Jeffery Simmons is Bears' all-in move. Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson make it worth the risk

The Bears have a superstar defender to complement their superstar-in-the-making quarterback Oct 29, 2026 at 1:11 pm ET • 5 min read When Ben Johnson declared this offseason that he wanted to have the highest-scoring offense in NFL history, he meant it. And when the Bears beat the Panthers 59-37 in Week 1, it looked like he might need it, too.The Bears made the playoffs in 2025 thanks to Caleb Williams' huge leap, yes, but they also made it in spite of a defense that ranked 29th in yards per play allowed. Chicago survived its defensive weaknesses by leading the league in turnovers forced, but it wasn't exactly a sustainable way to win. The Bears went 11-6 last year but were 2-6 when they didn't force multiple turnovers. Their season ultimately came to an end when they didn't force a single turnover in the divisional round against the Rams.And that was OK. The main goal of the 2025 season — Johnson's first in the Windy City — was to repair Williams and repair the offense, and he did both magnificently. Anything beyond that was icing on the cake, and the Bears got plenty of icing with their first playoff trip since the 2020 season and their first playoff win since the 2010 season.The expectations were rightfully raised as we entered 2026. That's why Johnson made his "highest-scoring offense ever" comment. He even knew who owned the record (the 2013 Broncos) and how many points they averaged (37.9). That was the part of the quote that drew attention. The rest of the quote is what fueled Thursday's blockbuster trade for Jeffery Simmons."I want shutouts. I want blowouts."The 2026 Bears have been good. They're 5-2 despite Williams having missed three games (and part of a fourth). They've been really good — a top-five/top-10ish unit offensively — with Williams on the field.But the defense has been a thorn in the side of this team becoming elite. Chicago ranks dead last in yards per play and explosive play rate allowed. The defense is 12th in success rate and EPA per play, showing it is both timely and good at forcing turnovers. But overall, it's far from a championship-level defense. It's not quite even a "not great, but can win a championship with it" defense. How Simmons changes the outlook in ChicagoThis is an offense that deserves a defense capable of supporting championship aspirations. Enter Simmons, a one-man wrecking crew. He leads all interior defensive linemen in ESPN's pass rush win rate. His 24 pressures are tied for third-most among interior defensive linemen, per PFF's categorization. He has four sacks, tied for most among defensive tackles.And it's not just the pass rush impact. He leads all interior defensive linemen with 24 tackles. He is a disruptor every single down, no matter if he's double-teamed (which he often is) or not. His presence will not only boost the Bears' interior pass rush massively but also free things up for the edge pass rushers, who have been up and down at best. Dennis Allen's blitzes — already some of the best in the league — just became even harder for offenses to handle.Trades like these don't happen in a vacuum. In fact, I'd argue the price the Bears had to pay — two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick for Simmons and a fifth-round pick — is a significant overpay at worst and exorbitant at best. But this trade is made with eyes on a championship. The Bears knew they had to get better. Earlier this week, the Seahawks (acquired Quenton Nelson) and the 49ers (acquired DeForest Buckner) both got better. Those are teams the Bears could see in the playoffs. This move was 10 times pricier, but Simmons is the rare superstar defender who can singlehandedly lift a team with Super Bowl goals.Simmons is not a cure-all, but Caleb Williams helps This can very much go wrong. Just last year, the Colts traded multiple first-round picks for Sauce Gardner. A year later, the Colts have sacked the GM who made that trade and have become sellers at the deadline. They're currently slated to send the No. 7 overall pick to New York this year, a true "kicking someone when they're down" scenario.But Caleb Williams is not Daniel Jones, and therefore, this huge all-in move is betting on someone worth betting on. Williams took a step last year. He eliminated negative plays, which was always going to be step 1 in making this offense work, and continued to make some truly spectacular plays. This year, though, he's taking a leap as an all-around player who is more accurate, more consistent and simply better. Caleb Williams20252026Net yards per attempt6.67.6Completion percentage58.1%71%Off-target rate14.6^6.5%EPA per dropback0.080.26Last year, Williams' "Iceman" nickname stuck because he had ice in his veins in clutch time. But this year, what if he's just red-hot ... all the time? All four of the stats above rank in the top 10 this year. His EPA per dropback is fourth, behind only Josh Allen, Jared Goff and Brock Purdy. He is starting to scratch the surface of combining the superstar play-making of Allen with the efficiency of Goff and Purdy. That's a rare, rare combination, brought on by his own massive improvements and another year in Johnson's system.Just last week, Williams went 22-for-33 for 308 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a win over the Patriots, the team that represented the AFC in the Super Bowl last year. He had eight completions of 20+ yards, tied for the most of any player in any game this season. He is a superstar.Now, he has a superstar teammate on the other side. Simmons will not fix every problem by himself. But he will be a huge help, and past Super Bowl champions have had a similarly dominant force up front, too. Think of the Seahawks with Leonard Williams and Byron Murphy, the Eagles with Jalen Carter and friends, the Chiefs with Chris Jones, the Rams with Aaron Donald. Chicago recently got back Kyler Gordon, whose blitzing acumen has already changed the defense for the better. Safety Coby Bryant, one of Chicago's premier offseason acquisitions, should be back from knee surgery before season's end, as should EDGE Dayo Odeyingbo, who was off to a strong start before a quad injury.The Bears don't need an elite defense, and even with Simmons and the potential returnees, they likely won't have one. But they do need a defense capable of supporting a championship-level offense. That goes for this year and the next few years. Simmons is 29, but he has shown no signs of slowing down, and elite interior defenders can be elite for a long time.Simmons is a huge, all-in bet — perhaps too expensive, even. But Super Bowl trophies are priceless. The move carries huge risk, but it carries huge upside. And it's upside Chicago frankly didn't have before. The Bears have done a terrific job finding a coach, a quarterback and a roster worth betting on. Whether it results in confetti or heartbreak, Chicago has earned a chance to find out. Isn't that the point of it all, anyway?