Tennessee Titans All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons has terrorized opposing offensive lines in the AFC South since his 19th-overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft. After receiving a historic three-year, $105.8 million extension yesterday afternoon (making him the highest paid defensive tackle in NFL history), the four-time Pro Bowler, three-time All-Pro and three-time Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee will continue to do so until 2030 at the least.
That's not a new problem for the Houston Texans, as they've already had their litany of clashes with their in-division counterpart for the better part of a decade. In their two most recent meetings, Simmons had his way with Houston's offensive line, racking up eight total tackles (five tackles for loss), two sacks and two quarterback hits. His defensive dominance along the interior portions of the trenches part of the reason why the Texans decided to completely overhaul their offensive line unit ahead of their 25th anniversary season.
Simmons is a significant hurdle that Houston's new unit will have to clear in order to help truly validate whether or not the front office's moves actually got the job done.
Texans' new offensive interior will have to prove itself against Jeffrey Simmons
Over the offseason, general manager Nick Caserio made it his mission to infuse the roster with new upfront blockers that would not only keep quarterback C.J. Stroud upright, but would combine to finally produce a sturdy enough wall that would allow for the offense to better control contests at the line of scrimmage as a whole.
This time last season, they entered regular season play with players like Laken Tomlinson, Jake Andrews and Ed Ingram manning the three interior positions along the line. They even played a portion of games while rotating Tomlinson with former Texan Juice Scruggs at the left guard position.
Yes, there was a time when offensive coordinator Nick Caley and offensive line coach Cole Popovich led an actual offensive game plan in a professional league that called for two different players to occupy one offensive line role in real time while some of the most ferocious defenders in the league came barreling toward Houston's backfield. Thankfully, that arrangement is a thing of the past, as Houston brought on the likes of three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All Pro Wyatt Teller and Georgia Tech rookie Keylan Rutledge as new additions, while re-signing their breakout interior mauler in Ingram.
This has helped to create an identity of physicality, tenacity and intensity, as Caley and co. are venturing to better emulate the franchise edict of S.W.A.R.M. whenever the offensive big men are on the field. Simmons would certainly test that new standard, as the newly-minted "highest paid ever" defensive tackle would most likely be looking forward to doing his part to ensure the Texans don't establish any kind of consistent push against the Titans' defensive line.
Regardless of how much money Simmons would've been playing for in 2026, Houston would still have to bring their proverbial lunch pails to contend with the 6-foot-4, 305-pound behemoth on Sundays. This time around though, the Texans and their new-look offensive line might finally have a shot at keeping Simmons off balance and out of Stroud's chestplate.
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