The Chicago Bears took the biggest swing of any team yet at the trade deadline, flipping two 1st round picks and a 4th round pick to the Tennessee Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and a 5th round pick. Unsurprisingly, several people have said general manager Ryan Poles got fleeced. You can understand why. Giving up two 1st rounders is a lot. However, one must be careful to call something a fleecing without examining the data. Did the Bears truly mortgage their future?

Not if you buy into the idea that 1st-round picks have different values. One must not forget that Chicago is a heavy favorite to make the playoffs this season. Playoff teams end up with at least the 21st overall pick or later. That is not the same as a top 10 pick. The #1 overall selection is worth 3,000 points according to traditional value charts. Let’s say the Bears are eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each of the next two years. Here’s how the points would stack up.

• 21st pick in 2027 – 800 points
• 22nd pick in 2028 – 780 points
• 4th round pick in 2027 – 46 points

If you subtract the 5th-round pick Chicago gets back with Simmons, which is around 30 points, you arrive at 1,596 points of value. That is the equivalent of the 6th overall pick in the draft. Again, this is the pessimistic view: the Bears barely make the playoffs and are immediately eliminated both times. That value drops even further if they make deeper runs.

Ryan Poles believes this team will mitigate the cost.

Here is a list of all the players selected 6th overall in the past decade.

Answer this question honestly. How many of those players were as good as Simmons is right now at any point in their careers? The only one who has a case is Nelson. You could argue Herbert because he’s a quarterback, but other than that, it’s been mostly good-to-meh. Poles believes he has a good enough team to stay competitive over the next two or three seasons. Doing so would make those picks far less valuable. Would you trade the 6th overall pick for Simmons if you knew he’d give you 3-4 years of dominant play? That is pretty much what the Bears just did.

Poles understands the value game better than you think.

Let’s look back at his ground-shifting deal in 2023 when he flipped the #1 overall pick to Carolina for D.J. Moore, two 1st rounders, and a 2nd rounder. The Panthers came away with 3,000 points in value for that pick, selecting Bryce Young. By contrast, the Bears ended up with 4,940 points in value thanks to landing the #1 pick in 2024, along with two 2nd round picks. That is what a true fleecing looks like. The Panthers gambled that Young could overcome that point differential by being great.

He’s been good. Unfortunately for them, Caleb Williams, Luther Burden, Tyrique Stevenson, and Tory Taylor have combined to be considerably better. The Panthers’ inability to compete right away hurt big time. Chicago has no such problem. They already have a top 10 offense with an ascending quarterback. They’re 5-2. This was a much better time to make a bold move. The math backs it up. Kudos to Ryan Poles for recognizing it.

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.

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.

The Chicago Bears‘ offense hasn’t really operated at full strength since week 1 of the season, when they hung 59 on Carolina. Since then, it seems like somebody important has always been hurt. From the end of week 2 through week 5, they didn’t have quarterback Caleb Williams due to a hamstring injury. Since the win over the Jets earlier this month, they also haven’t had Kyle Monangai. The running back rushed for 140 yards that day, but unfortunately, it came at a cost. He was dealing with a turf toe injury that made him week-to-week, according to head coach Ben Johnson.

Nobody has seen him since. The running game has suffered without him. While the Bears have still managed to generate production on the ground, it hasn’t been nearly as potent without Monangai. It was hoped he might be ready to return this week, but he was not present at the team’s first practice open to the media. That led many to feel the Bears won’t have him for a critical matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN poked holes in that assessment, though.

“Bears running back Kyle Monangai (turf toe) has missed the past three weeks, but his chances are better of playing this week.”

So what is going on with Kyle Monangai?

One would think that if he is close to returning, he’d at least be limited in practice. So far, he’s been MIA. The hope is that because Chicago doesn’t play until Monday, they might’ve given him an extra day of rest. If so, there is a strong possibility he will return to practice on Thursday. If that happens, then what Fowler said is true. Monangai should be available for that game, and the timing wouldn’t be better. Seattle is 6th in the NFL against the run this season. They’ve allowed 100 or more yards in just two games.

If the Bears want to keep that dynamic Seahawks pass rush off of Williams, they must be able to run the ball. Head coach Ben Johnson faces a stiff challenge trying to do that against Seahawks head coach Mike McDonald. He’s one of the best at scheming to stop the run. Johnson will need to be in his bag early and often to give Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift some lanes. If the Bears can get some play action going, their chances of pulling off the upset will go higher.

Monangai is the missing element of this offense.

One can never underestimate the value of having a tough, physical runner in your arsenal. That has been the identity Monangai brings to the Bears. Roschon Johnson has tried to fill that role in his absence, but the long-time backup doesn’t have the same explosiveness or vision. With Swift apparently nursing an injury, it’s been difficult to generate any big plays on the ground. Everything comes down to how healthy Monangai is. The fact that Chicago didn’t place him on Injured Reserve suggests he suffered a Grade 2 turf toe injury. This usually requires 2-6 weeks of recovery.

Even then, turf toe is notoriously difficult to shake. Some athletes deal with it all season. It often comes down to how much pain they can tolerate. Monangai is tough. There is little question that he can play through pain. It feels like the Bears used the past three weeks to assess how bad the damage is and give the toe some time to settle down. Moving forward, they will implement various measures to mitigate the problem. We’ll find out where things stand by Thursday afternoon.

For the past couple of weeks, the buzz around the Chicago Bears and their plans for the 2026 trade deadline has really picked up. They have until November 10th to make a move. What nobody knows for certain is their plan. Most agree that defense is their primary focus for obvious reasons. However, nothing has been concrete beyond that. A few names have floated around as strong possibilities. All of them share the same thing in common. They’re edge rushers. Khalil Mack, Josh Sweat, and Jermaine Johnson are some of the names mentioned. However, Albert Breer of the MMQB doesn’t think that is where general manager Ryan Poles is focused.

Sure, they wouldn’t mind edge rush help, but the true desire lay at defensive tackle. Breer explained on The Herd that helping along the interior is something the Bears are stressing.

This isn’t at all a surprise. Dennis Allen has long stressed the importance of interior pressure. He wants his defensive ends to set the edge, contain the pocket, and harass the quarterback up the middle, where the quarterback is most vulnerable. Unfortunately, their best interior rusher keeps getting hurt. Dayo Odeyingbo was off to a great start this season. Now he’s out with a quad injury. Grady Jarrett, Kentavius Street, and Jordan Van Den Berg haven’t been able to generate much heat.

The Chicago Bears may have a pretty good market.

That is always the key. Wanting help at a certain position is great, but it doesn’t matter if the market offers few options. This particular deadline might be tilting in their favor. Several teams look like they’ll be sellers this year, and some of them boast some defensive tackles that would be immediate help.

• Jeff Simmons (Titans)
• Moro Ojomo (Eagles)
• Zach Sieler (Dolphins)
• Adetomiwa Adebawore (Colts)
• Sheldon Rankins (Texans)
• Daron Payne (Commanders)

The big fish of the group is obviously Simmons. He is one of the three or four best defensive tackles in football, dominant against the run and as a pass rusher. Sieler has been one of the more underrated players over the past few years, consistently generating strong rushes. Rankins spent years playing for Dennis Allen in New Orleans. He still has juice at age 32. The biggest riser of the group is Adebawore, posting 15 pressures and 4 sacks with a 17.2 win rate, second-best among defensive tackles. Payne isn’t having one of his best years but still has 17 pressures. Ojomo is probably the most intriguing. He’s only 25 years old and had 6 sacks last season. He hasn’t gotten one yet in 2026, but still has 16 pressures.

So who do the Bears pursue?

Looking at this from the perspective of Poles, you have to think that Ojomo and Adebawore are his primary targets. Both are on the younger side and are someone he can build with in the future. Each becomes a free agent next year. The Bears will have the ability to create enough cap space to keep either one. It comes down to who is available and how much they’ll cost. Adebawore is having the better season, so he might require more. Ojomo has a size advantage that is worth noting. Allen likes bigger linemen. Then again, Adebawore is more explosive.

Of course, the Chicago Bears could bypass all of that and take a home run swing on Simmons. He is the best player who could be available on the market, regardless of position. If there is somebody Poles truly seeks to give his defense a championship boost, it would be him. Would he pay the likely 1st round price tag? Only he can answer that question. We’ll know in less than two weeks.

The Chicago Bears faced a tough decision as the 2024 NFL Draft approached. Most experts agreed the class was one of the strongest to come around in years. Having the #1 overall pick meant the Bears would have their choice of anybody they wanted. Do they go with reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels from LSU? Do they opt for the modern prototype in Drake Maye from North Carolina, or go with the magician from USC, Caleb Williams? General manager Ryan Poles opted for Williams, who many felt had the most upside.

In the first two years, it looked like the Bears made a mistake. Daniels went to the NFC Championship in Washington that first season. Maye finished 2nd in MVP voting and went to the Super Bowl last year. Williams took 68 sacks as a rookie and had a league-low 58.1 completion percentage in 2025. People didn’t see him as in the same conversation as Maye.

That has changed.

The two quarterbacks went toe-to-toe last week at Soldier Field with Williams emerging victorious, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns. He was in complete control all night. This led to the question re-emerging. Who is the best to come out of that 2024 class? Albert Breer polled 17 people inside the NFL. The results were shocking to many.

Caleb Williams comfortably beat Maye at the ballot box.

My quickie straw poll, conducted via text, elicited responses from six GMs, five offensive coordinators, four assistant GMs, a VP of player personnel and a pass-game coordinator.

The verdict: Williams 12, Maye 5…

…Those in my poll who took Williams cited his ceiling, creativity and early record of clutch play. The difficulty to prepare for him, in particular, broke a tie for some. “You call a perfect D,” said an assistant GM, “and still get beat, just like Josh [Allen] and [Patrick] Mahomes.” For most, it was close, though I had one OC text, “It’s Caleb; it wouldn’t really be close for me. More ability, keeps getting better, gives you a chance to win every game and he’s clutch.”

On the other side, those who took Maye pointed to his personality and sustainability. One GM texted he “would lean Drake, just falling back on the makeup and total package, not that Caleb is deficient, just maybe more volatility in his game long term.” An OC added, “Drake, but it’s close. Drake appears to me to be a little ahead of Caleb operating in the pocket and getting through progressions in the passing game, and still has athleticism to create. Caleb has great athleticism/speed and arm strength but is maybe a little less consistent.”

That coach then added, “Both are going to end up being really good.”

Act shocked that this has sparked a fierce debate.

Many can’t understand how these NFL decision-makers can possibly choose Williams over a guy who missed the MVP by five votes and missed a Lombardi trophy by one game. That doesn’t compute. It seems the general belief among the voters is that Williams is the type of quarterback for whom even a perfect defense doesn’t matter. His mobility and natural instincts for improvising make him a wild card you can’t predict. Maye is outstanding when playing on time and in rhythm, but last season proved that if you can take away that process, he starts to crumble. Seattle and Denver both proved it in the playoffs.

Then you look at Caleb Williams, who was smothered at times by some really good defenses last season, only to pull a big play out of nowhere to get his team back in it. He almost did it to Minnesota a few weeks ago before his hamstring gave out. New England got a taste of it last week. Every time you think you have the guy pinned out, he throws a knuckleball at you that nobody can hope to predict. That ability is what makes guys like Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes so terrifying. It is why the Bears drafted Williams in the first place.

This debate will only be settled one way.

One of these guys has to win a Super Bowl. That feels like the only decisive method to claim victory in such an argument. For over a decade, people debated whether John Elway or Dan Marino was better. Elway didn’t take the checkered flag until he finally got his ring in 1997. It was the same with Eli Manning and Philip Rivers until the former took down Tom Brady and the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Maye had his first shot at claiming a decisive advantage. He failed. Daniels did the same. Will this year be Williams’ turn?

It feels like the Bears have a good enough team to give him a shot. They’re 5-2 and winners of three of their last four. Williams is 3-0 in games he’s started and finished. If the defense doesn’t completely fall apart in the next two months, this offense is good enough to get this team back to the playoffs. From there, Williams must succeed where he failed last year by taking down the other titans of the NFC like Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. They are the gatekeepers he must get through to finally earn some respect.