Behind the Steel Curtain
The Steelers worked out linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Michael Barrett on Wednesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reported.
Simmons was the eighth overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, a safety/linebacker hybrid who ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at 6’4, 238 pounds at the NFL Combine. However, his career hasn’t lived up to his draft status. After three years in Arizona, Simmons was traded to the New York Giants for a seventh-round pick.
Simmons played in 34 games over two years as a Giant, but he started just five. In 2024, he had 21 total tackles, two passes defensed, and no sacks or tackles for loss. However, his role has grown on special teams, with Simmons playing 370 snaps on that side of the ball over the last two years.
Simmons signed with the Green Bay Packers in 2025 but didn’t make the team’s initial roster.
Barrett is a more recent draft pick, going to the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan. In his final year as a Wolverine, he recorded 65 total tackles, three sacks, three forced fumbles, two passes defensed, and four tackles for loss. He measured in at 5’11, 233 pounds at the NFL Combine, and reportedly ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash at his pro day.
Barrett has yet to play in a regular season NFL game, but he has been part of a trade, going from the Panthers to the Seahawks in exchange for cornerback Michael Jackson in August of 2024. He was also drafted with the pick the Steelers swapped with the Panthers in the Dionate Johnson/Donte Jackson trade in 2024 (the Steelers selected Logan Lee).
Barrett has spent time with the Browns, Packers, and Raiders in the NFL since. Most recently, he was with the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions.
The Steelers didn’t make any immediate signings following the workouts.
