Tennessee Titans: Jeffery Simmons not rushing ACL return
The Tennessee Titans spent a first-round pick on Jeffery Simmons despite an ACL tear, but he is in no rush to get back and prove them right.
If the Tennessee Titans’ gamble to take Jeffery Simmons with their first pick this year pays off then they will have the steal of the 2019 draft.
However, Simmons is not going to rush his recovery from a torn ACL suffered while training for the draft to prove the Titans were correct to take him 19th overall in spite of that setback.
Asked about the prospect of playing this year, Simmons – per The Tennessean – said:
"“I’m not rushing anything. If I don’t play this year, I’m fine with it, but my goal is to get healthy on my time and on this team’s time.”"
Were he healthy, Simmons would likely have been a top-10 pick in the draft and his presence on the field would give the Titans an extremely disruptive force on the interior of the defensive line. Simmons had 33 tackles for loss and seven sacks during his time with Mississippi State.
Yet there is little need for the Titans to try rush him back. With Jurrell Casey playing on the interior and Cameron Wake and Harold Landry providing the threat off the edge, the Titans possess enough up front to have a productive pass rush in 2019.
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The extent of Tennessee’s success this year does not hinge on Simmons and his recovery. Dean Pees’ defense possesses the talent to excel without him, and the pressure will instead be firmly on Marcus Mariota on the other side of the ball. A late season return for Simmons could provide a timely boost in a potential playoff push, but that still wouldn’t justify risking the Titans’ long-term investment in him by cutting short his rehab. Patience is unquestionably the best policy.