The Isaiah Simmons experiment with the Green Bay Packers did not last long. After signing with the franchise during the offseason, the former top-10 draft pick was released at the deadline for 53-man rosters to be finalized, ending any chances he had of making an impact on the Packers.
Green Bay provided Simmons with every opportunity they could to make this partnership work. The Packers shifted him to linebacker to see if that would be a better fit moving forward. It wasn't. His inability to stay with opposing players in coverage, combined with entirely too many missed tackles and an overall lack of big play production, ultimately dug his own grave in Green Bay.
After going over a month with no real interest from other teams, Simmons scored a workout with a playoff contender this week. Unfortunately, for Simmons, it did not lead to the outcome he was hoping for.
Steelers Pass on Signing Ex-Packers LB Isaiah Simmons After Workout
According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, Simmons recently worked out for the Pittsburgh Steelers. In addition to Simmons, Pittsburgh brought in fellow linebacker Michael Barrett for a workout. While there was at least some level of interest from the Steelers in Simmons and Barrett, neither left the Steel City on Wednesday with a contract offer.
The Steelers did, however, sign LB Jacoby Windmon to the practice squad, filling the open spot they had with that group. This is a reunion of sorts, as Pittsburgh identified Windmon after he wasn't selected in the 2024 draft and originally signed him to the practice squad before the Carolina Panthers signed him off of it.
With the Steelers off the board as a potential option, Simmons is forced to go back to the drawing board in hopes of identifying any other situations where his services could be utilized. Given the lack of real interest out there at the moment, it might be a while before the 27-year-old has another opportunity to rewrite the book on his NFL career.
Not that they needed it, but Pittsburgh's electing to pass on Simmons after hosting him for a workout only proves the Packers made the right decision in August. With how poorly training camp and the preseason played out for Simmons, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the front office made the not-so-tough decision to move on from the veteran altogether, as it was the best option for this team at the time and remains so in the long run.
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