles in pressures with nine. His PFF win% of 17.7 percent ranks fifth among DTs, but none of the four interior defenders ahead of him have played as many reps as he has (Aaron Donald is in first after making his Week 2 debut with just 19 pass-rushing snaps. Simmons has 66).
Simmons dominated an Eagles offensive line in Week 2 that had Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall starting in prominent roles. Kendall replaced the injured Landon Dickerson. He had absolutely no answer for Simmons.
There was some concern that Simmons would take time to adjust to Robert Saleh’s new attack-style defense. Those whispers grew after Week 1 when fans believed Simmons’ impact was muted versus the Jets. This clearly isn’t the case at all.
Simmons is as dominant as ever. Every advanced metric (across different outlets) proves it. The Titans still have a superstar defensive tackle in Jeffery Simmons. Hopefully the rest of the defense catches up soon.
