Reviewing Jeffery Simmons' Debut vs. Seahawks and Postgame Quotes From Bears DT

We can confidently say that new Chicago Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons had a successful debut in the Week 8 victory against the Seattle Seahawks on Monday night.

Simmons finished the game tied with a team-high six tackles and notched one sack, a bunch of pressures and two tackles for loss. Simmons also made an impact in run defense, securing a team-high three run stops, per Pro Football Focus.

The former first-round pick wasted no time getting involved in the pass-rush, with Simmons recording his first Bears sack on the second defensive series of the game for Chicago.

He made Seahawks second-year guard Grey Zabel look silly.

Jeffery Simmons wasted NO time making an impact for the Bears' defense pic.twitter.com/Kedlt9Dxop
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 3, 2026

A true menace in the pass-rush

Chicago Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. — Seattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold (14) is pressured by. Chicago Bears defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons (99) during the second quarter at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And that was the beginning of things to come for Simmons versus the Seahawks. The four-time Pro Bowler was getting penetration throughout the contest and routinely made Sam Darnold uncomfortable, which helped thwart the passing attack.

Even when he wasn't getting through to pressure Darnold, Big Jeff was drawing so much attention that he freed up his teammates to make plays.

Two examples of that were the sacks from Montez Sweat and Devin Bush. In both instances, Simmons took on a double team and that impacted Seattle's ability to account for the two Bears defenders, who got through unblocked and took Darnold down.

Jeffery Simmons being double-teamed gave Devin Bush the opportunity to go and get the sack pic.twitter.com/Ukd329JpZ2
— Chat Sports (@ChatSports) November 3, 2026

Another clear benefit we're seeing with Simmons early on is the fact that the Bears are having success rushing just four and that allows Dennis Allen to drop more into coverage, which is huge because Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson continue to amount to huge liabilities, as we saw on Monday night.

When it comes to Simmons' playing time, the All-Pro D-tackle was on the field for 55 of the 63 snaps, per PFF which is about 88% of the plays, so he was pretty much full go in his debut.

What Simmons, Bears said after DT's debut

Bears head coach Ben Johnson said it best when he simply stated that Simmons' "impact was profound," according to the team's official website.

Simmons didn't look like a guy who was in his first game in a new defense and that's because he went right to work learning the playbook as soon as he arrived in Chicago.

"I was in the building 'til almost 10 o'clock Thursday night just trying to get the game plan and catch up," Simmons said. "Getting the game plan early in the morning Friday. Just spending the extra time. Then when I ran out of the tunnel, I kept telling myself, 'It's just football. Go out there and be me. Play by play, just stay in the moment.'

"That's always my goal - just embrace the moment. That's what happened tonight. It was like a lift [off my shoulders] once I ran out there. Thank God they got the ball first as well. To be able to run out there and get my first snaps as a Chicago Bear, it was a lot of emotions. I'm grateful to be here, and today was a great start."

In his postgame interview with ESPN's Laura Rutledge, Simmons said he's "excited to be a Chicago Bear" and "it means a lot to me to be able to play meaningful football," something he didn't do much of in recent years in Tennessee.

We talked about the impact Simmons had when it comes to the attention he draws and how that frees up the guys around him, and T.J. Edwards and Daniel Hardy said they certainly saw that.

Montez Sweat sack. Look at him and Jeffery Simmons.
pic.twitter.com/YPSGE270Tx
— ✶Ⓜ️𝕒𝕣𝕔𝕦𝕤 ▶️✶ (@_MarcusD3_) November 3, 2026

"I think he's just — I don't know — you can feel his presence," Edwards said. "Especially me, I'm right behind him, so I can kind of just feel how they're trying to block him. I feel like [the defense] was just flying today. They made our job a whole lot easier. But he definitely helps, for sure. He's just himself. His play speaks for [itself]."

"Phenomenal player," Hardy said. "Really charged up the locker room. Definitely boosted up the DL. He took a ton of reps tonight and made them all count. You gotta account for him. Give him a 1-on-1, it's not gonna end well. He frees stuff up for everybody just because he draws so much attention to him. So appreciate it, and we're all happy with the production."

Montez Sweat was also one of the beneficiaries of Simmons' mere presence upfront and admitted he was seeing more one-on-ones because of the new Bears defensive tackle.

"I definitely got my opportunities," Sweat said. "I definitely got some 1-on-1s. I was looking forward to taking advantage of that, and I'm looking forward to doing that the rest of the year.

"[Simmons has] definitely upped his game and his IQ. He's always had a real love for the game, and that affects you across the whole line and the whole team."

Simmons was everything the Bears could have hoped for and then some. It's scary to think he could get even better once he has a better grasp of the defense and, potentially, even more help if Chicago acquires Khalil Mack or another edge rusher.

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