Arizona Cardinals might have a dynamic duo at linebacker
By Sion Fawkes
While Arizona Cardinals linebackers Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons have seen growing pains, they have also shown growth.
Earlier this season, I lambasted Isaiah Simmons for being nothing more than a splash player. However, it seems as though the Arizona Cardinals first round pick from 2020 has picked up his game steadily throughout the season after initially losing his starting job after an abysmal performance in Week 1.
Meanwhile, Zaven Collins, who many had riding the bust label heading into the season, has really come into his own. While he secured his first career pick six last week against the Minnesota Vikings, Collins has also become a pivotal run stuffer, having tallied five tackles behind the line and 61 combined stops.
Over a bleak 2022 season where Cardinals fans are looking for just a single ray of positivity, they may have found one in Simmons and Collins. Let’s break down this duo even more and see if they can keep up their newfound high-octane approach.
Can Arizona Cardinals linebackers Simmons and Collins keep it up?
Simmons and Collins are both young players in their third and second seasons, respectively. Regardless of whether the Arizona Cardinals continue with the pace they are on, or if they end up tearing everything down and rebuilding, Simmons and Collins will be important pieces on the team.
I can see the Cardinals ultimately placing Simmons at inside linebacker permanently, as opposed to the failed experimentation that has seen him playing multiple positions in 2022. His career, has, in a manner of speaking, gone the same way as Haason Reddick’s, where coaches have simply misused him.
Simmons, when used properly, has proven he can be an effective player and there is a chance he wears the red, white, and black for years to come if he continues to improve in his niche, which takes an insurmountable amount of pressure off his shoulders.
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Collins has simply made a remarkable jump, and I can see his arrow pointing north as he is on pace for 115 tackles, nine tackles behind the line, and four sacks. Even as the weak sister in the NFC West, Simmons and Collins, assuming they keep up their current pace, will give Arizona Cardinals fans everywhere a reason to believe that better days are ahead.
(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)
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