Giants re-signing this former top defensive prospect

Last summer, Isaiah Simmons saw his time with the Cardinals come to an end. The former top-10 pick was dealt to the Giants with the hope of finding a consistent role on his new team.

Simmons succeeded in earning himself an extended stay in New York. The Giants announced on Friday that he has been re-signed, allowing him to continue his play from the 2023 campaign. Simmons, 25, appeared in all 17 games last season while starting four. He logged a defensive snap share of just 33%, but he chipped in on special teams as well.

Last year injected more instability into Simmons’ situation. Already a hybrid player whose role fluctuated in Arizona, the Cardinals shuttled him from linebacker to safety on a full-time basis. Simmons is believed to have requested the move, but the Cardinals’ new regime instead accepted a low-end return – a seventh-round pick – to ship him to the Giants. New York then returned the Clemson alum to a linebacking role but did not install him as a starter.

Simmons, 25, had started 30 games for the Cardinals from 2021-22, including all 17 during the 2021 season. In New York, he played behind Micah McFadden and free-agency addition Bobby Okereke. McFadden logged nearly 300 more defensive snaps than Simmons last season, though Pro Football Focus still viewed the trade pickup as a top-35 player at the position. Simmons did return an interception for a 54-yard touchdown – in a midseason win over the Commanders – and start the final three games, but he only saw a full-time workload in one game as a Giant. This brought a change from his high-usage Cardinals past.

After adding Okereke on a $10M-per-year deal in 2023, the Giants have not made any outside moves at the position this offseason. McFadden remains under contract, but the Giants do have a new defensive coordinator – in Shane Bowen – calling the shots. It will be interesting to see if the new DC is intrigued by the prospect of a former top-10 pick being in the mix and offers an opportunity to vie for a starting role alongside Okereke.