Isaiah Simmons trade completes stunning fall for former No. 8 pick
Here’s hoping Isaiah Simmons gets it in New York.
The fourth-year Arizona Cardinals safety was traded to the Giants for a seventh-round draft pick, the team announced Thursday morning.
It’s a stunning fall for Simmons, who was taken with the No. 8 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, ahead of a slew of talented players. Cardinals General Manager Steve Keim selected Simmons as a do-it-all defender, thinking that defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could simply plug in the former Clemson standout wherever it made the most sense in a given week.
It didn’t work out, despite occasional flashes of big-play ability with occasional forced fumbles and interceptions. Simmons didn’t use his rookie year to excel at special teams. And he never found a home in the base defense.
For what it’s worth, I loved the pick at the time. Simmons’ coaches from high school and college marveled at his preparation and work ethic. He went from undersized and overlooked, to a leader on one of the best defenses in college football.
With the Cardinals, however, he was often out of position or invisible in routine situations, and it wasn’t clear what he did best. At this level, top guys have an identity that no one can question.
Simmons was taken ahead of several players at positions of need, including tackle Tristan Wirfs and cornerbacks A.J. Terrell and Trevon Diggs.
The low point for Simmons came in last week’s preseason game against Kansas City. He was playing deep safety, a position he and his coaches agreed upon, but he was making rookie mistakes like getting beat deep and giving up on plays.
For Arizona, the trade gives General Manager Monti Ossenfort draft capital and frees up salary-cap space to continue a rebuild that seems aimed at making the Cardinals into something of a Patriots West.
For Simmons, he should use the trade as a fresh start to reinvent himself, perhaps becoming a monk or a hermit, and finding joy in the smallest details of the sport. We’ll know it worked if we see him in a year or two with long hair, a beard, tattered clothes and an opponent’s helmet in his teeth.
Related: Isaiah Simmons called out for lack of effort vs. Kansas City Chiefs
He should also treat this trade as a last chance. At 6-foot-4, 240 pounds with blazing straight-line speed, there will always be a general manager willing to give him an opportunity.
But he was traded for a seventh-round pick. It’s only a small step up from being cut. Here’s hoping he gets that in New York.
Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Isaiah Simmons trade completes stunning fall of No. 8 pick
