The Denver Broncos could end up regretting -- substantially -- the team's decision to move on from safety Justin Simmons in the 2024 offseason. Simmons, who has been with the Broncos since 2016, has been a staple both for the organization and the Denver community. And the team may already be starting to regret the decision to flat-out cut him instead of finding a way to keep him around.
The Broncos saved a lot of much-needed cap space by cutting Simmons earlier this offseason, but how much are they going to be sacrificing at the safety position? This is one of the biggest questions Denver Broncos fans have this offseason and rightfully so. The team's response to cutting Simmons was to sign former Miami Dolphins third-round pick Brandon Jones, an ascending young player at the position.
So why would they be regretting the decision to cut Simmons at this point?
Well, it's early in the offseason, but Brandon Jones hasn't been practicing in full at this point, and neither has Caden Sterns. The safety depth is depleted to the point that Devon Key has been getting some run with the top defense. With all due respect to Key -- a very hard worker for this team and someone who could wind up making the final roster -- that's just flat-out bad news for the Denver defense.
Broncos fans will be sending up the Justin Simmons "bat signal" all year long if the team struggles at the safety position, and the guys currently on the roster don't exactly have the greatest track record of health.
We all know Caden Sterns's injury issues are well documented. Brandon Jones was limited to just seven games in 2022. PJ Locke was limited to 12 games last year. JL Skinner -- who still is scarcely mentioned at all -- missed part of last offseason with a pectoral injury pre-dating his time with the Broncos.
Are you picking up what I'm putting down?
It won't be long before people are coming down harshly on head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton for moving on from Justin Simmons. Even though there is seemingly a plan with PJ Locke and Brandon Jones. Hopefully Caden Sterns can stay healthy enough to play as well. But Simmons, as of the time this post is being written, still lives in Denver. He's still a free agent. He's available.
Could there be a reunion between Simmons and the Broncos? As fans of the team, you would hope so, but it seems less and less likely by the day. The reality is that the Broncos may be stuck with the situation they've created and it could end up being their most regrettable decision of the 2024 offseason. Maybe the only one.
