Former Mississippi State players found themselves in the middle of a busy NFL week, and the biggest headline belonged to Jeffery Simmons. The Tennessee Titans dealt the defensive tackle and a 2028 fifth-round pick to the Chicago Bears in exchange for 2027 and 2028 first-round picks plus a 2027 fourth-round pick, a haul ESPN Research said makes Simmons the first defensive tackle since 1967 to be traded for multiple first-rounders.
That kind of return says everything about the season Simmons has put together. He leads the Titans with four sacks, six tackles for loss and four passes defended, and his 27% pass rush win rate is the best among NFL defensive tackles this year. Tennessee had already locked him in with a three-year, $105.8 million extension before the season, but the Bears still paid up for the long-term upgrade.
“We considered the compensation, and it was too good to pass up,” Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi said.
The move also sends Simmons to a familiar face. He’ll be lining up with Chicago defensive end Montez Sweat, his former Mississippi State teammate, after Sweat returns from a two-game suspension. The Bears, sitting at 5-2, were looking for help inside, and Chicago ranked 23rd in interior pass rush win rate before making the deal.
Simmons and Sweat both came out of Starkville as first-round picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, and now opposing offensive lines in the NFC have to deal with them on the same front. Sweat no longer has to fight double teams by himself.
Elsewhere, Dak Prescott helped Dallas keep its season moving with a 38-21 win over Philadelphia. Prescott threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns as the Cowboys handed the Eagles their fifth straight loss. Two of those scores went to CeeDee Lamb, one went to George Pickens, and Prescott also added a two-point conversion run.
The victory pushed Dallas to 3-4, and with the Giants sitting atop the NFC East at 4-2-1, the division remains up for grabs.
Seattle also had a Mississippi State connection hit a rough patch. Left tackle Charles Cross suffered a high ankle sprain in the Seahawks’ win over Kansas City, and an MRI confirmed the injury.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the hope is that Cross can return in one to two weeks, depending on how rehab goes. Josh Jones is stepping in at left tackle for now.
That timeline makes Seattle’s Monday night matchup with Chicago even more interesting, since Simmons and Sweat could make their first appearance together against a Seahawks front missing its starting left tackle.
In Houston, running back Woody Marks has been carrying the load while David Montgomery has been sidelined with an injury. The Texans are on a bye this week, and Houston is hoping Montgomery can come back after it. If he does, Marks’ workload figures to shrink, which is a tough break for a second-year back who has been doing the heavy lifting.
In Other News...
Mississippi State Heads To Texas With A Problem Getting Harder To Ignore
Mississippi States trip to Texas is getting more complicated by the day, and the injury report only added to the concern. The Bulldogs were already dealing with a defense that has been hit hard, and now safety Isaac Smith and linebacker Tyler Lockhart have been downgraded to doubtful for the matchup, leaving even less certainty in the middle of the field.
The trouble does not stop there, either. Left guard DJ Chester has been ruled out, forcing Mississippi State to adjust up front against a Texas team that is also managing its own health issues, including the absence of edge rusher Colin Simmons. For the Bulldogs, the bigger question is how much more shuffling they can absorb before it starts to show on both sides of the ball. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Just Turned Its Final Five Games Into A QB Audition
Mississippi States quarterback picture has shifted again, and the timing makes the final stretch of the season feel a lot bigger than just wins and losses. With Kamario Taylor out after season-ending surgery, the Bulldogs have had to rework the depth chart on the fly, and the remaining games now carry extra weight for a room that is suddenly short on certainty.
Jaden Rashada and Marquis Johnson are among the names whose roles could be shaped by what happens next, while freshman Brodie McWhorter adds another layer to the evaluation. He has yet to play, but the staff still has room to get a look at him without burning a year of eligibility, which gives Mississippi State a chance to learn something useful before the transfer portal starts to reshape the roster again. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Fans Can Already Start Thinking About The 2026 Egg Bowl
The next chapter in the Magnolia State rivalry is already on the calendar, and for fans on both sides, the 2026 Egg Bowl has a familiar kind of pull. Ole Miss and Mississippi State will meet again in a game that always carries more than just bragging rights, with the matchup landing in Oxford and sitting as one of the marquee dates on both teams football slates.
For Mississippi State supporters, it is the kind of game that gets circled early, especially with the full 2026 schedules now in hand for both programs. The buildup will come fast enough once the season gets going, but for now the rivalry has already started to take shape on the calendar, with tickets available and plenty of time for the usual Egg Bowl anticipation to build. [Read more 🡒]