If Detroit Lions fans were looking for an aggressive trade deadline deal, you might want to look over at what the Chicago Bears front office are currently cooking up.
The Bears, who are 2nd in the division and looking like a real contender this season save for some defensive holes in their secondary, just sent a blockbuster package to the Tennessee Titans in exchange for star defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons. The compensation: two 1st-round picks and one 4th-round pick, per The Ringer's Tom Pelissero.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles is clearly looking to go all-in with a move like this. Simmons is an expensive get for Chicago, and that is a huge draft package to ship out to the Titans when you're absorbing his contract. Still, they clearly want to add more pop to their defensive line, and Simmons provides that and then some.
Brad Holmes being put on notice with Poles' latest move
Obviously, the Lions don't need to make a splash for their defensive line this year. They basically got a free agent signing by way of Alim McNeill's return this year, and he's been nothing short of incredible in his first healthy season since 2024. Their rookie Skyler Gill-Howard has also been superb, and they're getting relentless pressure this season thanks to their entire D-line.
Still, this is the kind of aggressive move that some Lions fans are hoping to get out of Holmes this season, especially with how wide open the NFC is as a conference. Truthfully, the division is wide open, too. The Minnesota Vikings are undefeated, but they have a barely functional offense. There's little chance that doesn't come back to haunt them, leaving moves like this important for a team like Chicago to make - they have to get reinforcements for a major postseason push.
The Bears currently hold the 9th-best pass rush rate in the league without Simmons, but the 26th ranked run stop success rate. His addition here helps them tremendously on that front against a division with a player like Jahmyr Gibbs. He has a run stop grade of 70 this season so far, per PFF.
Lions still have ample opportunity to make a splash
Of course, cornerback and their secondary, generally, is where you'd like to see the Lions improve. They were going after Joey Porter Jr. before the Dallas Cowboys won that bidding war, and since then, they haven't been connected to any cornerbacks on the trade block. Ironically, Chicago is likely their main competition within the division for landing cornerback help at the deadline, although this Simmons trade might've firmly placed them on the outside looking in in regard to CB help.
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Some names that are still floating around as potential gets include Sauce Gardner, Alontae Taylor, Charvarius Ward, or, in a scenario where we're dreaming big, Kool-Aid McKinstry. There's plenty of opportunity for Detroit to still make a big addition to their defense, and remain competitive in the division.
Of course, with some marked improvement from their secondary over their last two games, the fear is that Holmes sees that and feels that "he's good."
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