The disc cutters of shield machines exhibit unsatisfactory adaptability and performance during the soft–hard varied strata tunneling process. To analyze the rotation state, cutting performance, and adaptability of disc cutters during shield tunneling in soft–hard varied strata, the Holmquist Johnson Cook and Federal Highway Administration constitutive models are introduced to numerically simulate the failure process of materials on the excavation face and to calculate the load of disc cutters. Additionally, the parameters of the models are modified based on laboratory disc cutter excavation test results. The results of numerical calculation can reflect the load level and the behavior of the disc cutters during operation. The tangential loads of the disc cutters during the cutting of four typical soft-strata excavation face models are numerically calculated, thus providing reference values for the starting torque of the disc cutters. A greater penetration is suggested for soft-strata tunneling to allow the disc cutters to rotate smoothly and continuously as well as to guarantee a better cutting effect. The disc cutters in the center of the cutterhead should be specified with a lower starting torque to prevent uneven wear, rotation stagnation, cutterhead clogging, and other adverse phenomena.