The Cincinnati Bengals remain adamant they want to avoid a trap game against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
But they also won’t complain that the Titans just traded Jeffery Simmons away, either.
There’s even a fun family component going on here. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor actually called his brother, Press Taylor, after the trade went down.
After all, Press Taylor is offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, the team that traded for Simmons.
Adam Hoge of CHGO Bears provided the context:
Shortly after the Jeffery Simmons trade, #Bears OC Press Taylor got a Facetime call from his brother, #Bengals head coach Zac Taylor. Press was confused why Zac was so excited about the addition for the Bears. Zac Taylor clarified: “No. We play the Titans this
week!”
— Adam Hoge (@AdamHoge) October 30, 2026
Zac Taylor was a little more reserved when talking with the media on Friday about the whole ordeal. His offensive linemen who avoided dealing with arguably the best defensive lineman in football were, too.
Still, it’s hard to overstate what a big win the Simmons trade was this week from a Bengals perspective. The Titans are 1-6 and Simmons was one of the few big details that could have created a big upset scenario.
Instead, the Bengals get a fun little Taylor Bros. side story and an easier-looking matchup.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Why Bengals, Zac Taylor called Bears happy about Jeffery Simmons trade
