Some NFL debuts happen at a slow and steady pace. That was not the case for Torricelli Simpkins III, who found himself on an NFL field much sooner than he probably anticipated.
Just two plays into the first Saints preseason game, Will Clapp, the Saints backup center, suffered what would later be revealed as a season-ending lisfranc foot injury. That led to Simpkins III quickly being thrust into his NFL debut against the Chargers.
Simpkins III would play over 90% of the snaps at center. Playing through what was an unexpected workload, he managed to earn a pass block grade of 77.8 on PFF. When asked if it was the plan for him to get that many snaps, head coach Kellen Moore straight up said, "Nope." But the first-year head coach did say the rookie's response was phenomenal and that he thought he did an awesome job.
Center is Saints' Torricelli Simpkins' first love
Center is a position that Torricelli Simpkins III has a lot of familiarity with, having played it during his three years at North Carolina Central University. However, once he transferred to South Carolina, he would switch to right guard. However, Simpkins III was not concerned about the transition.
"Center will always be like my first love; that's where I started at," Simpkins III said on 107.5 The Game. "But right guard is very fun to me. Playing guard is not as complicated as playing center to me. As long as I have a center next to me that I trust, I will gladly play guard."
Simpkins III sure showed why he first fell in love with the center position when he stepped onto the field on Sunday. Making plays literally left and right, he has staked his claim to be the man who backs up Erik McCoy when the regular season rolls around.
Back at North Carolina Central, Simpkins III would only allow five sacks through 2,301 snaps (with the majority at center). In his one year with the South Carolina Gamecocks, he only allowed two sacks through 855 snaps (with the majority at right guard).
Will Clapp's injury has left the door open for another Saints offensive lineman
With Clapp out for the year, the New Orleans Saints are now left without a backup center. Simpkins III has thrown his hat in the ring, but he's not the only one who has a shot at the job. Shane Lemieux, who re-signed with the Saints this past offseason, has actually played center for the Saints as recently as last year.
Ceasar Ruiz, the starting right guard, has also played center for the Saints, as he played that position in college. Having to move him over in case of injury would disrupt two spots in the trenches, but it would be shocking to see the Saints make that move if they have too.
Simpkins III will have to prove on Sunday against the Jaguars that what he showed last week wasn't a fluke. He'll have to replicate his performance from a week ago if he wants to show the Saints staff that he's a better option as McCoy's backup than Lemieux or Ruiz.