The Bears have made a massive swing to improve their defense, agreeing to trade for four-time Titans Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons on Thursday.
The Bears will give up two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder, per NFL Network, and get Simmons and a 2028 fifth-round pick back. That's the biggest package the Bears have sent out since former GM Ryan Pace traded for Khalil Mack in 2018.
Pushing their chips in for Simmons is a sign the Bears believe they have a chance to win the Super Bowl. They're 5-2 entering Monday night's game against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks despite having to start three different quarterbacks this year.
Simmons is one of the best defensive tackles on the planet. The Titans signed him to a three-year, $105.8 million extension before the season began. The Titans have already paid $20 million of his signing bonus. He's has a $22.5 million cap hit next year, a $30.9 million cap hit in 2028 and a $29.1 million hit in 2029.
The Bears faced Simmons in a joint practice during training camp. Coach Ben Johnson called Simmons a "bell cow" of "an attacking front." He has 46 1/2 sacks in eight seasons and is considered a premier run-stopper. This season, he played 87% of the Titans' snaps — an astronomical number for a defensive tackle.
The Bears entered the season with concerns about their edge rushers — something that grew even louder after Dayo Odeyinbo was hurt and Montez Sweat served a two-game drug suspension. Simmons will be able to help from the inside — he's the sixth-highest-rated pass rusher among defensive tackles, per Pro Football Focus.
Thursday's deal precludes the Bears from another blockbuster before the NFL's Nov. 10 trade deadline, though they could still try to trade Day 3 picks for veteran role players. The deal was rooted, too, in the relationship between Bears GM Ryan Poles and Titans GM Mike Borgonzi, who worked together in Kansas City. Bongonzi's brother Dave was a Bears linebackers coach from 2022-25.
On Wednesday, Bears coach Ben Johnson said that Poles was "turning over every stone that he possibly can to improve this football team, just like he has ever since I've gotten in this building."
Simmons figures to slot next to Grady Jarrett in the Bears' starting lineup. The team traded Gervon Dexter to the Falcons before the start of the season and has since been using a rotation that includes Dexter, Kentavius Street, Neville Gallimore and Jordan van den Berg.
Simmons, who turned 29 in July, was the 19th pick of the 2019 draft out of Mississippi State.
