The Chicago Bears made a splash when they traded for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons this week, sending two first-round picks to the Tennessee Titans to land one of the best defensive players in the NFL.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles made a calculated risk, giving up two first-round picks for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. However, he did so because of the confidence he has in head coach Ben Johnson and the rest of Chicago’s coaching staff.
“Tremendous amount of belief in our head coach and coaching staff. You don’t [trade for Simmons] if [you] don’t have that,” Poles said. “A lot of hope and belief in our quarterback and that path he’s on as well. That makes you feel really comfortable with making a decision like this.”
A few seasons
ago, it would not have made sense for the Bears to make a trade of this caliber. Even in quarterback Caleb Williams’ rookie season, Chicago was rebuilding on both sides of the ball. Now with Williams playing like an MVP at quarterback, multiple talented receivers and young playmakers showing up on the defensive side of the ball, the Bears are serious Super Bowl contenders and made this trade with the intention of getting Chicago’s defense to a championship level.
“It’s a different feeling, it feels good. I mean, we’ve done a lot of good work to put ourselves in this position,” Poles said. “To be in a space that you’re chasing championships where we were just trying to get off the ground the first couple years I was here. I feel really good about it”
When Chicago won the Super Bowl in 1985, they had the best defense in the NFL, along with the best run offense in the league. Right now, the 2026 Bears are one of the best run defenses and run offenses. However, they are allowing 4.4 yards per attempt, which is in the bottom half of the league. They have also allowed more passing yards than half the teams in the NFL. Adding Simmons to Chicago’s defensive line should help the Bears in both of those categories.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Why Bears GM Ryan Poles traded for DT Jeffery Simmons
