The Atlanta Falcons are in the second week of training camp, and the coaching staff is starting to see what players are sticking out.
After seeing these guys during spring workouts and the first week of camp, the Falcons decided to bring in a veteran for a workout. According to Mike Garafolo, Atlanta is bringing in Jordan Whitehead for a visit on Wednesday.
That workout, in combination with their moves in the 2025 NFL Draft, and it's obvious the Falcons have closed the chapter on safety Justin Simmons.
Veteran S Jordan Whitehead is visiting the #Falcons today, source says. The former #Buccaneers starter, who was injured in a car accident in January, recently received full medical clearance and is exploring his next opportunity. pic.twitter.com/QN6gJMhx01
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 30, 2025
Falcons Have Clearly Moved on from Justin Simmons
The Falcons added Simmons on a one-year, $8 million deal last offseason, and he started in 16 games for them in 2024. Across those outings, he finished with 62 total tackles, seven pass deflections, and two interceptions.
On PFF, Simmons had a 59.9 overall grade (114th among 171 graded safeties), 53.8 run-defense grade (149th among 171 graded safeties), and a 60.8 coverage grade (85th among 171 graded safeties).
Despite being one of the best ball hawks throughout his career, that didn't translate over to his time in Atlanta, and they wanted more from that spot.
However, bringing in Whitehead may not be the answer. He was in a car accident in January, but recently was cleared by doctors and is looking for his next opportunity. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers declined his 2025 option, which made him an unrestricted free agent.
Last season with the Bucs, he played in 12 games, logging 79 total tackles, two TFLs, and three pass deflections. Per PFF, Whitehead posted a 58 overall grade (120th among 171 graded safeties), 70.3 run-defense grade (57th among 171 graded safeties), and a 53.5 coverage grade (128th among 171 graded safeties).
Whitehead has never been a good defender in coverage and has trouble making tackles in the open field consistently, but it appears Atlanta is open to bringing him in. And that is surprising since both Simmons and Whitehead are free agents.
In the third round, the Falcons drafted safety Xavier Watts with the 96th overall pick and used the 118th overall pick on safety Billy Bowman Jr.
It's already been clear that the Falcons wanted more from that position and weren't content with what Simmons put on film. But at the end of the day, Whitehead played under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich with the New York Jets from 2022-2023, and his former coach likely vouched for him behind the scenes.
It'll be interesting to see how this situation unfolds, but it's obvious there's no shot that Simmons is back with the Falcons.