Jeffery Simmons had a sack early in Monday night’s game in Seattle, but the defensive tackle’s coaches and teammates made it clear after the 34-17 win that his impact on the Bears went deeper than his statistics.
The Seahawks averaged three yards per play when Simmons was on the field Monday night and the attention that Seattle paid to blocking him opened up avenues for other Bears defenders to make plays. Linebacker T.J. Edwards said that “you can feel his presence” on every play and defensive end Montez Sweat said he’s “looking forward to taking advantage” of how offenses shift their attention to Simmons for the rest of the season.
That all adds up to what head coach Ben Johnson called Simmons’s “profound” impact on the team and wide receiver Kalif Raymond said that it extended to the sideline as well.
“We’re always watching the Jumbotron, but we were really watching the Jumbotron,” Raymond said, via the team’s website. “Watching him play, watching the impact he has, I mean, he has a whole other element.”
The Bears gave up a lot to bring Simmons to Chicago and the first returns on the trade were nothing but positive.