Bears' historic Simmons trade highlights shifting league priorities

Jeffery Simmons. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Bears' historic Jeffery Simmons trade highlights shifting league priorities

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Oct 30, 2026 7:21 AM ET

Defensive tackles have arguably never been as important in the NFL as they are right now. The Chicago Bears' recent trade just proved it.

On Thursday, the Bears went all-in as a Super Bowl LXI contender with a daring deal sending two future first-round picks (2027, 2028) and a 2027 fourth to the Tennessee Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and a 2028 fifth.

As ESPN Bears reporter Courtney Cronin noted, it marked the first deal involving two first-round picks being exchanged for a defensive tackle in the common draft era (since 1967).

The 2025 first-team All-Pro justifies the high price as arguably the league's best interior defensive linemen. A season ago, he recorded a career-high 11 sacks. Through seven games in 2026, Simmons led defensive tackles in ESPN's pass-rush win rate rankings.

But in recent history, teams have hesitated to part with multiple firsts to acquire talent outside of a few prominent positions, including quarterback, blindside tackle, defensive back and edge-rusher. The last few seasons have shown, however, that defensive tackles are just as integral in the Super Bowl picture. And by adding Simmons, the Bears have one of the league's best interior line duos.

Trade: Titans are trading All Pro DT Jeffery Simmons to the Chicago Bears, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 29, 2026

Full trade terms, per sources:

Bears receive:
Jeffrey Simmons and a 2028 5th-round pick

Titans receive 2027 and 2028 first-round picks, and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 29, 2026

Bears follow recent Super Bowl blueprint with all-in trade for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons

Simmons joins 12-year veteran Grady Jarrett, who has generated a 11.4 percent pressure rate, his best in five seasons of tracking data provided by Sumer Sports. The pair has the potential to wreak havoc for the Bears, who appear to be taking a page from the past couple Super Bowl champions.

In Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles crushed the Kansas City Chiefs, 40-22, in large part because of a dominant effort up front, with linemen Milton Williams and Jordan Davis combining for three sacks. A season ago, the Seattle Seahawks dominated the New England Patriots at the line of scrimmage, eventually sacking Patriots quarterback Drake Maye six times in a 29-13 win.

The league's best teams are prioritizing the defensive tackle position, a sensible counter as teams combat pass-heavy NFL offenses. Those linemen not only help take away clean pockets for quarterbacks when passing, but with defenses often operating with five or more defensive backs, having those space-eaters in the middle can also be key in plugging running lanes.

That could be particularly valuable for the Bears. Per FTN Fantasy data, Chicago has the league's second-lowest stuffed run rate (10.2 percent) when operating out of nickel (five DBs) and dime (six DBs) packages while allowing 1.67 yards before contact, fourth-most in the league.

As a copycat league, the Bears' decision to trade for Simmons is in line with how the past two champions built their Super Bowl defenses. While defensive tackles have long played prominent roles for Super Bowl winners, the Simmons trade marks the clearest sign yet of their shifting value among NFL franchises.

Teams are either stout at the line of scrimmage or desperate to join the party.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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