The Chicago Bears made arguably the biggest midseason trade of the year on Oct. 29, giving up a package headlined by two first-rounds picks to the Titans for All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Despite speculation going into Tuesday’s 2026 NFL trade deadline, that ended up being the only in-season trade the Bears will make this year.
Were the Bears to make another move before the deadline, positions like cornerback and defensive end were the ones that had rumored as potential needs to address. Insiders across the NFL linked them to Khalil Mack, though the Chargers ended up keeping him, despite their 0-8 start to the season.
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Obviously, Simmons is a blockbuster addition by himself. Through the first nine weeks of the 2026-27 NFL season, he leads the league with a perfect 100.0 PFN DT Impact grade. His 6.0 sacks lead all interior defensive linemen, and he also leads at his position with 48 total tackles. Through his first two games, he has had sacks in each of them and has been a force multiplier for the Bears’ defense.
Bears head coach Ben Johnson indicated on Monday that the team was discussing a potential move, but that he showed faith in the current roster.
“I think Ryan [Poles] is doing a phenomenal job every day,” Johnson explained. “He’s going through and seeing how we can improve this roster, what we need the most of. The coordinators are certainly talking every day right now, just with where their concerns lie within the roster. So we’ll see. We’ll see if there is another move or two to be made or if we stand put. I feel really confident about the guys we have in this locker room right now. And I think we’ve proven at this point that we can find a way to win each and every week with this group.”