The Chicago Bears added defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons to try to turn their weak spot on the defensive line into a strength. While that lasted one week, all of a sudden it is looking like Simmons is the only name in the room, leaving the Bears thin on the interior once again.
Chicago Bears Defensive Line Gets Thinner After Adding Jeffery Simmons
The team placed former starting defensive tackle Kentavius Street on the IR due to a knee injury he suffered in Week 8. The corresponding move was bringing up Stephen Carlson, who is a tight end, so the line did not get any help.
Street was starting before the team added Simmons. While he got hurt against Seattle, his snap count was always going to be reduced; the question was by how much.
Still, what hurts more is seeing veteran Grady Jarrett on the injury report with a groin injury. Jarrett is not expected to go on the IR, but he is 33 years old, and the team is not going to rush him back from that type of injury. A re-injury now could impact the rest of his career.
Jarrett remained a starter next to Simmons when they added him. So, the top two linemen before Simmons was added, and the second and third in the rotation after they added Simmons, are now expected to miss some time.
The Bears have James Lynch and Shemar Turner, who are versatile pieces that align inside and outside. They also have Neville Gallimore and Jordan van den Berg. However, Gallimore has been a disappointment and has seen his snaps reduced before the team added Simmons. Meanwhile, they made the rookie van den Berg inactive with Simmons added.
With Street out of the mix, the team will likely activate van den Berg again. Gallimore will start next to Simmons; van den Berg and the big edges can provide depth, and they have Jayden Loving, who is a rookie UDFA that they like.
Overall, the Bears would still trade Simmons, Gallimore, and poor depth over Street, Jarrett, and standard depth, so they are not complaining. However, the chance of having Simmons, Street, and Jarrett is gone, and we are unsure what type of player Jarrett will be when he comes back, if he comes back at all.
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