How Jeffery Simmons immediately became the face — and voice — of the Bears defense

It didn’t take Jeffery Simmons long to become the face of the Bears defense.

And the mouth. And the legs.

On Sunday night, Simmons identified a screen from his spot at defensive tackle and hustled toward the right flat. When Emeka Egbuka caught the screen pass, Simmons changed his angle upfield. Twenty-one yards later, at full sprint, he dove and tripped up the Buccaneers receiver.

Defensive end Daniel Hardy, who was the closest defensive lineman to the play — until Simmons went racing past him — couldn’t believe it.

“It motivates everybody,” he said. “When the biggest person on the field is running harder and faster than anybody else, you don’t have an excuse anymore.”

When coaches and executives use the word, it’s easy to roll your eyes. But in Simmons’ case, it’s true — he’s been a multiplier. He’s made his teammates better by drawing double teams and giving them one fewer man to beat, but also by playing so hard that they can’t help but do the same.

“When offenses know they can’t run the ball inside, they try to get the ball to the perimeter on screens, on tosses. …” Simmons said. “That’s just my game. That’s what I take a lot of pride in, just being around the ball … He had the ball in his hand, and that’s the most important thing on the field.”

When the Bears traded two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Titans for Simmons, it was clear that he’d have to play to a remarkable standard to be worth the investment.

He’s done all that, and more, thus far.

Watching Simmons dominate the Seahawks on “Monday Night Football,” one Bears front office executive said out loud, to no one in particular, that he was expensive — but worth it.

On a franchise known for their defensive stars — from Brian Urlacher to Dan Hampton, Mike Singletary to Richard Dent — Simmons fit in from the second he arrived. He hasn’t needed an adjustment period. He played 87% of the Bears’ snaps against the Seahawks and 97% against the Buccaneers. His 121 snaps are the second-most by any defensive tackle over those two weeks.

“I’ll use this week very wisely,” he said of the bye, “to take care of my body.”

The outside world has taken note of his play. Simmons — and even his 3-year-old daughter Mulani — has been the centerpiece of two straight primetime games. Inside Halas Hall, teammates and coaches who have known him for mere days speak with a reverent tone not heard since Khalil Mack played defensive end.

“His football character bleeds off the tape,” defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. “It bled off the tape in Tennessee. It bled off the tape … in Seattle. He plays the game tough. He plays the game violently. He plays the game hard …

“Why does he raise the level of other guys around him? Because when your best players work the way that he works, the way that he practices, prepares the way that he prepares, and then plays the game the way that he plays, you don't have a choice but to raise your level.”

Former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who was in town to cover the Bears-Buccaneers, noticed.

“I don’t even attempt to hide my man crush for this guy,” he said on NBC. “He’s top of the food chain in the D-tackle position … he’s got it all. He checks all of the boxes. He’s a power player that happens to be athletic. He’s smart, he’s got natural leadership skills, and I love his surly disposition, which is an asset.”

The Buccaneers didn’t think so. After the Bears beat them, tackle Luke Goedeke said Simmons grabbed his jersey so the Bears’ defensive ends could run free. Quarterback Baker Mayfield also said the Bears’ defensive linemen were barking out snap counts and got his linemen to commit false starts.

Grousing about Simmons around the league continued Monday, when the Jaguars traded a 2027 first-round draft pick and a 2029 second-rounder to the Eagles for a lesser defensive tackle, Jordan Davis. The Bears’ trade, by comparison, looks far more reasonable — even if the cost might someday sting.

Simmons’ Pro Football Focus pass rush grade ranks third among defensive tackles who have played at least half their team’s snaps the past two weeks. With Simmons on their roster, Allen has blitzed just 23% of the time, compared to 42% of the time in Weeks 1-7 — and has been more successful getting to the quarterback.

In the second half Sunday night, the Bears got pressure on Mayfield 41% of the time despite blitzing just twice on 17 passes. When the Bears needed it most, Simmons provided one of the Bears’ four second-half sacks.

“Credit to Jeff,” Hardy said. “This is his second game with the team and he’s been a leader already, just telling guys that, 'We need to keep going, we need to keep hunting, don’t be scared.' …

“We have some hungry, foaming-at-the-mouth dogs in the D-line room, and they want to get after the QB.”

That includes Montez Sweat, his former Mississippi State teammate. Since the Bears traded for Simmons, both Sweat and edge rusher Austin Booker rank in the top 28 in PFF’s pass rush scores.

Sweat credited the jolt the Bears got from his old friend.

“He’s always had a real love for the game,” Sweat said, “and that’s infectious across the whole line, and whole team.”