For the last two offseasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have been tied to the likes of All-Pro safety Justin Simmons. The former Denver Broncos’ connection to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is a big reason why.<\/p>\n
But there’s a reason why the Eagles avoided Simmons last season. And there’s an even bigger reason why he remains unsigned now.<\/p>\n
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Simmons struggled in his lone season with the Atlanta Falcons last year. He’s on the wrong side of 30, and has dealt with ineffective play over the last few years. In his mind, going back to play for a play-caller in Fangio that helped him reach All-Pro status is a no-brainer.<\/p>\n
It’s why his name continues to come up when the Eagles consider any free agent players.<\/p>\n
“He wants to come to Philadelphia,” Brian Baldinger said on NFL Network. “He wants to be there. They drafted Andrew Mukuba out of Texas, which is good. They’ve drafted Sydney Brown to go along with Reed Blankenship. There’s players there, but no one with the numbers, the interceptions, and really the leadership that he can provide.<\/p>\n
“They lost Darius Slay. They lost some leaders in that secondary. He provides that…Just find him a house in South Jersey. He’s gonna be here.”<\/p>\n
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Leadership only goes so far – especially for a team that just won the Super Bowl. The fact that the Eagles have drafted a safety in the second round, as well as traded away Chauncey Gardner-Johnson this offseason, shows that the Eagles are looking to get younger on defense.<\/p>\n
And whether Simmons wants to be an Eagle or not is irrelevant. The team clearly doesn’t want him.<\/p>\n
Related: Eagles Sign Prospect Who Was 6-8 And 455 Pounds In High School<\/a><\/p>\n