The Titans are steadily seeing key players return to action after the team’s coronavirus outbreak. Top defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons is now back on Tennessee’s active roster after testing positive for COVID-19. This move follows the Titans’ activations of DaQuan Jones, Kristian Fulton and Adam Humphries.
Simmons landed on the Titans’ COVID list Oct. 3 but is now on track to play in Week 6. He will have missed only one game, with the Titans’ scheduled Week 4 contest against the Steelers having been converted to a bye week after the team’s issues with the virus.
Tennessee selected Simmons in the 2019 first round and saw the Mississippi State product bounce back quickly despite tearing his ACL before the ’19 draft. Likely a top-10 pick prior to the injury, Simmons has flashed as an interior defender in his limited time as a pro. In his most recent game, Simmons registered three QB hits and recorded a sack.
However, the Titans will be without one of their backup running backs for at least three weeks. They placed Darrynton Evans on IR to make room for Simmons’ return to the 53-man roster. A hamstring injury will sideline Evans, a rookie third-rounder out of Appalachian State. Drafted after the Titans cut Dion Lewis, Evans has just five carries this season. Jeremy McNichols resides as the only other back on Tennessee’s active roster, making it likely the team will make a move to add another player at this spot by Saturday’s transaction deadline.
Tennessee stole Simmons, no doubt about it. Sometimes it really pays off to take a gamble on a falling prospect. Jeffrey probably would have been a top ten pick if it weren’t for that ACL malady. All the Titans had to do was wait half a season and now they have a dominant replacement for Jurrell Casey in the trenches for 4+ years
The Titans have a much better chance of going 5-0 than the Steelers do, but there’s still a decent chance they’ll both be 5-0 in two weeks when they meet. It should be one of the best games of the season. Way better than any of the primetime matchups for week 7: Giants/Eagles, Bucs/Raiders, or Bears/Rams
Very true. It will be interesting to see how Pittsburgh chooses to defend the Titan’s ground attack. Will they stack the box at the expense of their pass-rush?
It looks like both Roethliberger and Tannehill have transitioned into quick and accurate decision_makers at this point in their careers. Whomever can force more turnovers should hold the advantage