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Jurrell Casey planning to push rookie Jeffery Simmons

Tennessee Titans v New York Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - DECEMBER 16: Jurrell Casey #99 of the Tennessee Titans celebrates his second half fumble recovery against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on December 16, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)

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The Titans aren’t quite sure yet when they’ll see first-rounder Jeffery Simmons on the field.

But whenever he arrives, it sounds like Jurrell Casey is going to be right on his heels.

Via Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean, the veteran defensive tackle said he was excited to work with a talented project such as Simmons, and plans to motivate him to get better on and off the field.

“I think it’s going to be great,” Casey said. “I don’t really know too much about the kid so far so I can’t really speak too much on him. But I think, from what I hear so far, he’s got a mindset on him. He’s been determined to get involved in the community so I can’t wait until he gets here because I’m going to push him as much as I can to get out there, to join me on this journey, to change Nashville as much as we can and I just hope that he’s got the mindset to come in and join me in the brothership and to also take part in the volunteering that we like to do.”

That’s nice, but the Titans drafted Simmons because he has a chance to be a dominant interior defender, as soon as he returns from the ACL he tore in February, which could make this a red-shirt season.

“He’s going to be a big factor for this defense and hoping that when he comes in, he’s ready to go and he got the mindset to get out there and be a dominant beast,” Casey said. “Lot of folks can come in and be a little timid. You want to come in and have the mindset to be a beast right away.”

Once Simmons is well, he and Casey have the chance to be one of the top defensive tackle tandems around, and it sounds like the veteran will be making sure the rookie understands the responsibility that comes with that.