Bears' Jeffery Simmons Deal Ranks No. 2 at Deadline as Vikings Land Kirk Cousins
CBS Sports ranks Chicago's Jeffery Simmons trade second of 18 deadline deals, just behind the Vikings' move for Kirk Cousins inside the NFC North.
The NFL trade deadline closed at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday after 18 in-season deals, and the Chicago Bears' move for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons came out near the top of the class. In a CBS Sports ranking of every trade by impact, Carter Bahns put Chicago's deal second. The only trade ahead of it was Minnesota's last-minute deal for quarterback Kirk Cousins, and the Vikings are the team that beat the Bears 9-3 earlier this season.
Bahns argued that Simmons might deserve the top spot because his impact is already proven while the other deals are still guesses. The Bears made the trade well before the deadline, and CBS credits the three-time All-Pro with taking over the middle of the line in his first two games. Bahns called him central to the win at Seattle and one of the few reasons Chicago survived a five-turnover night on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 9. His summary was that Simmons "turned the defense into a significant asset overnight."
The ranking also matters for the division. CBS describes Minnesota as a team with the league's best defense that kept getting stuck in close, low-scoring games through nine weeks. The 38-year-old Cousins is supposed to fix that. Chicago knows the problem well, since its only home loss was the 9-3 game against the Vikings. Detroit, the other NFC North team that made a move, added safety Andre Cisco to help what CBS calls the worst pass defense in the league.
What it means for the Saints game
The Bears are 7-2 and have won four straight since losing 31-7 at Green Bay. In the two games CBS credits to Simmons, the 34-17 win at Seattle and the 27-24 win over Tampa Bay, Chicago scored 61 points and allowed 41. Over the four-game streak, the Bears are averaging 30.5 points and giving up 22.
The season numbers show a team that has handled almost everyone outside its own division. Chicago is 7-0 against everyone else. Its two losses came against the Vikings and Packers, and it scored a combined 10 points in those games. Its point differential for the season is plus-57: 241 points scored and 184 allowed. The Bears are 4-1 at home and 3-1 on the road.
Next up is New Orleans at home on Sunday, November 22, on Fox. That gives the coaching staff close to two weeks to build more around Simmons. The Tampa Bay game raises the main question. Simmons' presence helped Chicago win despite five giveaways, but a three-point margin left no room for error. Against the Saints, the issue is whether the offense led by Caleb Williams can protect the ball well enough that the defense doesn't have to carry the game.
The Cousins trade also shapes the rest of the season. Minnesota bet on its offense catching up to its defense. Chicago made its move earlier and already has two wins with Simmons on the field. Full schedule and results are on the Bears team page.