When Trenton Simpson lost his starting job to rookie Teddye Buchanan early this season, Simpson's outlook never changed.
It's still the same as Simpson steps back into the spotlight following Buchanan's season-ending knee injury.
The Ravens will lean on the third-year linebacker Sunday against the New England Patriots (11-3) and down the stretch as they try to make a run into the playoffs. Baltimore's defense is on a roll, and it can't afford a lapse in the middle.
"I'm really confident in him. I know he's going to come out and do great things," fellow linebacker Roquan Smith said. "I know he's eager for the opportunity to step in. He barely got any reps in practice and played a really good game last week."
Buchanan went down early last week in Cincinnati and Simpson stepped in to play 35 defensive snaps. He made nine tackles, despite having limited practice reps with the first-team defense.
Simpson hadn't seen more than 10 snaps since he last started in Weeks 5 and 6 when Smith was hurt. Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said those were two of the best games of Simpson's career, as he notched 1.5 sacks and 19 tackles.
"One thing I respect of the guy is even when things weren't going his way, he was always there for Teddye, for the team, doing whatever was asked of him. He always showed up and whatever reps he got, he gave it everything he got," Smith said. "The guy has never wavered at all despite what he's gone through."
It has been a challenging three seasons for Simpson, a third-round pick out of Clemson who is super athletic and super hard-working but has yet to put it all together. He also lost his grip on the starting job down the stretch last season, as veterans Malik Harrison and Chris Board took over.
Will the third time be the charm?
"He's just more comfortable," Orr said. "Going with Teddye, it wasn't no knock on Trent. I think that was just like how well Teddye was really playing. But, I see a guy [Simpson] who's locked in and taking notes. He has command out there. He's more vocal, and he's a strong, physical guy. He's running, and he's hitting. Are there going to be mistakes here and there? Everybody makes mistakes. Some of our best players make mistakes, but he has limited those mistakes a lot. So, that's what gives me the confidence."
