ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For the first time since Week 17 of the 2017 season, the Denver Broncos will play a game without Justin Simmons this Sunday.
On Wednesday, the Broncos’ All-Pro safety was placed on the injured reserve, which means he will miss at least Denver’s next four games, starting with Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans.
Despite suffering a quad injury in the second half of Monday night’s loss to the Seahawks, the seventh year star finished out the game.
“He’s just a tough guy, so he stayed in there and rolled with it and finished the game,” Nathaniel Hackett said on Wednesday.
The Broncos aren’t just losing a starter, they’re losing their most decorated defensive player, a captain and their Ironman.
Since the beginning of the 2018 season, Simmons has not only started every single game for Denver, he’s played in over 99.8 percent of the defensive snaps. Of the Broncos’ 4,365 plays in that span, he’s only missed six snaps. Six.
“He’s a competitor,” Hackett said, when asked about Simmons’ impressive streak of staying on the field. “He’s one of those guys—he played the whole game with it. I have so much respect for him, just as a person and as a player.”
But on Sunday, Simmons streak of starting 66 consecutive games will come to an end and the Broncos will have to find a new starter next to Kareem Jackson.
“It’s hard to replace a guy like Justin Simmons. What he does for our defense and what he does in that locker room for this team [and] with this leadership—it’s tough,” Jackson said, talking to the media in place of Simmons, who usually has his weekly press conference on Wednesdays. “I’m sure everybody in the community knows what type of guy he is on and off of the field, but it’s—for us, we pride ourselves on having the next guy available and ready. Caden Sterns has played a ton of ball in this league in such a short time, so I think he’s very ready for the situation and the opportunity. I think he’ll come in and I think he’ll play great.”
Despite Hackett not initially giving the starting job to Sterns on Wednesday, Jackson immediately pointed to the second-year safety as Simmons’ replacement.
As a rookie, the former fifth-round pick was one of the most efficient players in the NFL last year. While playing in less than 30 percent of the defensive plays in 2021, Sterns racked up 28 tackles, five passes defended, two sacks, two tackles for a loss, two quarterback hits and two interceptions
Sterns carried that over in Monday night’s game against the Seahawks. Despite only playing five defensive snaps, Sterns had two tackles.
For the past three years, Simmons and Jackson have played next to each other for nearly every snap. Without Simmons by his side, Jackson isn’t worried about a drop off in communication between he and Sterns.
“Caden has played a ton of ball at a high level in this league in such a short time, but he’s a smart player,” the veteran safety stated, showing his confidence in the 22-year-old Sterns. “We’ve used him in a bunch of different roles. For him to step in and play safety, he did it a little bit for me last year when I was out, so like I said, he has a ton of experience. I expect him to step in and play great.”
The Broncos could also turn to P.J. Locke, who had an impressive offseason and training camp, or rookie Delarrin Turner-Yell. Additionally, the team signed veteran safety Anthony Harris to their practice squad on Wednesday.
Harris has started 61 games since entering the NFL in 2015. His six interceptions with the Vikings in 2019 led the league.
Despite the veteran presence in Harris, Jackson believes Sterns will get the first shot at starting alongside him.
There’s no exact timeframe for Simmons’ return outside of the mandatory four games he’ll miss with being placed on the injured reserve. For at least the next month, the Broncos will have to try and fill the shoes of an All Pro.
