“Some critical battles will be played out in the 2026 NFL Training Camps that will have a direct impact on your IDP rosters and draft position. Multiple teams will watch for key moments in camp and preseason games to set their depth charts accordingly in all IDP positions.”
Our first key training camp battle – Starting LB for the Arizona Cardinals
Jack Gibbens vs Cody Simon
Simon is part of the IDP Training Camp Battles for the Cardinals
Simon was a fourth-round pick in the NFL draft last year out of Ohio State. He played just three snaps in his first seven games as a rookie. Mack Wilson had a rib fracture and punctured lung in Week 9, which opened the door for Simon to get meaningful defensive snaps. He played 20 defensive snaps in Week 9 and then 100% of the snaps in 7 of the last 9 games the Cardinals played. Simon suffered a left knee injury in Week 15, which limited him to just eight defensive snaps. He returned the next week to play 100% of the defensive snaps. Simon started the final nine games of the season.
In those final 9 starts, Simon produced 67 tackles (26 solo), 2 tackles for a loss, 1 QB hit, .5 sack, and 2 passes defensed. Looking back at his five-year career at Ohio State, his best season by far was his senior season in 2024. In that final year, he produced 112 tackles in 15 games. Added to those tackle numbers were 12.5 tackles for a loss, 7 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 7 passes defensed. He has all the tools to be successful in the NFL and showed some upside in those 9 games last year.
Simon, who is 6’2″ and 230 lbs, ran an impressive 4.59 40-yard dash at Ohio State’s Pro Day. He has shown a high football IQ and a nose for the football in the run game. He is still learning the pass defense, but based on his 100% defensive snap counts, he must be picking it up nicely. Simon is just 24-years-old and has the upside to earn the defensive snaps each game.
Gibbens is part of the IDP Training Camp Battles for the Cardinals
Gibbens has the NFL experience advantage over Simon. He was an undrafted college free agent out of Minnesota. This will be his fifth year in the NFL after spending his first three years with the Tennessee Titans and the last year with the New England Patriots. His best year was in 2023 with the Titans. That year, he played 14 games while starting 13 of them. He played 70% or more of the snaps in half of those games. Gibbens produced 95 tackles (55 solo), 3 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, 1 sack, and 3 passes defensed.
He played for the AFC Champion Patriots last year and had defensive snaps in every game. Gibbens filled in when Robert Spillane missed four complete games and parts of two others. He played nearly every defensive snap in those four games. In those four games combined, Gibbens produced a very nice stat line of 29 tackles (12 solo), 4 tackles for a loss, 2 QB hits, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 passes defensed. Gibbens signed a two-year contract worth $7.5 million, which gives him some security.
Recap of similarities and differences between Simon and Gibbens
Both players have high football IQ and work at their game very hard. Simon and Gibbens both seem to have limitations in pass coverage. Both players have shown they can post nice IDP points for our fantasy football squads. Simon holds the quickness advantage with his 4.59 40-yard dash compared to Gibbens 4.89. Gibbens does have the more lucrative contract and the NFL experience in his corner.
This NFL IDP training camp battle will be worth paying attention to. One of these players will get close to 100% of the defensive snaps, while the other will probably get a lot of the special teams snaps. It will benefit your IDP squad substantially if you have the right Cardinals linebacker.
Thank you for checking out my NFL IDP Training Camp Battles article! You can read all of my articles on my IDP+ author page. Be sure to follow me on X at @OldMan_FF and @IDP_Plus (we have offense, too), and please consider becoming a subscriber.
