2021 NFL free agency preview: Justin Simmons in Dolphins’ defensive backfield? Scary

Free agency begins March 17. Who are the best players available? And will the Dolphins make a play for them? We explore in this series of player profiles ahead of the league new year.

Justin Simmons

2020 team: Denver Broncos.

Position: Safety.

Age: 27.

ESPN free agent ranking: 9.

2020 stats: Sixteen games (all starts), 96 tackles (three for loss), five interceptions, nine passes defensed, 102.2 passer rating allowed, 77.4 Pro Football Focus grade.

2020 salary: $11.4 million.

Market value (per Spotrac): Five years, $77.4 million.

Player summary: Simmons, a 2020 Pro Bowler and a 2019 all-pro, will be a coveted free agent if the Broncos let him become one. But that seems unlikely. Rather, he appears destined for the franchise tag for the second consecutive season. Even the 20 percent up-charge from last year’s number is reasonable — $13.7 million — particularly since the Broncos have the eighth-most cap space in the NFL (close to $40 million).

Likelihood he joins the Dolphins: Low. If not for the franchise tag issue, we could definitely see the Dolphins as players for Simmons. Brian Flores loves to double and triple down on defensive backs, and the team is said to be looking to move on from at least one of last year’s safety tandem (Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain). Pairing him with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones would be ridiculous. But giving up cap space and an asset for a safety in a tag-and-trade? We just don’t see it.

Quotable: “For Justin, just looking back over three decades [of coaching], I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of good players and he’s another one — he brings stuff that I’ve never had before,” said last month. “Just the way he connects people. There are so many little things that go on daily that nobody sees that helps us as a coaching staff.” — Denver Broncos defensive coordinator defensive coordinator Ed Donatell on Justin Simmons.

This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 11:14 AM.

Adam H. Beasley

Miami Herald

305-376-2387

Adam Beasley has covered the Dolphins for the Miami Herald since 2012, and has worked for the newspaper since 2006. He is a graduate of Syracuse University’s S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and has written about sports professionally since 1996. Support my work with a digital subscription