The Chicago Bears felt the immediate impact of defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, defeating the defending champion Seattle Seahawks 34–17 on Monday Night Football.
Simmons, whom the Bears acquired in a trade last week, had a stellar outing, co-leading the team in tackles and disrupting the Seahawks’ offense all night. Bears head coach Ben Johnson said after the game that he helped elevate the other players on the field simply by his presence.
“I think our guys were excited the moment they heard the news that we were bringing him on,” said Johnson.
“And he’s fit right in. We’ve got a high-character locker room, and he is that himself … I thought he played outstanding. He got one of the game balls. I mean, to come in there and have a share of the lead of tackles and sack in his first game. His impact was profound.”
Simmons finished with 6 tackles, tying linebacker Devin Bush for the lead; he also had 2 tackles for loss, a sack, a hit on the quarterback, and a pass defended. Simmons’s disruptive presence helped the Bears defense hold the Seahawks to just 81 yards on the ground and 188 passing yards.
Simmons told reporters after the game that he stayed at the Bears’ facility until 10 P.M. Thursday—the same day he was traded—and got up early Friday to try to learn the game plan. But once he stepped on the field, it came naturally.
“It’s just part of me doing my job,” Simmons said of his first sack, which came with just under 5 and a half minutes in the first quarter. “Once I touched the field and ran out there on the first snap, from that point on I was just like, ‘it’s just football.’ Yes, I had a new jersey on today for the first time … I was able to just get myself back going and just say ‘go play football.’”
Simmons lined up over the Seahawks’ Grey Zabel, who had just moved to right guard after the Hawks traded for All-Pro left guard Quentin Nelson. As soon as the ball was snapped, Simmons swatted Zabel’s hands down and used a swim move to get inside leverage, then screamed into the backfield and wrapped up quarterback Sam Darnold before he could progress to his second read.
“They gave me a one-on-one, and I take full advantage of you. If you’re going to try to block me one-on-one, I need to go win one-on-ones. When I don’t win my one-on-one, the coaches should be on me,” he said.
“I hold myself to a high standard when I get opportunities, especially because it’s not very often that I’m getting a one-on-one. And they gave me the one-on-one against [Zabel], and I was like, ‘I need to go win this.’ So it felt good to get my first one, especially my first game here. … But I’m here to do my job and help this team win football games.”
On Thursday, the Bears sent their first-round picks in 2027 and 2028, plus a 2027 fourth-rounder, to the Tennessee Titans for Simmons and a 2028 fifth-rounder.
In his eight years with the Titans, Simmons quietly became one of the league’s most disruptive interior defensive linemen.
He racked up 404 total tackles, 70 tackles for loss, 44.5 sacks, a safety, eight forced fumbles, six recoveries, and 30 passes defended.
Simmons also played on offense in goal-line situations: he caught two passes for three yards and two touchdowns. Simmons is a four-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Second Team All-Pro; he earned a First-Team selection in 2025.
