Getty Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons runs onto the field.
Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons teamed up with USAA and the Denver Fire Department for Wildfire Prevention Campaign and toured Station 39.
After the event, the All-Pro safety spoke to Heavy Sports about the value of the Broncos secondary playing together for a third straight season with Patrick Surtain ll, Kareem Jackson, and himself.
“It’s super valuable. Anytime you can have those consecutive years with the same guys, it’s always going to benefit you more than hurt you,” Simmons told Heavy. “Obviously playing with guys like Kareem [Jackson] and Pat [Surtain] benefits me tremendously and not only me, but the defense and so I’m really looking forward to another year with those guys.”
Not only has the Denver trio stayed consistent playing with each other, they’ve all been healthy together as well. Over the past two seasons, the three stars of the Broncos’ secondary has combined to miss just eight games over a possible 102 total games.
Denver’s Secondary Trio Has Been Special
Over the past two seasons, the Broncos have been one of the better defenses in the NFL and a big part of it has been their secondary.
In 2021, the Denver defense ranked eighth in passing yards allowed and followed that up with a top-15 finish in 2022. During those two seasons, the Broncos have ranked in the top five in passing touchdowns allowed as well.
Surtain, who is entering his third season in the NFL, has been considered one of if not the best cornerback in the game with a Pro Bowl and All-Pro nod last season.
Simmons, who was drafted in 2016 NFL draft has never appeared in a playoff game, but has played as an elite safety during his young NFL career. The former third-round pick has been named as an All-Pro in each of the past three seasons and was tied as a co-leader for interceptions last year.
Jackson on the other hand has been a huge piece to the Denver defense by making opposing skill position players nervous about going across the middle of the field because of his big hits. The former first-round pick from Alabama had a career-high 94 tackles last season.
Denver’s Culture Has Been Different Under Sean Payton
In the offseason, the Broncos traded for head coach Sean Payton after they fired Nathaniel Hackett just 15 games into the 2022 season.
Simmons talked to Heavy about how the culture has been different so far under Payton.
“Sean’s [Payton] been great. So far, I think it’s still early on, we’ve only had the offseason with him and OTAs.” Simmons added, “We’re still adjusting and still learning and I think as well as everyone else. I’m really excited to see what that looks like in camp and moving on towards the season.”
Compared to last season under Hackett, Payton has been not only more strict with his players but he’s been tough on the media.
During the offseason programs, the media was not allowed to report on anything they watched during practice unless Payton was asked about it or brought it up on his own after practice.
With a completely different vibe compared to last season, there’s also evidence that shows that the Broncos can get back to the playoffs and Super Bowl quicker than most might be expecting.
According to NFL Research, Payton is the fifth head coach to be included in a trade for a first-round pick since 1970.
Three of the previous four coaches, per NFL Research, led their new teams to a Super Bowl triumph within three seasons — Don Shula, Bill Belichick, and Jon Gruden.
Shula took over a 3-10-1 team and made them a 10-4 team while Belichick took over an 8-8 Patriots team and led them to a 5-11 record in his first season.
Gruden on the other hand is the only head coach to be traded and win a Super Bowl in his first season with his new team. He took over for Tony Dungy’s 9-7 Buccaneers and turned them into a 12-4 Super Bowl-winning team the following year.
The fourth head coach that was traded was Bill Parcells, who was traded from the Patriots to the Jets, and led New York to a winning record in his first season, but failed to make the playoffs.
The Broncos who have one of the longest playoff droughts in the NFL are in emergency mode under Payton to get back into the playoffs.