No Broncos’ defender will benefit more from the switch to Fangio’s Defense than safety Justin Simmons." Denver Broncos Roster2019 Broncos roster review: Safety Justin SimmonsNew Royce Freeman Jersey ,29commentsNo Broncos’ defender will benefit more from the switch to Fangio’s Defense than safety Justin Simmons. MDTDrafted in the third round of the 2016 draft, Justin Simmons had an impressive rookie season under then-defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Simmons never really materialized into the superior safety we all hoped when Joe Woods took over the defense under new head coach Vance Joseph in 2017. optimistic that he’ll benefit from the Vic Fangio defense as much or more than any other member of the 2019 Denver Broncos. The goodWatching Simmons’ 2018 tape, I was immediately struck by the sheer variety of his assignments from down to down. On any given play, he could line up as a deep safety in a single or two high shell, or play in the box, or even line up in the slot. It seems simple on the surface, but each of those carries significantly different keys and responsibilities. Wherever he lined up, Simmons shined as a run defender last year. Most defensive backs aren’t looking to mix it up in the muck with the hogs, but that isn’t Simmons. He stood out as a force player who would work to constrict alleys and reroute the ball back to his help inside, using his long arms to keep blockers off his body. Coming downhill from single or two high, he also maintained good angles to the ball carrier and showed he could consistently contribute as a tackler, even against bigger backs. Plays like this aren’t flashy until the defensive player fails to hem in a ball carrier. When Simmons played against the pass, he excelled playing the robber. From there, his range and anticipation really flashed. He showed off his route recognition, ball skills, and athleticism to squeeze off receivers when he didn’t have to play over the top or mirror in single coverage. Simmons also looked reliable in trail technique playing out of the slot and could stay on a receiver’s hip out into the route. In fact, Simmons was far and away the best safety in man coverage last year. The fourth-year safety also has the kind of straight line speed and range to be an effective player in deep zone or bailing out from close to the line of scrimmage.It’s a shame the Joseph Broncos didn’t ask Simmons to do this more often. The badThe biggest problem Simmons has as a football player is something he’ll have trouble ever completely fixing - he’s a gazelle. His frame and long legs leads to some problems for him changing directions suddenly or stopping on a dime. This issue presents itself most often when Simmons is lined up in coverage on a single receiver. It also hurts his deep range and causes him to overplay some tackles because he overruns the ball before he’s able to get his weight under him. Double moves were a huge issue for Simmons in coverage. Against the run John Elway Jersey , Simmons’ lighter frame also creates some issues. He’ll give ground to blockers as he works to shed them and can give up yards after contact to the bigger backs he tackles. He’s also more of a dart-and-dodge kind of blitzer than a defender who will go through a blocker to impact the quarterback. In coverage, he can be boxed out by bigger receivers.Simmons overplays Locket’s angle here and can’t shift back to recover. QuotableDuring OTAs, Simmons expressed his genuine excitement to be part of the Vic Fangio experiment.Justin Simmons’ roster status with the BroncosOne thing that becomes painfully apparent is how miscast Simmons was in the Vance Joseph defense. The Broncos utilized man coverage more than any team but New England in 2018 and Simmons was routinely asked to cover a slot or tight end. This exposed his biggest weakness and leaned away from his strengths as a player. He was also asked to blitz quite regularly, which is a poor use of his skill set. Vic Fangio’s system will provide Simmons with more opportunities to play as a deep safety or work out of the a robber role with help over the top. This should play off his strengths and hide the weaker parts of his game far more effectively. If he can stay healthy, there’s plenty of reason to believe that 2019 will be Simmons’ best in the NFL. Simmons beating a block by Chiefs’ Center Mitch Morse to make a tackle. A strong showing in the AAF with the San Antonio Commanders led the Denver Broncos to sign cornerback De’Vante Bausby earlier this offseason after the short-lived league went defunct.Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has familiarity with Bausby as well as he played under Fangio for parts of two seasons in 2015 and 2016 while Fangio was the Bears defensive coordinator. But that familiarity didn’t keep Fangio from delivering a verbal kick-to-the-backside to Bausby on Monday.Via Nick Jhabvala of TheAthletic.com, Fangio said he wants to see more out of Bausby on the field.“I think there’s been a time or two in Phase 2 where he’s let the back-to-back season, albeit shortened, give him a reason to think he’s tired, too, where he shouldn’t do that,” head coach Vic Fangio said, per The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. “He’s got to overcome that. He’s got to overcome being his own worst enemy and show the player that he can be.”Bausby had a league-high four interceptions in eight games played for the Commanders before the league collapsed. And even though current workouts are expressly “voluntary,” they are less so for players at the back-end of offseason rosters trying to make an impression. Even if Bausby is a bit worn down from the two months of football he played earlier this spring, to make his own mark on the Broncos.Bausby has spent time with the Bears, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles since entering the league as an undrafted free agent signing with the Chiefs out of Pittsburg State in 2015. He played four games with the Bears in 2016 and six with the Eagles in 2018. He made one start last season.Bausby has 26 career tackles.