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The Bears are going all in.
Chicago has reached an agreement to trade for Titans star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, according to multiple reports.
The Bears are sending two first-round draft picks (2027, 2028) and a fourth-rounder (2027) to the Titans for the 29-year-old, who is a three-time All Pro, and a fifth-rounder (2028), per multiple reports.
The Bears are 5-2 and are battling for a playoff spot in the highly competitive NFC, while the 1-6 Titans are in the early stages of a rebuild in Robert Saleh’s first season as head coach.
The move shores up one of the Bears’ biggest weaknesses as they look for ways to pressure the quarterback without the constant blitzes dialed up by defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.
Simmons leads all defensive tackles in pressures and sacks when facing double teams, according to ESPN’s Kevin Clark.
The former Mississippi State star has played his entire career in Tennessee after being a first-round draft pick in 2019.
Simmons’ addition could also free up pass rushers Montez Sweat, Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo, who have nine combined sacks this season.
“There’s a lot going on,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said on Wednesday when asked about the trade deadline.
“Certainly (GM) Ryan’s [Poles] domain, and yet we have constant dialogue of what this team needs and where we can impact ourselves, not just this year, but years in the future as well.
“He’s turning over every stone that he possibly can to improve this football team, just like he has ever since I’ve gotten in this building. Feel really good about our process, and we’ll see what happens. You never know.”
Simmons had just signed a three-year, $105 million extension with the Titans in June that keeps him under contract through 2029.
The trade is reminiscent of the deal the Bears made before the 2018 season — shipping two first-round picks to the Raiders as part of a deal to land defensive end Khalil Mack.
Mack, now with the winless Chargers, has been linked to the Bears for a possible return to the Windy City after he helped them reach the playoffs in two of his first three seasons.
It is unclear if the Simmons trade would preclude the Bears from making further moves, though the price tag for the 35-year-old Mack is much lower now.
The Bears play the Seahawks on “Monday Night Football” in what could be a debut not only for Simmons, but for Seattle offensive lineman Quenton Nelson.
The defending Super Bowl champs acquired Nelson — a perennial Pro Bowler — on Tuesday in the first major trade of the regular season.
The dueling deals by NFC contenders come two weeks before the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.
