NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was evident when the Tennessee Titans awarded Jeffery Simmons this offseason with a contract extension that made him highest-paid interior defensive lineman ever just how much he means to the organization.
Coming off a season in which he had a career-high 11 sacks and earned his first All-Pro honor, Simmons signed a three-year, $105.8 million deal that will pay him $35.27 million annually. And now he'll line up for new coach Robert Saleh's attacking scheme that appears to fit his skill set like a glove.
Saleh uses a rotation along the front four that keeps linemen fresher and better suited to give 100% on every rep, and he is well aware of Simmons' past snap counts -- which hovered around 81% since 2020.
But change is coming.
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"The whole point of the rotation is to make sure that Jeffrey Simmons is ready for that one-on-one when we need it," Saleh said during minicamp. "Third down, two minute, make sure he's fresh, ready to roll and ready to exert every last fiber in his body and winning that one-on-one. So that's really the purpose behind it."
Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi worked with Saleh to add some familiar faces to boost the rotation along the defensive front. First, they traded defensive tackle T'Vondre Sweat to the New York Jets for defensive end Jermaine Johnson II to improve the outside pass rush. Then veteran free agents John Franklin-Myers, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Elliott and Jacob Martin were added to the mix. The first-round selection of Keldric Faulk (No. 31 pick) completed the makeover.
As of minicamp, Saleh said he had yet to have the snap-count conversation with Simmons. And, Saleh said he doesn't see a world in which Simmons is above the rotation.
"If he's able to go to 50 plays out of 60, he's not doing it right," Saleh said.
Simmons smiled when asked about the pending conversation. The eighth-year veteran maintained the meal plan from last offseason that allowed him to cut down body fat, while adding muscle and explosiveness.
Simmons said he's pushing to be in the best shape of his life so he can show Saleh he's capable of handling a higher-volume workload.