The Chicago Bears felt like a team ready to make a bold swing. They’re 5-2 and have their franchise quarterback. One more stud piece on the defensive side could make this team a viable Super Bowl contender. The question was, where would they find him? Almost everybody agreed the name to watch would be Jeffery Simmons. The star defensive tackle for the Tennessee Titans has long been a subject of trade rumors as the team has embarked on a rebuild. Sitting at 1-6, it felt like there was never a better time to move him.
Nobody felt the Bears would be willing to pay the price tag, though. General manager Ryan Poles has never traded more than a 2nd round pick for a player in his tenure. That all changed on Thursday when the Bears flipped two 1st round picks to the Titans in exchange for the All-Pro defensive tackle. Just like that, Chicago gets one of the best interior pass rushers in the league who’s still in his prime. He is the true star this franchise has been missing on that side of the ball.
Jeffery Simmons is a do-everything talent that is impossible to replicate.
Most people will focus on pass-rush ability, which is understandable. Simmons is tied for 3rd in the NFL among defensive tackles this season with 24 total pressures, including 4 sacks. That kind of heat coming up the middle can instantly change games. If you thought the trio of Montez Sweat, Austin Booker, and Dayo Odeyingbo was pretty good. Just imagine what will happen with Simmons in the mix. Opponents will have to double-team him. You’re inviting disaster if you don’t. That means everybody else is one-on-one.
This also overshadows how great Jeffery Simmons is against the run. Not nearly enough people recognize how big a headache he creates for opposing ground games. He has 15 stops for no gain or a loss this season, which is 2nd among defensive tackles. It doesn’t matter what kind of scheme you use. He’s too athletic to beat to the outside and too strong to push out of the way on the inside. There is no escaping him. Rest assured, if Simmons had played in any market other than Tennessee, way more people would know about him.
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This could eclipse the Khalil Mack trade.
As brilliant as Mack was during his tenure in Chicago, edge rushers are somewhat easier to game plan around. Even the great ones. Great defensive tackles can ruin your entire week. Go back and look at recent Super Bowl championship teams. It isn’t a coincidence that many of them featured a Pro Bowler in the middle. Seattle had Leonard Williams. Philadelphia had Jalen Carter. Kansas City had Chris Jones. The Bears really haven’t had anybody like that since Akiem Hicks. As awesome as he was, Simmons is better.
If he continues playing the way he has this season, the Bears’ defense is about to become a nightmare. Dennis Allen is already a problem with his exotic pressure packages. Putting that monster in the middle only amplifies the problem. Suddenly, teams that were able to control the line of scrimmage against Chicago won’t have an easy time of it anymore. Throw in that Ben Johnson offense running the ball so effectively, and it’s the makings of something special.
