When Quenton Nelson learned he'd been traded to the Seattle Seahawks, the longtime Indianapolis Colts offensive lineman figured he'd seen the last of Jeffery Simmons, at least on a biannual basis.
Nelson's Seahawks debut will coincide with another encounter with the All-Pro defensive tackle. On Thursday, [Simmons was traded](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7735739/2026/10/29/bears-jeffery-simmons-titans-trade/) from the Tennessee Titans to the Chicago Bears, who will face off against the Seahawks on Monday night in Seattle.
"He's an amazing football player and competitor," Nelson said. "I was like, 'Man, can't get away from this guy.' It'll be another battle against him this week."
Simmons wouldn't even go as far as making a tongue-in-cheek remark about having to face Nelson yet again. He relishes the competition.
"He's a true competitor," Simmons said Friday. "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.
"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. I look forward to the matchup, and I'm most definitely looking forward to it on 'Monday Night Football.'"
Nelson and Simmons, a pair of first-round picks who entered the league in 2018 and 2019, respectively, have squared off plenty of times in AFC South divisional matchups over the last eight seasons.
The Colts won seven of their 13 games against the Titans when both Nelson and Simmons played. In those games, Simmons recorded 51 tackles and five sacks, plus 44 pressures, according to TruMedia.
"He's a really good football player," Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold said of Simmons. "He's powerful, he's fast. He does all the things that you want an interior D-lineman to do."
Darnold was equally complimentary of Nelson, a six-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowl selection.
"A really talented football player, obviously," Darnold said. "He adds a lot of experience to this group."
What to expect from Nelson on 'Monday Night Football'
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Nelson is expected to start at left guard, coach Mike Macdonald said Thursday. The 30-year-old has played left guard exclusively since entering Notre Dame's starting lineup as a sophomore, which means Grey Zabel will slide over to right guard. Anthony Bradford, who just returned from injury, will head to the bench to make room for Zabel at right guard.
"I know what type of player I am. I love playing ball. That's what I do," Bradford said. "But it's kind of a no-brainer for me. It's Quenton Nelson."
The Seahawks hope Nelson will invigorate an offensive line that has struggled at times this season, though it delivered what Macdonald said was its best performance of the season in last week's 20-3 win against the Kansas City Chiefs. Seattle rushed for 153 yards against Kansas City and now has an elite run blocker in Nelson.
The left side of Seattle's line may not be at full capacity on Monday night, though. Left tackle Charles Cross is dealing with an ankle injury and would be replaced by reserve Josh Jones if he isn't cleared to play. Nelson is also still learning the terminology of offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's scheme and has leaned on center Jalen Sundell to try to get up to speed.
Nelson may have some kinks to work out against Chicago. Even so, adding him to the mix should improve Seattle's offensive line long term.
"I can move well," Nelson said. "I could do any scheme, whether that's gap or inside zone or outside zone, pulling. Whatever it is, we can get it done."
What to expect from Simmons on 'Monday Night Football'
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Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said they'll have to see what Simmons can digest in only three days before taking the field, but he doesn't expect it to take long for Simmons to figure it out.
"The fact that he is such a professional and really studies the game," Allen said, "I think, allows him to catch up pretty quickly."
The plan this week, Allen said, is to narrow down the playbook just for the Seahawks and what Simmons needs to know for Monday night.
Simmons said he's "ready to roll" and "help this team win football games and whatever role they ask me to play Monday night." Maybe it's as simple as putting him out there on passing downs and saying, 'Go get the quarterback.' But on his first day of practice, Simmons was already telling his teammates what he can do for them.
"I told Grady (Jarrett) today, like, if I'm getting in the double (team), I expect you to go win," Simmons said. "That's pretty much what it is. Same thing I told (Montez Sweat). Like, if the tackles could hang on me and you can't get off the ball and get a free sack, there's something wrong."
Bears general manager Ryan Poles called it a shot in the arm, a jolt to the facility. Allen compared it to a Christmas gift. And for Simmons, he gets to debut in primetime, a spot he didn't often get in Tennessee.
"I'm excited to be able to go out there Monday night, of course," Simmons said. "It's been since 2023 since I had a primetime game."
This article originally appeared in [The Athletic](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7739959/2026/11/02/quenton-nelson-jeffery-simmons-seahawks-bears-monday-night/).