Bears news roundup: Ex-Jeffery Simmons teammate gets a workout, Ben Johnson on Bucs

The Chicago Bears are back on primetime television for a Week 9 Sunday Night Football showdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This is an important one for the Bears as they try to stay competitive in a tight NFC North race, where every team is between 5-3 and 6-2. They need to beat a Buccaneers team with a 3-5 record that has been winning a lot of games lately.

Plenty of news came out of Halas Hall over the last few days as the team prepared for the game. Here are some of the biggest stories for the Bears before their Buccaneers showdown.

1. Kyle Monangai practiced for the first time and is listed as questionable
2. Ben Johnson gets honest about facing off against Todd Bowles & Bucs' defense
3. Malik Muhammad defends Jaylon Johnson after recent struggles
4. Dennis Allen on how Jeffery Simmons is helping out Montez Sweat
5. Bears set to work out former Titans defensive tackle Jordan Elliott

Kyle Monangai practiced for the first time and is listed as questionable

In a stunning turn of events, Monangai practiced for the first time in about a month and is now listed as questionable for the Buccaneers game. He has missed the last four games with a thumb and toe injury.

The Bears will have to roll out D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson at running back, but they are down another player at the position, with Zavier Scott placed on IR with a wrist injury. There is hope Monangai will be back either this week or next, so anything can happen at this point, but this is a massive update.

Ben Johnson gets honest about facing off against Todd Bowles & Bucs' defense

Sunday Night Football will feature a showdown between one of the brightest offensive minds, Bears head coach Ben Johnson, and one of the brightest defensive minds, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles. Johnson spoke with the media about the showdown and what he has seen in Tampa Bay's defense.

"They’re chaos. I think that's what stands out. Whenever you play single high to the rate that he does, it gives you an extra defender in the box. Schematically, it's very challenging to run the ball. And then when he gets you off schedule in third down, that's where he draws up all these exotics. It's a good mix of talent."

Malik Muhammad defends Jaylon Johnson after recent struggles

There has bene a lot of attention on the recent struggles of Jaylon Johnson and how he has not played like the 2023 and 2024 Pro Bowler Bears fans remmeber him to be. In coverage this season, Johnson has allowed a completion percentage of 73.7 and a passer rating of 124.3.

Bears rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad spoke with FOX Chicago's Devan Kaney. Muhammad was asked about Johnson's down season and defended his teammate's performance.

"He always stays with a positive mindset. He always asking questions. He always trying to see how he can get better. But man, people don't know the cornerback position is like, it's super hard. It's one of the hardest positions. And I'm not giving him an out or anything. Obviously, he knows he's got to play better. We all know he's got to play better. But man, the position is hard itself, like guarding somebody backward. You don't know where they going. 53 yards in the third, you gotta cover, and then 100 yards down the field, you gotta cover. So, I mean, he knows he gotta get better, and he's been in this league for a long time."

Dennis Allen on how Jeffery Simmons is helping out Montez Sweat

It has been well documented how Simmons and Sweat were former teammates in college at Mississippi State and are reunited in Chicago. The pair each had a sack in the Week 8 win over the Seattle Seahawks.

During defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's press conference, he was asked about Sweat. Allen talked about how Simmons is helping Sweat become a better edge rusher with the two paired together on the field.

"Quite frankly, that's the version that we expect to see every single week. Having a guy like Jeffery Simmons on the field raises everybody's level of play. Now, really, the key for us defensively is how do we continue to do that consistently, week in and week out."

Read more: Ryan Poles should trade Jaylon Johnson to (almost) any taker before the deadline

Bears set to work out former Titans defensive tackle Jordan Elliott

In an interesting bit of news, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that the Bears will work out defensive tackle Jordan Elliott. There was some controversy with Elliott recently, as he was released by the Tennessee Titans after he reportedly pulled a gun at the team facility.

Elliott's former head coach, Robert Saleh, defended Elliott after the incident and said that he would vouch for him to any NFL team. After the Bears traded with the Titans for Jeffery Simmons, Elliott could use those connections to land with the Bears if they wanted him.

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