How do you send the message, "We believe we can win a Super Bowl," without explicitly saying it?
Just look at what the Chicago Bears just did.
After a 5-2 start to the season, and clearly boasting one of the best and most explosive offenses in the NFL, the Bears have made a blockbuster trade to acquire defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson are saying something very clearly without saying it at all.
Jeffery Simmons gives Bears a valuable weapon in pursuit of a Super Bowl
The Bears were apparently interested in trading for Colts defensive lineman DeForest Buckner before ultimately making the bigger deal for Simmons.
Buckner was traded back to the San Francisco 49ers for a 4th-round pick, and it's clear that San Francisco is the only place he really wanted to be. The Bears' pivot to Simmons feels like a blessing in disguise.
Not only is Simmons a better overall player, but he might be the best interior defensive lineman in the league right now. There are a handful of other players who could at least be considered in that discussion, but Simmons has been playing out of his mind lately, and was a 1st-team All-Pro last season.
The Bears somewhat created their own void on the defensive line earlier this year when they traded Gervon Dexter to the Atlanta Falcons before the season. Considering Chicago already needed help on the defensive front in the pass rush department, that trade felt a little out of place.
Now, Ryan Poles has seen enough of his roster through the first seven games of the season that he's confident about their chances of competing for a Super Bowl. You don't give up two 1st-round picks otherwise.
It just so happens that the Bears are going to get a great litmus test when they take on the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football in Week 8. Even if the Seahawks haven't been quite as good this year as they were at the end of last season, that's still going to be a phenomenal opportunity -- on the road -- to prove that you belong in the conversation among the true contenders in the NFC.
The Bears might play in the toughest division in the NFL, certainly in the NFC right now. To emerge from a division that currently doesn't have a single team with a losing record, you have to differentiate yourself.
With all due respect to incoming college prospects, players you can get in the mid-late 20s (or later) of the NFL Draft aren't always going to be the ones who set you apart. Young players take time to develop. The Bears have the talent to win right now, and the general manager recognizes it.
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