Newly acquired defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons says he's ready to roll and help the 5-2 Bears, who made a blockbuster trade to get him from the Titans.

Simmons, 29, a four-time Pro Bowler, is widely considered the NFL's best interior defensive lineman. He earned All-Pro honors in 2025 after setting career highs with 11 sacks and 17 tackles for loss.

"The trade told me everything I needed to know, especially the value from giving away two first-round picks," he said. "This team believes in what they have here, and they want it right now, and my game, my passion, my energy, my leadership, I can only help this team even more than what it's got. This is a great locker room from quarterback all the way down, so my job is to not try to come in here and be nothing more than but myself. I'm excited to be able to help this team compete for a championship."

Bears defensive tackle Grady Jarrett said he learned about the trade while he was at home and walking into the kitchen with the TV on.

"Oh, snap," he said. "It's awesome, man. I'm happy for him, happy for us."

The big move was one general manager Ryan Poles said he would only make for an impact player on the field and in the locker room. He feels the Bears took another step by adding the four-time Pro Bowler.

"You know, Super Bowl teams, really, probably you go back to 2018, since then they all have what we call like a red-level interior defensive lineman. So, in order to get to there, you need one," Poles said. "Sometimes the draft doesn't provide that to you. Sometimes, I know free agency really doesn't do that at that level."

Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said the more Simmons digests from the playbook, the more opportunities there will be for him.

Simmons said he hasn't played in a primetime game since 2023, and he'll get to play two in a row in his first two games with the Bears: on Monday night against the Super Bowl champion Seahawks, and the following Sunday night against the Buccaneers.