The New York Giants’ Isaiah Simmons trade could help take the team’s defense to another level this season. The former Arizona Cardinals defender was the No. 8 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, and while he didn’t succeed in the desert, a move to the Big Apple could change the trajectory of his career. And head coach Brian Daboll says that’s exactly what the franchise is going to try to do.

“That's one of the reasons why we made the trade. We thought there's some upside there,” Brian Daboll said, per Dan Solomone of Giants.com. “Again, we'll put him in, we'll ask him to do probably quite a bit of things just to see what he takes to. A guy that's, again, athletic, explosive, has good size. I've seen him do some multiple things. Until we get him here, I'll give you a better answer, but certainly happy to have him.”

Simmons was an athletic marvel coming out of Clemson, running a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at the combine and putting up 20 reps on the bench press. However, the Cardinals just couldn’t find a scheme or a position to fit the linebacker, safety, defensive end hybrid.

At 6-foot-4, 238 pounds, Simmons is a unique player who can do a lot of things on the football field. However, if you try to put him in a traditional rush end, off-ball linebacker, or safety roll, he’s either too slight or not quick enough.

That said, Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale is the type of coach who can put him in situations to succeed, which is why the Giants’ Isaiah Simmons trade has so much promise as the team gets close to the 2023 NFL season.