Irvine, Calif. – The New Orleans Saints aren't specifically looking to add a safety to the roster but when the possible addition is four-time All-Pro Justin Simmons, the Saints very much are willing to entertain the thought.
On Wednesday, following the team's 12th training camp practice at Cal-Irvine, Simmons was scheduled to visit with the Saints as the two sides undergo a feeling out process to see if Simmons, a third-round pick in 2016, and New Orleans have enough in common to formalize a union.
Simmons played all eight of his previous NFL seasons with Denver before being released this spring. He has 30 career interceptions and led the league with six in 2022.
"This is a guy that's been a good player in our league for a long time," Saints Coach Dennis Allen said. "He's a player that's shown an interest in us; we've got some connections with him in terms of guys on our staff that have worked with him, guys that have played with him.
"I think it's exactly what it is – it's a visit, he's coming in and we'll talk about how we would see him, what type of vision we would have for him. If what we're looking for and what he's looking for match up, we'll see if it goes further than that."
New Orleans connections include defensive coordinator Joe Woods, who was Simmons' defensive backs coach (2015-16) and defensive coordinator (2017-18) in Denver, and secondary coach Marcus Robertson, Denver's defensive backs coach in 2017-18.
"You never know what you're getting until they actually get here," Allen said. "When you have somebody that's been in the meeting room with the player, whether it be a player or a coach, but somebody that's been in the meeting room, been on the practice field, been through the games to where you have intimate knowledge of how the player responds in different situations – what type of teammate is he, is he going to fit in to the culture we have here – all those different things are things that you don't really know unless you have that knowledge from being in the building. I think having those guys know the player and having worked with him before would make a transition easier."
The Saints' entertaining of Simmons isn't necessarily a sign that there's a need at the position.
"You're always looking for areas that you think you can improve your football team," Allen said. "I don't think that's necessarily a position that I'm saying we've got to go out and actively find somebody.
"I think it's more of a situation where a really good player is on the street, and this is a player that there's been some communication with the player or his agency. I think we're at a point now where both sides feel comfortable to come in and visit and we'll see where it goes from there."
The initial interest was expressed in the spring.
"We, and he, were not probably on the same page in terms of what we were willing to do, or what he's looking for," Allen said. "I think as it's getting closer to the season, we're probably a little closer on both sides. I think that's why you bring the player in. You have a chance to sit down and visit with him and see if things work out. That's really what it is."
Having said that, New Orleans is unsettled at the starting position other than Tyrann Mathieu, with several players vying for the other safety spot.
"I don't think we're set at that position opposite of Tyrann," Allen said. "We've got several guys that are competing, all of them have things that they do well, all of them have things that they want to improve on.
"I think we're just going to let that play out as the preseason plays out. I'm not in any hurry to make a determination of where we're at there."
