Titans' Jeffery Simmons sheds 20 pounds, aims for more sacks in 2025
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee coach Brian Callahan and Jeffery Simmons both agree on what they want to see more this upcoming season from the Titans defensive lineman.
More sacks.
The three-time Pro Bowl lineman had just five sacks in 2024, his fewest since his second NFL season in 2020. Simmons ranked third on the Titans behind linebacker Harold Landry III, released in March, and linebacker Arden Key.
Worse, the Titans tied Carolina with 32 sacks for third fewest in the NFL behind only New England (28) and Atlanta (31).
Callahan said the goal is to see Simmons do more than just affect quarterbacks and take those players to the ground more. He knows the six-year veteran and first-round pick in 2019 can be better at that. He also believes Simmons is driven to do just that.
'He's always working at something, and I think he's grown as a person,' Callahan said Tuesday. 'He continues to grow as a player. You'd like to feel like he's sort of hitting his prime at this point with the experience that he has and the amount he's played to get the best version of Jeff this year.'
Simmons was on the field as the Titans started their mandatory three-day minicamp Tuesday. Simmons said he's lost about 20 pounds and weighed in Tuesday morning at 301.
The Titans have been talking about how to improve their sack numbers. Simmons said it's a big emphasis for him and the defense knowing that simply pressuring quarterbacks doesn't win games.
'We got to stop saying just affect the quarterback,' Simmons said. 'We've got to sack the quarterbacks.'
Simmons, the 19th pick in 2019 from Mississippi State, finds himself as the longest-tenured member of the Titans' defense along with safety Amani Hooker, a fourth-round pick that same draft out of Iowa.
Tennessee is trying to snap a skid of three straight losing seasons, the last a 3-14 mark in Callahan's debut as head coach.
Simmons is a key piece of a defense that ranked second in the NFL in giving up 177.3 yards passing and 311.2 total yards per game. The Titans also were 26th against the run, allowing 133.9 yards and 30th in points per game (27.1).
That led to Simmons' absence from the voluntary offseason program being criticized by outsiders. Simmons said working out on his own was a personal decision.
'It was a lot of different things that I did,' Simmons said. 'The biggest thing was being consistent with my every day living from my meal prep to the way I was training. ... I weighed in today on a good note.'
Simmons showed off his speed carrying fewer pounds, breaking through at one point for what would have been a sack of rookie Cam Ward — the No. 1 overall draft pick. Simmons also gave Ward a nice taste of trash talking having heard how good the rookie is at that part of football.
'I haven't spent much time around them and talking smack to me and get back in the huddle and able to operate the offense, that's exciting,' Simmons said. 'And like I say, he got a lot of confidence.'
Waiting on Sneed
Callahan said cornerback L'Jarius Sneed probably won't be seen during this minicamp on the field. The Titans traded for Sneed last offseason, and the two-time Super Bowl champ played only five games before landing on injured reserve.
The Titans coach said what they've seen from Sneed has been fantastic and they know his track record as a player. Now Callahan said Sneed has to prove that in Tennessee, which he hasn't done yet.
'We just hope we need to get that version of him out here for us,' Callahan said.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Yankees at Reds Prediction: Odds, expert picks, starting pitchers, betting trends and stats for June 23
Its Monday, June 23 and the Yankees (45-32) are in Cincinnati to take on the Reds (40-38). Allan Winans is slated to take the mound for New York against Nick Lodolo for Cincinnati. After stumbling through the early part of the week, the Yankees took two of three over the weekend against the Orioles including a 4-2 win yesterday. Jazz Chisholm, Jr. drove in two with a pair of doubles as the Yankees increased their lead in the American League East to 2.5 games over Tampa Bay. Advertisement The Reds knocked off the Cardinals 4-1, Sunday to snap a three-game losing streak. Cincinnati managed just six hits against St. Louis but four of the six were for extra bases. Andrew Abbott allowed just a single run over seven innings to earn his seventh win of the season as the Reds pulled to within 6.5 games of the first place Cubs with the win. Lets dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two. We've got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch tipoff, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts. Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long. Game details & how to watch Yankees at Reds Date: Monday, June 23, 2025 Time: 7:10PM EST Site: Great American Ball Park City: Cincinnati, OH Network/Streaming: YES, FDSNOH Advertisement Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out. Odds for the Yankees at the Reds The latest odds as of Monday: Moneyline: Yankees (-124), Reds (+104) Spread: Yankees -1.5 Total: 10.0 runs Probable starting pitchers for Yankees at Reds Pitching matchup for June 23, 2025: Allan Winans vs. Nick Lodolo Yankees: Allan Winans Last outing: 1st appearance of the season with the Yankees Reds: Nick Lodolo (5-5, 3.71 ERA) Last outing: 6/18 vs. Minnesota - 6IP, 2ER, 3H, 2BB, 4Ks Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type! Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Yankees at Reds The Yankees are on a 3-game win streak in Cincinnati The Under has cashed in the Yankees' last 3 games overall The Reds have covered in their last 3 games against the Yankees Elly De La Cruz was 4-13 (.308) in the series against St. Louis with 3 extra base hits Aaron Judge was 4-10 (.400) over the weekend against Baltimore Anthony Volpe is 3-26 (.115) over his last 8 games Advertisement If you're looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our MLB Top Trends tool on NBC Sports! Expert picks & predictions for tonight's game between the Yankees and the Reds Rotoworld Best Bet Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700. Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts. Advertisement Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager. Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Monday's game between the Yankees and the Reds: Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the New York Yankees on the Moneyline. Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Cincinnati Reds at +1.5. Total: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Game Total of 10.0. Want even more MLB best bets and predictions from our expert staff & tools? Check out the Expert MLB Predictions page from NBC Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
5 Tennessee Titans games named 'the least watchable' of 2025 season
When the NFL released the regular season schedule for 2025, many were shocked that the Tennessee Titans would not play any primetime games. While the league's spokesperson outlined the reasoning for this, it was still a bit of an outlier as compared to past league history. Of course, with no one knowing what to expect from the Titans in 2025, keeping them out of primetime may be the safest way to go for the NFL and the networks, who rely on viewership and advertising as part of their revenue stream. With many analysts predicting another horrid season ahead, the current excitement could easily disappear if the losses begin to pile up. Even before the start of the season, multiple Titans matchups have been named among the league's least watchable games. The matrix used analyzed every game, filtering it through an algorithm based on win-loss disparity, Super Bowl odds, and initial point spreads, and then allowed the computers to do their work. Giants, Browns, Titans Top 'Bottom' List The New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans each appear 5 times on our Top 25 Least Watchable Games list this season. Three Week 18 games fill out the bottom of the list. The Tennessee Titans game at Jacksonville in Week 18 rates as the least watchable of all the 272 NFL games this season. The Carolina Panthers game across the state of Florida during Week 18 and the in-state rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns are close behind. When it's all over, the Titans will join the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns with five games on top of the least watchable games list on their schedule. That includes the league's least watchable game of the season, as released by their computers, the Week 18 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The other least watchable games are against the Arizona Cardinals (Week 5), Las Vegas Raiders (Week 6), and San Francisco 49ers (Week 15). Ironically, all Titans road games in 2025, an incredible feat for a team that hasn't won a home game in regulation since the 2023 season. Luckily, there are many things that must still play out before the first snap is taken this year, and things will change across the league. There are still player additions, injuries, and a myriad of other questions that must be answered during training camp before an accurate assessment can be made, especially for a young team like the Titans. Right now, this should be viewed as more bulletin board material as they prepare for the season.
USA Today
38 minutes ago
- USA Today
John Harbaugh's legendary career gets its due with eye-opening HC ranking
The proper respect is given to the Ravens' John Harbaugh in a recent ranking of NFL head coaches. Whenever we discuss the Baltimore Ravens' rivalry with the Pittsburgh Steelers, we mention bruised bodies and longtime animosity. We mention legends and Pro Football Hall of Famers, and though we talk about the longevity of two great head coaches, we probably don't delve into what they have accomplished often enough. No two current leaders of any two football teams have met at midfield to exchange postgame handshakes more often than John Harbaugh and Pittsburgh's Mike Tomlin. In total, they've locked horns 38 times, and it will be a long time before any two meet or exceed their number. Harbaugh enters year 18 as Ravens head coach. His tenure is second only to, you guessed it, Mike Tomlin. He enters year 19. John Harbaugh lands third on Pro Football Network's ranking of NFL head coaches. Time has flown. Though he still looks like he is in his twenties, Harbaugh's near-20-year run enters another season with much on the line. The same is true for Tomlin. The Steelers will be expected to qualify for postseason contention as well. Their annual pair of clashes will have much to say about where they are seeded. Pro Football Network's Brandon Austin recently ranked the NFL's head coaches. These two rivals both earned top-ten rankings. Tomlin lands at seven. Harbaugh is ranked third. Here's Austin's reasoning behind placing John among the top three. "John Harbaugh has been a model of consistency since taking over as the Baltimore Ravens' head coach in 2008. A Super Bowl champion, Harbaugh has delivered double-digit win seasons in six of the past seven years, with just one losing record since 2016... Harbaugh's adaptability is one of his greatest strengths. He won with Joe Flacco. Then, once Lamar Jackson arrived, he and the staff reshaped the team around his unique skill set, and it worked faster than many expected." No lies have been told so far. Let's continue... "Harbaugh has stood the test of time, battling in two separate loaded AFC eras. He went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Ben Roethlisberger. Now, he's perennially challenging Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Joe Burrow for conference supremacy." Coach Harbaugh is only exceeded on this list by Andy Reid and Sean McVay. Nick Sirianni (ranked fourth) and Dan Campbell (fifth) round out the top five. Kyle Shanahan (sixth), Jim Harbaugh (eighth), Matt LaFleur (ninth), and Sean Payton (tenth) round out the top ten. Typically, when we discuss the brilliance of what we see on the sidelines weekly, Harbaugh isn't brought up. Some see that as being disrespectful. That's understandable, but perhaps this happiness serves another purpose. Could an argument be made that John Harbaugh is so good that he is taken for granted? Don't worry. Another Vince Lombardi Trophy will place him in rare air. He'll have a chance to win one next February as, thanks to his leadership, Baltimore will again be among the AFC's top Super Bowl contenders.
