Jeffery Simmons’ dominant Bears debut against Seahawks is a bitter pill for Titans fans, even with a hefty trade haul in hand
Jeffery Simmons needed only 10 snaps to make his presence felt in Seattle. Here’s what his first night in Chicago looked like, and what it means for the Titans back home.
“Man, I’m so excited to be a Chicago Bear.”
That was Jeffery Simmons’ initial reaction to ESPN’s Laura Rutledge in his post-win interview.
The former Titans defensive tackle made his Bears debut on Monday Night Football against the Seattle Seahawks, and his presence was felt immediately, often, and from start to finish. He was the difference maker up front for a Bears team that looked better than Seattle in all three phases. By the time the night was over, Chicago had picked up a convincing road win over the defending Super Bowl champions, in part thanks to him.
Simmons came out of the tunnel wearing bright orange sleeves, much like the bright red sleeves he wore during his time in Tennessee. That made him just as easy to identify on the field for everybody used to watching him, which is part of the point. He has said he wears colored sleeves so his young daughter can tell who he is on TV.
It’s going to take some getting used to seeing him in a Bears uniform instead of a Titans uniform. It’s also going to take some getting used to watching the national media and national fans recognize Simmons for the absolute force of nature that he is.
He’s a unicorn in this league, and you can’t find players like him. That’s why Chicago traded for him at such a lofty price.
Jeffery Simmons came out of the gate swinging
Simmons didn’t need long to show off why he was so pricey. Per Next Gen Stats, he had three tackles, a sack, and a quarterback pressure in his first 10 snaps as a Bear. The internet was aflame talking about the impact he had on the game, and that early burst set the tone for a defensive front that controlled things all night.
For Simmons, it has to be a strange feeling. He’s no longer wearing Titans gear, and he went from a team projected to land a top-two overall draft pick to one of the top two contenders in the NFC. Instead of grinding through another lost season, he was beating up on the defending Super Bowl champions on the road in his very first outing.
Simmons makes Montez Sweat better in Chicago
As has been the case his entire career, Simmons wasn’t only individually dominant. He was also clearly a force multiplier.
His old running mate from his Mississippi State days, Montez Sweat, moves into the No. 2 role on the defensive line now that the two are teamed up again. As my friend Marcus Whitman put it on Twitter, we overplay the whole Batman and Robin thing for pass rushers, but with Simmons, it just works so well.
You could tell that the No. 2 role was a much better fit for Sweat. It maximized his efforts, and on specific plays where Sweat got home, you could feel Simmons’ gravity at work. The attention Simmons drew helped Sweat get one-on-one matchups, and Sweat went out and won them. That’s the kind of impact that doesn’t always show up in a box score, but it’s exactly what the Bears were paying for.
What does Simmons’ debut mean for the Titans?
For Titans fans, this one is a bitter pill to swallow. Chicago paid a hefty price for Simmons, and that haul is going to help Tennessee reset its future.
Moving off of Simmons was also a sober and timely decision. The Titans’ timeline for competing no longer aligned with his athletic prime, and holding onto an elite defensive tackle through a rebuild would have wasted the best years of his career for both sides. I understand the logic, and I still think it was the right call.
But watching his impact in Seattle makes one thing clear. Even if the Titans ultimately get a worthy return by hitting on the draft picks they received, there’s no doubt the Bears walked away from their first outing with Simmons quite pleased with the investment they made.
