Cardinals signed Tennessee DT Elijah Simmons.
A rotational nose tackle with power-packed flashes, Simmons (6’1/334) played 55 career games for the Vols but managed just 840 defensive snaps across six seasons. His production—59 tackles, 7 TFLs, 0.5 sacks—reads like one solid year spread over a career, but Simmons makes up for it with torque and trench toughness. He explodes out of his hips to create knockback when fresh and plays stout with heavy hands and a low center of gravity. His 3.47 RAS underscores his limited athletic ceiling (5.37 forty, 1.87 10-yard split), and he has no pass rush juice to speak of (1 pressure in 2024). Still, Simmons posted a 76.3 run defense grade and showcased upside as an early-down brawler capable of fighting off doubles when locked in. There’s moldable mass here, but NFL coaches will need to unlock more snap-to-snap consistency.
