Sean McDermott on Which Huge NFL Trade Will Reap the Biggest Rewards

Rich had a sports talk radio question for Sean McDermott, and he was not going to let the coach talk his way around it. Quenton Nelson went from the Colts to the Seahawks. Jeffery Simmons went from the Titans to the Bears. The two teams meet on Monday night. Which acquisition matters more the rest of the way?

Rich set it up with a fun detail. Nelson, who as a Colt faced Simmons twice a year, said in his opening press conference in Seattle that he just can't escape the guy.

McDermott started with the big picture, folding in DeForest Buckner's move to the 49ers as well. All three deals were about the same thing. "It's line of scrimmage, right?" he said. "No one's probably trading a quarterback right now."

Those teams, in McDermott's view, believe they have a shot to win it all. "They're going to push all their chips into the middle of the table and say, hey, where do we need to improve our football team?" he said. "Nobody wants to have a fatal flaw going into the playoffs, and in particular along the line of scrimmage."

He acknowledged the cost. "These are tough decisions because of what they cost for this level of player," McDermott said. "But at the same time, that's what we're in the business of doing. That's what we're here to do, is to win a world championship."

Rich wasn't satisfied. "I got to get the answer to my question, though, coach," he said. "This is punditry you're in right now."

McDermott delivered. "Jeffery Simmons."

His reasoning came down to one phrase he kept returning to: getting there with four. He credited Dennis Allen for scheming up blitzes on third down in Chicago, but argued that's not enough. "If you really want to beat good quarterbacks, it's hard to constantly have to rely on the blitz," he said. "You have to be able to get there with four." He added that four of the last five champions have been active at or around the trade deadline.

That led Rich to the next rumor. He'd heard Ryan Poles might not be done, and could look across the street at the Chargers if Khalil Mack were available, potentially flipping another third-day pick after the Bears had already given up a one and a four. Would McDermott counsel that?

"You never know," McDermott said, pointing to the Rams, Sean McVay and Les Snead acquiring Von Miller. "The pass rush is critical." He cited Seattle's pass rush last season, and the pass rushes behind the Chiefs and Philly when they won it. "You can never have enough."

The Bears are getting Sweat back, McDermott understood, but the question remains who plays the other end. And he made a point that went beyond the edge. "You can have great edge rushers, but the depth of the pocket needs to be impacted," he said. With Grady Jarrett and now Simmons, he believes Chicago will be able to do that "at a high level."