Defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons has been in the NFL since 2019; however, he has not been able to play in the playoffs since 2021. Now that he been traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Chicago Bears, Simmons has a chance to get back to the playoffs and play in his first Super Bowl.
Simmons is coming to a team with a long history on defense. The Bears' 1985 defense was one of the NFL’s best defenses. There are seven people from the '85 team in the Hall of Fame, including five players on defense. Walking into that kind of legacy, Simmons knows he has a lot to live up to and wants to uphold the tradition of elite defenses in Chicago.
“I’m so excited to hopefully have my name up there one day," Simmons said. "They always say it’s the people who
come before you. Those chairs in the room, they don’t belong to us. My job is to continue to uphold that tradition. This city, this organization have a lot of tradition, and I’m so excited to be a part of it. I’m ready to roll.”
Since edge rusher Montez Sweat currently is No. 98, Simmons had to change his number to No. 99. Chicago has a solid history at 99, most notably Hall of Famer Dan Hampton, who wore that number for the 1985 Bears. Gervon Dexter was the most recent Bears player to wear 99 before being traded to the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Jeffery Simmons excited to uphold Bears tradition on defense
