The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone out and overhauled this roster during the offseason, adding starters and quality depth to numerous positions. However, while they have completely renovated the ILB room by signing Cole Holcomb, Elandon Roberts, and Tanner Muse, there still is some uneasiness regarding how this unit will hold up compared to the 2022 group that failed to make any splash plays last season.
While Holcomb has the skill set to be a three-down LB in the league and Mark Robinson should take a step forward in his second season, Pittsburgh would be wise to keep their options open and look to continue to improve the room both for the 2023 season as well as for the future.
Enter Arizona Cardinals LB Isaiah Simmons.
Let me preface this by saying that Pittsburgh hasn’t shown any known interest in acquiring Simmons, but rather that a potential trade for Simmons prior to the start of the 2023 season is plausible for a few reasons.
First, the Cardinals are going through a complete rebuild of their roster and are seeing a mass exodus of players from the former regime. J.J. Watt has announced his retirement while new GM Monti Ossenfort has released veterans like EDGE Markus Golden who recently signed with the Steelers and WR DeAndre Hopkins who is looking to sign with a contender. The Cardinals declined the fifth-year option on Simmons this offseason, making him a free agent after the 2023 season.
Isaiah Simmons is an athletic freak as a LB/S hybrid that has shown flashes of impressive play but has struggled with inconsistency over his first three seasons in the league. The #8 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Simmons tested off the charts at the NFL Combine, running a 4.38 40 at 6’3 5/8”, 238lb while also posting a 39” vert and an 11’0” broad. He has started 37-of-50 games played in three NFL seasons, racking up 258 tackles, 13 TFLs, 7.5 sacks, four INTs, 16 PBUs, seven forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. Still, while Simmons has provided a lot of splash plays for his first three years in the league, he saw himself fighting for snaps at points last season due to inconsistent play.
The Steelers have shown a willingness to explore the trading block to add to their roster prior to the start of the regular season in the past. Last season, they traded with the Denver Broncos for EDGE Malik Reed in attempt to add depth at OLB behind T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith. In 2021, they traded for LB Joe Schobert, sending a sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars during the preseason to acquire their starter opposite Devin Bush. Pittsburgh has also traded for TE Vance McDonald, CB Justin Gilbert, and made the big move to acquire S Minkah Fitzpatrick while the 2019 season was underway, sending a first-round pick to Miami to fill a big hole on their roster with a talented, high pedigree playmaker.
The Steelers have had their most active offseason in recent memory, signing numerous free agents from outside the organization while also trading for WR Allen Robinson II and maneuvered up and down the draft board to select several notable players like OT Broderick Jones and TE Darnell Washington. Omar Khan has shown a wiliness to be aggressive (which Mike Tomlin recognizes), using all avenues to try and improve this roster. Going out and acquiring a player like Isaiah Simmons wouldn’t be out-of-line for the mantra that Khan has fit this offseason: add big, physical football players with pedigree/proven production in attempt to make the Steelers a better football team.
Given the fact that Pittsburgh were in attendance for Clemson’s Pro Day, one of the few they were able to attend prior to the start of the COVID pandemic, Mike Tomlin and former GM Kevin Colbert got an up-close look at Simmons, the top prospect participating for the Tigers that day.
The Steelers are still attempting to fill the void at ILB since the loss of Ryan Shazier to a career-ending neck injury, having tried and failed at finding a long-term solution via free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft. Going out and acquiring a player built in a similar mold as Shazier in Isaiah Simmons who is still only 24-years-old could be a potential solution to Pittsburgh’s ILB room, adding an ultra-athletic playmaker that still is on his rookie deal and would be able to get to see him play for a season before deciding to commit to him with a long-term deal.
Simmons is a former top ten pick, so the trade package to acquire him is the big sticking point. If Omar Khan were able to acquire Simmons at a value like he has for most of the offseason, a potential deal would be more plausible. However, if Arizona’s asking price is high, Pittsburgh likely won’t wade through those waters given the fact that Simmons is on the last year of his deal.
Ultimately, the Steelers need to find a long-term solution to the ILB room and find a player that can bring more splash to what has been a stagnant position group the last several years. Isaiah Simmons could be that guy as a former top draft pick with the pedigree, athletic profile, and NFL production Tomlin and the Steelers love. We shall see if Pittsburgh does indeed look to bolster their ILB room yet before the start of the 2023 season, but if they do explore the trade market, Isaiah Simmons is a name to keep in mind.
