The 5-2 Chicago Bears made a blockbuster trade on Thursday, acquiring star defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons from the Tennessee Titans, ESPN's Adam Schefter and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported.
In addition to Simmons, Chicago will also be receiving a 2028 fifth-round pick. Meanwhile, the 1-6 Titans are wisely embracing their rebuild, turning Simmons into 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-round pick.
As ESPN's Courtney Cronin points out, Simmons is the first defensive tackle to be traded for multiple first-round picks since the common draft era began in 1967. That puts into perspective the magnitude of this trade that will certainly be league-altering. Even the 2-5 Arizona Cardinals should feel the ripple effects all the way down in the Southwest.
What the Bears' Jeffery Simmons trade means for Josh Sweat's market
Struggling teams around the league like Tennessee and the 2-5 Indianapolis Colts are strategically turning established pieces into future assets to better align with their rebuilding timelines. Hopefully Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort knows to follow that blueprint, especially with veteran edge rusher Josh Sweat.
He's survived trade rumors up until this point, but Arizona's predictably rough start to the season should only make them feel further incentivized to lean into the rebuild, especially when it's the NFC West that's strengthening itself from trading with these rebuilding teams like the Colts.
Arizona is somehow falling even further behind in the NFC West as teams try to make moves to match each other. First, it was Seattle acquiring guard Quenton Nelson from Indianapolis in exchange for a 2027 third-round pick and a 2028 fifth-round pick.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz then reported that the NFC West was "about to heat up in a big way," with the first-place San Francisco 49ers looking to respond with a trade of their own. Sure enough, they landed defensive tackle DeForest Buckner from the Colts shortly after in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round draft pick.
For the Cardinals, one downside of the Bears' blockbuster Simmons trade is that it almost certainly takes them out of the running for Sweat. Chicago was frequently mentioned as a potential landing spot for Sweat for similar reasons that they just pulled the trigger on Simmons.
The Dallas Cowboys are another potential suitor that has been floated as a good fit for Sweat by an NFL executive, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Could Lions or Packers trade for Josh Sweat as a countermove?
But what about the rest of the NFC North outside of Chicago? The NFC West is more top-heavy than the NFC North, with genuine contenders. But you could at least make a case that the North is the better division given the depth. There are no teams like the Cardinals, to put it gently.
The Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings all have playoff aspirations. Minnesota may not be a great fit for Sweat as they don't need much defensive help after a 6-0 start. But the Lions and Packers both make sense as teams in need of defensive upgrades and could be looking to make a follow-up move of their own, similar to what happened between the Seahawks and 49ers in the NFC West.
The Bears may be out of the Sweat sweepstakes now, but the silver lining is that it gives these other teams more incentive and a sense of urgency to make a trade to match. While nobody is quite like Simmons, Sweat could be a strong, relatively cheaper option for an NFC North team to trade for as a countermove.
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