Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah Simmons left a bad first impression in preseason Week 1.
The 2025 free agent addition had a nightmarish performance on Saturday against the New York Jets, perhaps best exemplified by one play that made the rounds on social media, receiving over 1.1 million views in less than 48 hours.
Isaiah Simmons…
— The Packer Backer Tracker (@BackerofPack) August 10, 2025
That’s as bad of a rep as you’re going to see. pic.twitter.com/SuHNzOQMf5
Viral Rep Is Small Part of Overall Bad Performance from Isaiah Simmons
On the play, Jets quarterback Justin Fields connected with fullback Andrew Beck (No. 47). Beck began the play as an off-set tight end next to left tackle Olu Fashanu and traced back to the right after the snap.
That's when he crossed paths with Simmons, who instantly became lost, drifting back into the secondary and running into cornerback Keisean Nixon, giving Fields the easy completion, which Beck turned into a 24-yard gain.
Per Pro Football Focus grades, Simmons was the second-worst Packers defender in the 30-10 loss, receiving a 29.4 overall score (out of 100). According to PFF data, he allowed five receptions on six coverage targets for 76 yards and one touchdown. Simmons was also credited with two missed tackles.
Praised for his defensive versatility entering the league after being selected No. 8 overall by the Arizona Cardinals, Simmons ended up being traded to the New York Giants in August 2023 for a 2024 seventh-round pick after a failed preseason move from linebacker to safety.
He never played more than a minor role in New York, starting five games overall and playing a career-low 181 defensive snaps last season.
Simmons signed with the Packers on a one-year, $1.3 million contract following the 2025 NFL Draft and quickly drew praise from linebacker coach Sean Duggan.
"He's a very eager player right now, and he's extremely athletic," Duggan told Packers.com in May.
"I think his versatility is going to be something that's special," he added, noting his rare speed — he ran a 4.39s 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine — for someone of his size (6-foot-4, 238 pounds).
As tantalizing as his athleticism is, he'll need to put more positives on film over the next two weeks to justify a spot on the 53-man roster.
Green Bay, which runs a base 4-2 defense with four linemen, two linebackers, and five defensive backs, is set at the top two linebacker positions with homegrown prospects Edgerrin Cooper and Quay Walker.
In March, the Packers re-signed dependable linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, who started all 17 games last season, on a reasonable two-year, $8 million deal.
Green Bay also has 2024 third-round pick Ty'Ron Hopper, former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kristian Welch, and 2025 undrafted free agents Jared Bartlett and Jamon Johnson vying for roster spots.
Hopper primarily played special teams as a rookie but was the highest-graded linebacker in the preseason opener, receiving an 88.6 overall from PFF.
He had eight tackles, while Welch led the team with nine. Bartlett was also solid, credited with two stops, defined by PFF as tackles that constitute a loss for the offense, but Johnson struggled, leading the team with four missed tackles.
Simmons will need to rally to claim one of the backup linebacker positions. Based on his first preseason appearance, he has a lot of room to grow.