Provides Immediate Boost in Pass Coverage

It’s a real luxury to have a linebacker with the versatility Isaiah Simmons brings to the table. That potential for impact will help the Cardinals right out of the gate and particularly with slowing down typically difficult matchups.

The Cardinals clearly needed help with their pass coverage as they gave up 4,510 passing yards (29th), 38 passing touchdowns (29th), and 342 1st downs by passing (30th) in 2019. Teams were moving the chains far too easily against Arizona and it mostly came as a result of little resistance to their passing attack.

The main weakness the Cardinals had in pass coverage situations was an inability to cover tight ends. They gave up 1,148 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns to that particular position in 2019, both of which was the most in the entire NFL.

Simmons being able to cover running backs that are receiving threats out of the backfield will provide a boost to the Cardinals’ defense, too. In addition, he can be used at times as a pass rusher and has the physical intangibles to provide legitimate pressure on the quarterback.