By Townhall Chicago News Staff
The Chicago Bears head into Monday night’s Week 8 game at Seattle bolstered by the blockbuster addition of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons and the return of linebacker T.J. Edwards from a hamstring injury.
The matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks at Lumen Field kicks off at 7:15 p.m. CT and represents the second of three consecutive prime-time contests for the 5-2 Bears.
Simmons, acquired Thursday from the Tennessee Titans in exchange for 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round selection, is expected to make his Bears debut Monday night, according to a Nov. 1 game preview on the team’s website. The eight-year veteran is a three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler who has recorded 15 sacks since the start of the 2025 season.
“We are excited to welcome Jeffery Simmons and his family to Chicago,” general manager Ryan Poles said in a team statement announcing the trade. “We are fortunate to have the opportunity to add a player, and a human, like Jeffery to our team.”
The acquisition sent a jolt of energy through Halas Hall, according to a team report published Oct. 31.
“Anytime you get an opportunity to add a player of this significance, everybody gets excited,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said, according to the team’s website. “I mean, it’s like waking up on Christmas morning and you go out and you see all the presents under the tree.”
Allen added that he has never worked with a defensive tackle as dominant as Simmons in 25 NFL coaching seasons.
“I don’t know that I’ve had anybody that’s been what I would consider this dominant,” Allen said. “He’s a hell of a football player.”
Offensive coordinator Press Taylor, who faced Simmons regularly during four years as a coach in the AFC South, offered a different perspective.
“I was in the division for four years with the guy and I know it’s a nightmare,” Taylor said, according to the team’s website. “Twice a year it was an absolute nightmare having to deal with him.”
Head coach Ben Johnson indicated that Simmons will play a significant role Monday, though perhaps not a full snap count in his first game with the team.
“He might not be quite that high Week 1 for us, but he certainly has shown the ability to carry a load,” Johnson said, according to Sports Illustrated.
The defense also gets back Edwards, who missed the past two games with a hamstring injury. Edwards practiced fully all week and carries no injury designation, according to the team’s Oct. 31 injury update. He serves as the defense’s play-caller.
“You know everyone’s going to know exactly what’s going on, where to line up, he’s going to be quick and decisive with the calls and he never panics,” Johnson said of Edwards, according to the team’s website.
The Bears enter the game riding a two-game winning streak. Their offense ranks third in the NFL in total yards per game at 390.7 and first in rushing yards per game at 154.3. Quarterback Caleb Williams has thrown for at least 300 yards with no interceptions in back-to-back starts.
Seattle’s defense, however, ranks first in the NFL in yards allowed per game at 233.9. The Seahawks beat the Chiefs 20-3 last weekend, limiting Patrick Mahomes to a 58.3 passer rating.
“We got a tough opponent here this week,” Johnson said, according to the team’s website. “It’s a good team. Obviously, they won the Super Bowl last year.”
