Bears pay $2 first-rounds and a 4th to land 29-year-old DT Jeffery Simmons

Jeffery Simmons is a Chicago Bear. The trade sending the 29-year-old defensive tackle from the Tennessee Titans to the Bears was finalized on Thursday.

The Bears paid a high price for the four-time Pro Bowler. They sent their first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, plus a fourth-round selection in next year's draft, to the Titans. In return, Chicago received Simmons and a fifth-round pick in 2028.

Simmons joins a Bears roster that has started the season 5-2. The team is chasing the undefeated Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North after winning the division last year for the first time since 2018.

The addition addresses a known weakness on the defensive front. Simmons had been a question mark for the defense before his arrival. His presence is expected to disrupt opposing offenses in the interior.

Simmons leads all defensive tackles with 28 pressures going into Week 8, according to Next Gen Stats. He has four sacks in seven games this season. He also has an NFL-high 10 pressures after facing a double team, compared to 14 for the rest of the Bears defense combined.

General Manager Ryan Poles said the move is essential for reaching a championship level. "If you do the research, Super Bowl teams, you go back to 2018, since then they all have what we call a red-level interior defensive lineman," Poles said Friday. "So in order to get to that, you need one, I really believe that."

The trade reunites Simmons with Montez Sweat, his former teammate at Mississippi State. Sweat wears number 98 in Chicago, so Simmons will switch to number 99. The two played together for two seasons at the university.

Simmons is scheduled to make his Bears debut Monday night against the Seattle Seahawks. His playing time will depend on his progress in the days leading up to the game. He said he is still catching up on the playbook but is ready to help the team win.

"At this point, I'm still trying to catch up with the playbook, get this game plan down, and just trust the process especially with this first week," Simmons said. "But at the same time, I'm ready to roll. I'm ready to get out there and help this team win football games."

The trade created an energetic atmosphere at Halas Hall. Poles described the headquarters as being "on fire" on Thursday. Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen compared the feeling to waking up on Christmas morning to see presents under the tree.

Offensive Coordinator Press Taylor heard clapping down the hall. He then received a FaceTime call from his brother, Zac, the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals. Zac had a large smile on his face because his team plays the Titans this week.

"I'm like, 'Thank you. We're excited,'" Press Taylor recalled. "And he's like, 'No. We play the Titans this week.' Oh, so that makes a lot more sense for why you're excited. And he's like, 'Yeah, I'm going to go put in a couple more passes in there.'"