Isaiah Simmons focusing on
linebacker with Packers after playing multiple positions at prior stops
[August 01, 2025]
By STEVE MEGARGEE
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons
wonders whether his ability to play multiple positions may have
worked against him at previous stops.
After trying to fill multiple roles during his first five seasons,
the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 draft hopes he has found a home
with his new team.
“I think that this is probably where I’ve been appreciated the
most,” Simmons said Thursday. “Not that I haven’t been appreciated
at other places, but I feel like I’ve been categorized in a lot of
other places and put in a box that doesn’t define me. Here they’re
letting me be myself, letting me flourish, letting me grow in one
place before I grow in a whole bunch of other places.”
Simmons, 27, has alternated between linebacker and defensive back
without really thriving at either spot. After playing primarily
linebacker with the Arizona Cardinals his first three seasons,
Simmons spent more time in the secondary the last two years with the
New York Giants.
Now he’s back at linebacker and showcasing the athleticism that made
the former Clemson star a highly touted prospect. The Packers
believe he can benefit from sticking to one position.
“How quickly he can pick everything up and how quickly he can get
everything down will determine how much we can really do with him,
but I think he’s off to a really good start,” defensive coordinator
Jeff Hafley said.
Simmons likes the opportunity to focus on playing linebacker.
“My versatility has kind of been, kind of not like a downfall, but
kind of a downfall because everybody just expects me to be the
All-Pro at 15 positions,” Simmons said. “This league’s hard enough
to dominate at one position.”
Simmons also had to deal with the scrutiny of being a top-10 overall
draft pick.
Although Simmons has been one of only six defensive players in the
league to appear in all 84 regular-season games over the last five
years, his playing time dipped recently.
He was on the field for only one-third of the Giants’ defensive
snaps in 2023 and just 17% of them last year.
“Everybody wants to say what they want to say,” Simmons said. “At
the different positions I played, some people think I ain’t tough.
Some people think I don’t want to be physical. Some people say I
can’t cover. Everybody’s got something to say, but I don’t really
care what nobody’s got to say. At the end of the day, I know who I
am.”
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Green Bay Packers' linebacker Isaiah Simmons rides a bike to
practice at the team's NFL football training camp, Wednesday, July
23, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Matt Ludtke, File)
His new teammates and coaches are saying good
things about the way he has performed at linebacker in camp.
“He’s kind of a unicorn at that position,” running back Josh Jacobs
said. “He can run. We can put him out on guys in the slot. He can
cover guys.”
The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Simmons described how he has a unique set of
skills that can help him succeed as a linebacker.
“My length, it allows me to get to people before they can get to
me,” he said. “That helps a lot with playing down on the line,
setting edges and whatnot. I’ve also got the speed of a DB or a
receiver or whatever you want to say. I feel like I’m kind of
unorthodox at the (linebacker) position, and it allows me to win in
various ways.”
All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney played alongside Simmons with the
Giants in 2023.
“He’s making plays everywhere out there on the field, and obviously
he can play everywhere on the field,” McKinney said. “He can play
backer, he can play in the box, he can cover guys, so he’s going to
be a huge asset for our team and for our defense.”
Simmons said he was early in the free agency process when McKinney
advised him Green Bay might be an ideal fit.
“Actually the first thing I said when I visited here was, ‘Dang,
this gives me a Clemson feel,’” Simmons said. “As small of a town as
it is, I really think more eyes are on you because everybody knows
who you are and whatnot.”
NOTE: Packers coach Matt LaFleur said RB MarShawn Lloyd's groin
injury is “not going to be a long-term deal” but added that the 2024
third-round pick likely won't return this week.
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