Jeffery Simmons makes 'profound' impact in first game with Bears

How’s that for immediate impact?

The Chicago Bears’ trade for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons paid instant dividends in Monday night’s 34-17 road shellacking of the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks.

"His impact was profound," coach Ben Johnson said of Simmons, per the team’s official website.

The man sporting the bright orange long sleeves was impossible to miss. Simmons stuffed the stat sheet in his first game with the Bears, netting a sack, six tackles, two tackles for loss, a pass defended and a quarterback pressure.

"We're always watching the Jumbotron, but we were really watching the Jumbotron," receiver Kalif Raymond quipped. "Watching him play, watching the impact he has, I mean, he has a whole other element."

Simmons’ arrival allows coordinator Dennis Allen to play his defense differently. Instead of blitzing additional rushers to get one-on-one matchups, the new addition does that for him. Simmons was the only Bears defensive lineman to record double-digit double teams (13) on Monday night, per Next Gen Stats.

That presence opened up the rest of the crew. It’s not a coincidence that Montez Sweat had his best game with his former Mississippi State teammate in the lineup. Sweat had a sack, three QB pressures and a tackle for loss in the win.

"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."

Despite just arriving, Simmons played a full slate of snaps -- 48 of 56, per NGS. When the big man was on the field, Chicago allowed just 3.0 yards per play on a 25.0% success rate while recording five tackles for loss. On the eight plays Simmons was off the field, the Bears allowed 13.3 yards per play, a 62.5% success rate and a 37.5% explosive play rate.

That’s a quantitative difference.

“I kept telling myself, 'It's just football. Go out there and be me. Play by play, just stay in the moment,’” Simmons said. "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."

If Simmons' play keeps up, the hefty cost to acquire him won’t seem so weighty down the road.

Simmons has been a game-wrecker for years. Unfortunately, too few people got to see that in action over the past seven-plus seasons in Tennessee. In Chicago, the man in neon orange will be hard to miss.