The Bears pulling the trigger on a trade that brought defensive game-wrecker Jeffery Simmons to Chicago on Thursday morning probably instilled a feeling of Déjà vu. The Bears shipped out two first-round picks and a fourth-round selection for the four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle (and a fifth-round pick).

That was eerily similar to the haul they gave up for an equally dominant pass rusher, Khalil Mack, just before the 2018 NFL season kicked off. They gave up two first-round picks, a third-round pick, and a sixth-round selection for Mack, a second-round pick, and a fifth-round selection.

The Bears then signed Mack to a six-year, $141 million deal that made him the highest-paid defensive player in league history. Still, he was worth every penny, as Mack was a Defensive Player of the Year finalist in 2018 and instantly turned the Bears' defense into one of the league's most feared units.

While the decision initially looked like a lopsided victory for Chicago, the tide turned after his incredible 2018 campaign. He was still great, but not nearly as dominant as injuries began to take their toll.

The team around Mack fell apart, and the Bears were stuck in mediocrity for the rest of his time in Chicago. Futility at quarterback position saw the future Hall of Fame edge rusher never win a playoff game (we don't need to talk about the one he lost in 2018) during his time in Chicago.

I still love Mack, and don't look back at his time in the Windy City as a failure by any means. Even being less than 100%, he was still their most dominant player over that span. I was a staunch supporter in bringing him back at a MUCH lower price earlier this month.

However, former general manager Ryan Pace was flat-out wrong about how close the team was to competing for a Super Bowl, and that tarnished the acquisition. They didn't achieve their goal during his time in Chicago, and Mack's hefty contract was a hindrance in that regard. There's plenty of reason to believe their most recent costly acquisition will be different this time around, though.

The Bears were in a more precarious salary cap situation

Mack was the cherry on top of an offseason that saw the Bears burn their salary cap like it was going out of style. They completely revamped the pass-catching room by signing Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel, and Trey Burton to multi-year deals.

Pace never seemed to know when to put the checkbook away in free agency. While that occasionally worked to the Bears' advantage (Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson proved to be great additions), it usually didn't. Their hit rate was low, and the money dried up quickly.

That fact, combined with Pace's affinity for treating first-round picks like they've long been out of style, left the roster in disrepair when Ryan Poles took over. Say what you will about Poles' weak third-round hit rate and decision to hire/retain Matt Eberflus, but you can't knock him for his early-round hit rate and any overindulgence via free agency.

Unlike Vic Fangio, Dennis Allen is here to stay

A major reason the Bears fell off after 2018 was that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio accepted the Broncos' head coach position the following year. Fangio has always been recognized as one of the league's premier defensive minds, and Chicago's defense struggled to maintain their level of play after he jumped ship.

While they were still near the top of the league in points and yards allowed in 2019, their numbers fell off considerably in both of Mack's final two years in Chicago before bottoming out in 2022.

Meanwhile, Chicago's current defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, who is also considered one of the league's best, has been a head coach twice. First with the Raiders from 2012 to 2014 and then with the Saints from 2022 to 2024. Neither stint went well, and it would be shocking to see him get another head coaching gig at this stage of his career.

Allen deserves a world of credit for coaching up the Bears defense to a respectable unit despite not having anyone that opposing defenses needed to gameplan against until Kyler Gordon entered the lineup in Week 6. They now have two players to circle, and Allen should be in Chicago for the long haul if he capitalizes on the acquisition.

They ACTUALLY found their quarterback (and HC) this time

Pace wasn't wrong for capitalizing on the rookie QB contract window in 2018. That's what smart front offices do. The issue is that they put their chips in on the wrong guy, and didn't know whether Mitchell Trubisky would lead them to the promised land heading into the 2018 campaign.

The most important reason the Bears are much better positioned for success is that they landed a stone-cold killer at quarterback. Caleb Williams is still only scratching the surface, and he's already established himself as one of the league's best young quarterbacks.

Notably, they also found their head coach of the future. Matt Nagy looked the part in 2018, but we all saw how fast that fell apart. Ben Johnson immediately injected a shot of adrenaline into the locker room and is already being lauded as one of the league's best head coaches.

The duo instills immeasurable confidence in where they're going, regardless of how things go on the defensive side of the ball.