The Chicago Bears made an absolutely massive trade on Thursday morning, sending multiple first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. With accolades galore in his background, he brings an elite skill set to a defensive line in need of every bit of it. What do the numbers have to say, though?
From a more general statistical standpoint, Simmons had left his mark with a bad Titans team this year. He'd notched four sacks, six tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits across seven games. The sack total would have had him tied with Kyler Gordon & Austin Booker for the team lead while his nine QB hits are three more than any Bear defender in 2026. We're off to a good start.
As far as advanced stats go,
Simmons has excelled there as well. Last year, Simmons turned in a 13.2 percent pressure rate (17th), a 2.5 percent sack rate (9th), and an even 50 stops (11th). Among defensive tackles this season, his 27 percent pass rush win rate is pacing the entire league. His 12.0 percent pressure rate ranks 15th among 93 qualifying defenders in the league this year with 26 stops that have him behind only Houston's Will Anderson Jr. His 1.7 percent sack rate ranks 22nd, too.
Putting those numbers in context with where the Bears sit, among qualifying defenders only Dayo Odeyingbo has a higher pressure rate (15.6 percent) and Simmons' stops volume is nearly double any qualifying defender currently on the roster (Booker leads the team with 14). Grady Jarrett's pass rush win rate does sit inside the league's top 20, but his 16 percent is far exceeded by the number Simmons has posted thus far.
While the cost may read as severe, Jeffery Simmons brings a genuinely elite skill set to his new squad. He's the kind of presence in the middle of the defensive line that makes life just a little bit easier for virtually every other component of the defense. Ryan Poles wanted to make a splash on that side of the ball, and the numbers are certainly indicative of the idea that he did just that.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Examining new Bears DT Jeffery Simmons' statistical production
