Isaiah Simmons didn’t just play for the Giants on his second day after joining the team via trade.
He started, alongside most of the top backups.
And he nearly sacked Aaron Rodgers and threw a wrench in the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s Jets debut Saturday in the preseason finale.
The Giants sat their projected Week 1 starters on both sides of the ball in a 32-24 loss, with the teams set to meet again Oct. 27 in the regular season.
“Oh, I wanted that sack. I definitely did,” Simmons said. “It’s OK. We’ll see them again.”
After a 24-hour crash course in the defensive playbook, the versatile Simmons blitzed off the left edge on a third-and-12 and powered through a helpless block from running back Michael Carter to get his outstretched hand on Rodgers as the quarterback scrambled to the sideline.
That play ended in an incompletion, but the fan base already is convinced that great things are in store for the former No. 8-overall draft pick because he just needed a change of scenery after he failed to live up to expectations with the Cardinals.
General manager Joe Schoen made a low-risk, high-reward trade Thursday when he dealt a 2024 seventh-round pick for Simmons, a 25-year-old linebacker with 37 career starts who is owed just $1.01 million this season.
“I think the Giants got a good deal,” Simmons said with a wry smile. “We’ll see if it was worth the seventh [round] pick or not.”
There have been mixed messages over whether Simmons prefers to play safety (as he reportedly requested in Arizona earlier this preseason) or rush the passer, as the NBC telecast reported was his message to Giants head coach Brian Daboll.
Simmons played 532 snaps in coverage and just 65 as a rusher last season, according to Pro Football Focus, but he hunted Rodgers on five of the six snaps he played in his Giants’ debut.
“I don’t really have too many discomforts on the field just because I have spent so much time in various different places,” Simmons said. “I’m comfortable rushing the passer just like I’m comfortable playing half-field or post safety. At the end of the day, it’s just a position and a responsibility.”
Simmons arrived at the Giants’ facility Friday afternoon and was on the field about 24 hours later. Defensive coordinator Wink Martindale, who preaches a position-less scheme, might be most excited about the acquisition of Simmons based on pre-draft scouting evaluations made in 2020.
“He utilizes his players to the best of their ability, so I don’t have worries about what his plan is for me,” Simmons said. “My ability to generate big plays … can come about at any point in the game. That’s really one of my strong suits. I’m able to affect the game on multiple levels.”
Simmons expects to be ready to face the Cowboys on Sept. 10.
“I’m just looking forward to really getting going,” Simmons said. “Nothing out of the ordinary, but I definitely dove into the playbook already because I want to be ready Week 1.”
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