The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are walking into a tough one Sunday night, and the biggest headache might come right in the middle of the Chicago Bears’ defense.
Chicago already has a dangerous offense led by head coach Ben Johnson and quarterback Caleb Williams, but the Bears’ front got even nastier after a Week 6 blockbuster trade with the Tennessee Titans brought in defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons along with two first-round picks. Simmons, a First Team All-Pro last season, is the kind of interior force that can wreck a game before it ever settles in.
Buccaneers offensive coordinator Zac Robinson laid out the challenge in plain terms, saying Simmons is the sort of player who demands attention snap after snap.
"Yeah, he’s one of the better just players in the league, regardless - offense, defense," Robinson said. "He’s disruptive [in the] run game, pass game.
When you see him in person, the physical presence alone, you see it. Obviously, there’s really nothing he can’t do to disrupt the game.
So, you’ve got to account for him at all times.
"I know now he had the first week there, just kind of getting his feet wet with the system and getting around his players that he’s playing around. So, I’m sure they’ve [had] another week to kind of install some new things and kind of sprinkle him in in some different ways that didn’t present themselves last week."
Tampa Bay hasn’t dealt with a disruptive interior defender like this since Week 1. In that game against the Bengals, who traded their first-round pick for Dexter Lawrence in the offseason, Lawrence made his presence felt with three pressures, two hurries and one quarterback hit, per SumerSports. With Lawrence on the field, the Bengals posted a 40.9% pressure rate, compared with 28.6% when he was off it.
Baker Mayfield sounded like a quarterback who knows exactly what kind of problem Simmons can create. He said the Bucs will need to track him all night and adjust accordingly.
"Obviously, he’s a game wrecker. No matter what team he’s on, even when he was in Tennessee, all eyes are [on him], you’re figuring out where he is," Mayfield said. "We [have to] change some protection things and make sure you know where he’s at at all times and take care of that."
That kind of interior presence makes life miserable for anyone trying to run between the tackles, and it puts extra pressure on guards Ben Bredeson and Cody Mauch. Seattle Seahawks right guard Grey Zabel had the assignment on Simmons in Week 8, and it didn’t go well.
The Buccaneers and Bears kick off at 8:20 p.m. Sunday night, and Tampa Bay’s best path through the matchup starts with knowing where Simmons is on every snap.
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