NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee rookie quarterback Malik Willis made an important decision when he found himself facing Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons in a practice camp tackling drill.
He dropped straight to the ground.
“I said, ‘No, this can’t be,'” Willis said at camp Sunday. “But it’s just an exercise. I turned around… I let myself fall, he was going to hit me”.
Other NFL quarterbacks don’t have that luxury when faced with the 300-pound, 6-foot-3 lineman, who is coming off his best season. He didn’t just help the Titans take first place in the AFC. With a team that added 58 quarterback pressures, Simmons had a career-high 8 1/2 sacks in his third season.
Simmons added three sacks in a division loss to Cincinnati, setting a franchise playoff record. Linebacker Harold Landry, who led the Titans with a career-high 12 sacks last season, said it was Simmons who set the pace for the defense.
“He’s absolutely one of the best leaders you’re going to find,” Landry admitted. “I’m excited to have him, to be by his side.”
Simmons has shown the Titans and his teammates how much he wants to lead the team.
Although he changed agents this summer, Simmons reported to training camp on time. He is under contract through 2023 after the Titans picked up his fifth-year option. Questions were raised at mandatory minicamp, however, about whether he would pursue a new deal after Simmons attended but did not take the field.
On the first day of camp, Simmons declined to answer questions about whether he’s looking for a new contract.
“I’m not going to talk about the contract,” Simmons said. “I am focused on the game. I’m in the camp, I’m here. I’m trying to be the best player I can.”
The Titans expect a lot from Simmons, who fell to them 19th overall in the 2019 Draft after he tore his ACL in February.
Simmons not only led Tennessee in five games this season in sacks, he also held off Josh Allen on fourth-and-first to seal the win over Buffalo.
Simmons responded by working harder this offseason.