LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen couldn’t remember the best gift he’d ever received for Christmas. 

Then Christmas came early for Allen on Thursday in the form of All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.

“It’s like waking up on Christmas morning, and you go out and you see all the presents under the tree,” Allen said Friday at Halas Hall. “So then my mind starts to go, ‘OK, how can we utilize this guy? What are the things that we can do to really utilize his strengths?’”

Here’s everything you need to know in Week 8 about the Bears, from the podium to the locker room to the injury report before kickoff against the defending Super Bowl champions. 

1. Jeffery Simmons doesn’t know how much he’ll play on Monday night but he’s ready to do whatever’s asked of him.

Simmons played 87 percent (425) of the Titans’ defensive snaps through the first seven games of the season. But a new team means a new system and playbook.

“At this point, I’m still trying to catch up with the playbook, get this game plan down, and just trust the process, especially with this first week,” Simmons said. “But at the same time, I’m ready to roll. I’m ready to get out there and help this team win football games. And that’s the reason why they brought me here and, of course, the off-the-field with the leadership and stuff of that nature. But I came here to help this team win football games, and whatever role they ask me to play Monday night, the rest of the season, I’m willing to do that.”

The decision isn’t even his to make. But defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will certainly do everything in his power to make sure his new game-wrecker is out there as much as possible against the Seahawks.

“Each guy’s different,” coach Ben Johnson said, “but he’s played a lot of football, he’s been in a few different defensive schemes. I think DA’s going to be able to find a spot to put him in a good position to do what he does best – play fast. We don’t want him thinking out there and that’s certainly what you’re conscious of coming into a new deal.”

2. Montez Sweat is back from his two-game suspension – and thanks to Jeffery Simmons, he has some pretty high expectations awaiting him, along with Grady Jarrett.

Simmons should get any double teams the Seahawks deploy to slow down the Bears’ rush. That should be good news for everybody else on the Bears’ defensive line.

“I told Grady, like, if I’m getting that slide, I expect you to go win,” Simmons said. “And that’s pretty much what it is. Same with Montez. I’m like, if the tackles could hang on me and you can’t get off the ball and go get a free sack, there’s something wrong. And that’s just a Thursday conversation that I’m having with these guys.”

Sweat ranks third on the Bears with eight pressures in five games played. Jarrett is fourth with seven pressures in seven games. But Simmons had 13 in seven games this season with the Titans – one of the NFL’s worst teams this season – and should only create more opportunities with a better surrounding cast.

“I really believe that the closest path to the quarterback and to the ball is inside,” general manager Ryan Poles said.“And oftentimes that will open up some things on the outside for your guys and just talking with Montez, like he’s locked in, ready to go. This is one of his guys, and I think he elevates his game being around Jeffery, and that’s our expectation. I think that’s the expectation that he has for himself as well.”

3. Having Jeffery Simmons doesn’t just help the defensive line, either. It should make life easier for cornerback Jaylon Johnson, who can use all the help he can get right now.

Johnson has allowed a 113.1 passer rating in coverage this season, which ranks 87th among 111 qualified cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.

But Simmons is a “multiplier” on defense, GM Ryan Poles called him. And as far as Dennis Allen is concerned, Johnson’s struggles require a team effort to improve, not just the cornerback.

“I think everybody at times has some up-and-down moments,” Allen said. “And so, we try to focus on where do we need to improve and how do we need to improve. And I said this a couple of weeks ago, there’s 11 guys out there on the football field that affect the game on every single play. And I think sometimes it’s easy to try to point out a particular individual. And yet I know Jaylon would say himself that there’s some things that he has to improve on. So we all have to do that. And that’s our focus.”

4. Caleb Williams will continue to wear his Caddix brand cleats regardless of the fines levied by the NFL. His health is simply more important.

It’s the equipment storyline taking the league by storm.

Caddix, a Baltimore-based athletic footwear company, does not have an official brand partnership with the NFL, resulting in Williams’ fines – totaling $35,823 in two weeks – for having an “unauthorized” logo on his uniform.

Williams doesn’t care about the fines. The cleats are designed with patented “SmartStuds” meant to move and ease the force on joints and ligaments when running and making cuts.

“I try to be healthy,” Williams said. “They’re smart cleats, they’re science cleats and they’ve been working for me. A bunch of other guys wear them in the league. They’re forward-focused on making sure players stay on the field and that’s what I’m always focused on. … I’m focused on being able to be out here for the guys and if that can give me a small percentage up and it works then that’s what I’m going to do.”

Cleveland Browns quarterback and Caddix investor Joe Flacco offered to pay Williams’ fines, he said in a statement to ESPN.

“I’ve worn these cleats for years, and I know firsthand the difference they make,” Flacco said. “When you’re playing at this level, you need equipment you can trust. This isn’t about making a statement or breaking the rules just to break them. It’s about wearing gear that works for you and helps keep you safe on the field. If Caleb believes in Caddix the way I do, I’m happy to stand behind him.”

5. Monday night will be just the second Bears game without Cole Kmet since he was drafted in 2020 – and the offense is going to miss him a lot.

Ben Johnson wouldn’t go as far as to say that losing Kmet changes anything in his playbook.

But it does add more to every other tight end’s plate.

“He was such a valuable piece to what we did, just his ability to really do anything,” offensive coordinator Press Taylor said. “I mean if Colson (Loveland) needed a blow, he could go in and give us the routes down the field, give us the ‘move tight end’ ability. If we needed somebody on the line of scrimmage and run block and pass protection, he was always kind of that guy. I was alluding to it earlier, he was a fixer for us. If things didn’t work right or weren’t exactly what we said, Cole was going to figure out a way to do it right based on the rules of the protection, the run scheme, whatever that was.”

6. All of the above – plus, Colston Loveland’s minor injury – points toward a rapidly increased role for rookie Sam Roush.

Things have steadily improved for Roush since the start of the season. Ben Johnson would be the first to tell you that.

But his involvement in the offense is still minimal, receiving just five targets in 114 offensive snaps through seven games.

He knows that will change in Kmet’s absence. Loveland also appeared on the Bears’ injury report on Friday with a neck injury. He was a full participant on Saturday, however, and enters Monday night without a game designation.

“I’m going to take the same approach that I’ve been taking the last couple weeks,” Roush said. “Coach (Johnson) made a little analogy. We showed a clip from a Chris Rock comedy routine. He was talking about marriage: sometimes in a marriage you’re the lead singer and sometimes you’re just stuck playing the tambourine. It’s like everybody’s on the team, everybody’s in the band playing different instruments and so my instrument got a little bigger this week, but I’m still in the band and I’m still playing football with my guys.”

The entire coaching staff is looking forward to seeing more of Roush, too.

“He’s a guy that we really enjoyed the progress that we’ve seen from him from Week 1 to Week 7 to what it’s gonna look like during the course of the season,” Press Taylor said. “Obviously, there’s the opportunity maybe for some more on his plate and we’re excited.”

7. A longtime AFC South matchup between Jeffery Simmons and Quenton Nelson is now a storyline in the NFC.

The Seahawks added Nelson – a three-time first-team All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler – from the Colts, first. 

Simmons has faced Nelson 13 times in AFC South battles between the Titans and Colts. It’s only fitting that their first games with their new teams will come against a familiar face.

“I love the game of football,” Simmons said. “I love competition. There’s nothing I don’t like about Quenton Nelson. He’s a true competitor. He’s a guy who is going to always bring his A game. When we play against each other, it’s always a great matchup. I look forward to it every time I get to play against him. I hated the Colts, I don’t know if that’s what it was. I’m sure the Chicago Bears hate the Packers around here; trust me, I’ll get on board real soon with that, real quick with that. But when you are having those type of matchups, it’s exciting. Because you know if you can go beat their best guy, it’s going to be a good day for the defense.”

8. On the Seahawks’ defense, it’s three-time Pro Bowl cornerback Devon Witherspoon commanding the attention of the Bears’ offense ahead of Monday night.

“He’s feisty, great instincts, finds a way to get around the football, finish around the football,” Ben Johnson said. “It’s unique just watching him within the last year, year and a half, compared to how I remembered him from before. They have him on the outside more now, and I remember him a little bit more in the nickel, and so he was able to find his way around the football a little bit more. Being on the outside, it’s a little bit more challenging for him to do that, and yet he still finds a way to impact the game, so a ton of respect for him and everything that he’s put on tape so far this year.”

Witherspoon hasn’t come away with any interceptions yet this season, but that’s more a byproduct of quarterbacks looking elsewhere with the football. And it’s only opening up more opportunities for his teammates, who have eight interceptions in seven games.

“They don’t allow deep plays, so you’ve got to be as patient as possible and that’s obviously hard,” Caleb Williams said. “The whole game trying to be patient, it’s a challenge for me. It’s a challenge for our offense being able to take the dirty yards, protecting the football. They do a good job with punching the ball out and interceptions.”

9. Protecting – and moving – the ball is also more difficult without running back Kyle Monangai, who will miss his fourth consecutive game.

The Bears didn’t expect Monangai to miss this much time, but they’re still hopeful his return is right around the corner.

“I’m hopeful every week though,” Ben Johnson said, “that he’ll make his return because he knows how much we want him here on offense and he can give him a spark.”

With Monangai in the lineup, the Bears have averaged 196.3 rushing yards per game in four games. In three games without him, they’ve averaged just 98.3 rushing yards.

“You’re taking away a great player,” Press Taylor said. “Whatever that looks like in terms of committee, the hot hand, using (D’Andre) Swift. All that comes into play now. We’re confident in the backfield that we have and the guys we have available and the guys we’re going to hand the ball to that they’re going to do the right thing and that they’re gonna produce with their opportunities.”

10. With Kyle Monangai’s absence and Roschon Johnson’s increased role in the offense, one of the better stories of the season thus far has been Zavier Scott.

Scott – who signed with the Bears’ practice squad before Week 1 – was elevated to the active roster ahead of game day in Weeks 5, 6 and 7, which required the Bears to sign him to the 53-man roster in order to use him again.

They did that on Tuesday.

“He’s come in and done a phenomenal job,” special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said. “You know, you lose a guy like Roschon [Johnson], who had a four-tackle game against Carolina and was on his way to be a really good special teams player this year, and you know, you lose him to offense, which is good for Roschon, and we’re happy we want that for all of our guys. We constantly promote that, but it opened up a window for Zavier, and Zavier studies his tail off. … He wants to know how he can get better, and he was that way since he’s been a scout team player. Still that way and he’s hungry, and I love the look in his eye.”