diff --git a/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction.rs b/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction.rs
index 7dcb50762f5..e1ef25b4ae3 100644
--- a/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction.rs
+++ b/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction.rs
@@ -32,7 +32,7 @@ mod constrain;
 pub(crate) use binary::{Binary, BinaryOp};
 use call::simplify_call;
 use cast::simplify_cast;
-use constrain::decompose_constrain;
+use constrain::{decompose_constrain, simplify_constrain};
 
 /// Reference to an instruction
 ///
@@ -600,7 +600,8 @@ impl Instruction {
                 }
             }
             Instruction::Constrain(lhs, rhs, msg) => {
-                let constraints = decompose_constrain(*lhs, *rhs, msg, dfg);
+                let (lhs, rhs) = simplify_constrain(*lhs, *rhs, dfg);
+                let constraints = decompose_constrain(lhs, rhs, msg, dfg);
                 if constraints.is_empty() {
                     Remove
                 } else {
diff --git a/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction/constrain.rs b/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction/constrain.rs
index 66f50440d64..4d239d32d3a 100644
--- a/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction/constrain.rs
+++ b/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/ir/instruction/constrain.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,40 @@ use acvm::{acir::AcirField, FieldElement};
 
 use super::{Binary, BinaryOp, ConstrainError, DataFlowGraph, Instruction, Type, Value, ValueId};
 
+/// Try to simplify this constrain instruction. This function will inspect the inputs to the constraint such that
+/// it acts on variables as early in the DFG as possible.
+pub(super) fn simplify_constrain(
+    lhs: ValueId,
+    rhs: ValueId,
+    dfg: &mut DataFlowGraph,
+) -> (ValueId, ValueId) {
+    let lhs = dfg.resolve(lhs);
+    let rhs = dfg.resolve(rhs);
+
+    match (&dfg[lhs], &dfg[rhs]) {
+        (Value::Instruction { instruction, .. }, Value::NumericConstant { constant, typ }) => {
+            let Instruction::Binary(Binary { lhs, rhs, operator: BinaryOp::Add }) = dfg[*instruction].clone()
+            else {
+                return (lhs, rhs);
+            };
+
+            let Value::NumericConstant { constant: inner_constant, .. } = dfg[rhs].clone()
+            else {
+                return (lhs, rhs);
+            };
+
+            if *constant > inner_constant {
+                let new_rhs = dfg.make_constant(*constant - inner_constant, typ.clone());
+                (lhs, new_rhs)
+            } else {
+                (lhs, rhs)
+            }            
+        }
+
+        _ => (lhs, rhs),
+    }
+}
+
 /// Try to decompose this constrain instruction. This constraint will be broken down such that it instead constrains
 /// all the values which are used to compute the values which were being constrained.
 pub(super) fn decompose_constrain(