What ILB Isaiah Simmons’ Role in New York Giants Defensive Scheme Will Look Like

The first episode of Hard Knocks revealed that New York Giants defensive coordinator Shane Bowen planned to deploy inside linebacker Isaiah Simmons to a role similar to what he played in Arizona. 

“In our minds, he would be a first, second down nickel and then playing money on third down,” Bowen said on the HBO documentary series during a presentation of his defensive scheme to the Giants scouts.

Bowen wants his defense to be predicated on getting pressure on the quarterback, primarily with the front four. For this to be successful, the defensive line must always look to hunt. And that puts a lot more pressure on the second-level defenders to make tackles in the run game. The front line will be disruptors, and the backers will clean up the mess. 

Because of the nature of NFL offenses and their passing capabilities, most defenses use a nickel package as their base defense. The nickel package puts five defensive backs on the field at the expense of replacing one of the linebackers, the idea being to sacrifice size for athleticism and coverage ability. 

The beauty of a talent like Simmons is that he’s a defensive back in an edge rusher’s body which means a defensive coordinator can play him at positions that have been manned by smaller defensive backs that give up size and strength to offensive players. 

Simmons allows the defense to disguise because he can legitimately play on all levels. He can be a fifth rusher off slot blitzes, he can move into the box and he can carry receivers on deep routes. His role as the “money” back is tied to the fact that the third down is referred to as “the money down.” 

The role would be a dime position, with six defensive backs on the field. Again, Simmons allows them to keep a bigger athletic body on the field in these pressure situations. 

It will also be interesting to see what this means for roster construction. Will they count Simmons as a linebacker or as a defensive back? If they count him as a linebacker, it likely will not change much for those expected to make the roster. 

If he is considered a defensive back, it does leave the team with questions. The Giants have three guys all vying for minutes as the nickel back. They drafted Dru Phillips with a third-round pick in this year’s draft, signed former Jaguar nickel Tre Herndon, and re-signed veteran nickel Darnay Holmes this offseason. 

Would Simmons’s move to defensive back firmly place one of those players in jeopardy of not making the final roster? It is a possibility because whenever Simmons is on the field, it means one of the aforementioned is not. 

A solidified role may be exactly what Simmons needs to unlock his potential fully. The worst thing about being a jack of all trades is that you never master one. Your versatility also makes coordinators and play callers continuously find new and interesting ways to use your talents. 

Simmons dealt with that in college and in his first four years in the league. Settling into this role could increase his productivity and overall value to the team. At 25 years old, he is still very young and has many more prime years ahead.