The Chicago Bears landed a big swing last week with the Tennessee Titans after reaching a blockbuster deal to land All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. After one week, that trade has already been a massive success for the Bears and now the team is taking the first steps toward bringing in another former Titans defensive lineman.

According to Jordan Schultz, the Bears are hosting a workout next week with defensive tackle Jordan Elliott. Elliott is the player Tennessee cut in October following the team’s internal investigation into an incident at the Titans facility involving right tackle JC Latham. A to Z Sports’ Easton Freeze broke the initial story of the firearm. After the incident, Elliott allegedly went to the parking garage to get his gun before he was stopped.

The timeline moved fast. The incident happened on the Thursday before the Titans traveled to Indianapolis to face the Colts. Tennessee released Elliott on the Tuesday after beating the Colts, five days later. Even after his release, Titans head coach Robert Saleh vouched for Elliott and encouraged other teams to give him a second chance.

“I think it’s important for the entire world to step back and ask why, and attack it head on, for the sake of the kid, and thankfully, nothing happened, and I hope by the actions of the organization and the NFL over the course of the weekend, it prevented something from happening. And and like I said, the man deserves another chance,” Saleh said. “Unfortunately, rules are rules, and it can’t be here. But but he’s a good man. He’s not a problem, and he should be on an NFL roster.”

Why this situation hit hard for the Tennessee Titans

Saleh’s endorsement wasn’t alone. The Titans locker room echoed the same message Saleh delivered. Everyone in Tennessee believed this act was a cry for help, that he’s a good man, a good dad, a good husband, a great teammate, and he made a mistake.

Not everyone bought it. Plenty of people across the sports media and online world reacted negatively to Saleh’s response. Their question was simple. How can you be that forgiving of a person who brought a gun to work and went to go bring it inside the building, whether it was meant for a teammate or anybody else?

“Soft” is the wrong word for what Saleh did. But the forgiveness he showed rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. It’s worth noting the context Saleh brought into that press conference. He mentioned the two NFL players who took their own lives in the last calendar year while dealing with mental health: Cowboys defensive lineman Marshawn Kneeland and Vikings receiver Rondale Moore.

Those two losses hit the Titans building closer than most people realize. Titans defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton and defensive lineman Solomon Thomas were both with the Cowboys a year ago. Thomas was Kneeland’s teammate, and Whitecotton was the position coach for both players.

Titans receiver Wan’Dale Robinson was very close to Moore. The two grew up together through high school recruiting and stayed in touch through college and into their NFL careers as slot receivers. Robinson actually wears jersey No. 4 with the Titans because of Moore.

So when Saleh talks about mental health and second chances, it isn’t coming from nowhere. People in that building have lived it. Then Saleh went a step further. He said if a team trying to make a playoff push wants a good run-stopping defensive tackle, give him a call. That’ll tell you everything you need to know about Elliott.

Why the Bears are interested in bringing him in

For starters, there’s no denying the presence of Simmons in this. He was teammates with Elliott in Tennessee earlier this year and played alongside him on the interior of the Titans’ defensive front. No one in Chicago can vouch for his play better than him.

The Bears also have a slight need at defensive tackle. Earlier this week, Chicago placed veteran defensive tackle Kentavius Street on the injured reserve with a knee injury that is believed to be season-ending. Grady Jarrett was also dinged up by a groin injury coming out of Monday night’s game, but was a full participant during Friday’s practice. The Bears also have Neville Gallimore and rookies Jordan van den Berg and Jayden Loving as depth options on the interior, along with the eventual return of Dayo Odeyingbo.

However, the real question here isn’t what Elliott brings to the field or the need at the position. Elliott was involved in a very serious situation that shouldn’t be overlooked. And yet, head coach Ben Johnson believes in what the Bears have in the building and how the players and coaches would be ready to embrace him and help him get back on track.

“We have a very strong locker room, we have a positive veteran influence in there. We feel very strongly about that group,” Johnson said last year after the signing of C.J. Gardner-Johnson. “Nothing is more important than our locker room to be clear with you. So that is certainly first and foremost with any decision we make with who we bring in or who we let go. I think we are all aware of how important that is.”

Ryan Poles and Mike Borgonzi connection matters here

To be clear, this is just a workout. It’s not a signing. But the team on the other end of that phone call matters, and that’s where the Jeffery Simmons trade comes back into the picture.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles and Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi go way back. The two grew up through the scouting ranks all the way to their current jobs, starting at Boston College. Poles was a player there, and Borgonzi was a graduate assistant. From there, both landed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where they were roommates.

That relationship has been discussed quite a bit since Simmons went to Chicago. Giants coach John Harbaugh was frustrated with what NBC’s Mike Florio pointed out as an “inside job” because of how close Poles and Borgonzi are.

That’s just crying over spilled milk from Harbaugh and the Giants’ perspective. Good relationships make deals happen. That’s not a scandal, that’s the NFL. And you would think Poles and Borgonzi would have some type of conversation about Elliott the player.

It doesn’t take much to connect the dots. Saleh publicly offered to vouch for Elliott, the two GMs have known each other for most of their adult lives, and the Bears just took Tennessee’s best defensive lineman. If Elliott does end up in Chicago, nobody should act surprised. The phone line between Nashville and Chicago has been pretty busy lately.