Coming out of the Week 5 bye, the Chicago Bears return to action as they take on the Washington Commanders on Monday night. The Bears shook off losses in their first two games of the season to even their record before the week off, and Chicago may be a contender worth watching ahead of the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
With the NFC North tighter than ever, the Bears have a shot if they can make an impact move at the deadline. Luckily for them, that door may have opened when the Tennessee Titans fired head coach Brian Callahan on Monday morning. With Callahan out the door, it’s clear that the Titans are embarking on another rebuild, and it could allow the Bears to jump in and acquire defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Bears Must Save Jeffery Simmons From Titans After Brian Callahan’s Firing
Simmons joined the Titans as a first-round pick (19th overall) in the 2019 draft and has become one of the top interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Over seven seasons, Simmons has racked up 337 total tackles, 57 tackles for loss, and 36 sacks, but he may be on his way to a career year even as the Titans have stumbled out of the gate.
The three-time Pro Bowler and two-time Second-Team All-Pro selection is looking to add a few more lines to his resume, making 28 total tackles, eight tackles for loss, and 4.5 sacks in the first six games. Pro Football Focus has also agreed that he’s performing at an elite level as his 85.3 overall grade ranks sixth this season and 91.3 pass-rushing grade ranks first among qualifying interior defenders.
This would be a dream for the Bears' defense. Chicago tried to throw some money at the problem by signing Grady Jarrett this offseason but the 32-year-old has just four total tackles and has been dealing with a knee injury that has limited him to three games in his first season of a three-year, $42.75 million contract. Shemar Turner has also been disappointing as the second-round pick has appeared in just two games this season.
There are some contract obstacles to jump through as Simmons’s $22.9 million cap hit wouldn’t fit under the $8.2 million in cap space the Bears currently have. But at 28 years old, Simmons may be less than thrilled with the aspect of entering another rebuild and may be willing to make concessions to head to Chicago or anywhere else he sees as a contender.
It’s the type of situation that’s worth monitoring for the Bears ahead of the deadline and could have gotten a little more realistic after Monday’s news.