The Chicago Bears defense has owned the first two padded practices of training camp. While this isn’t a surprise, much of it is thanks to the presence of Montez Sweat. The Pro Bowl defensive end has picked up right where he left off last season, giving Bears tackles fits with his consistent, dominating pass rusher. Unfortunately, such relentlessness appears to have gotten him in trouble. One ironclad rule of camp is defenders are not allowed to touch the quarterback. Ever. The reason is obvious. A single mishap could lead to an injury, and an injury leads to a season of Tyson Bagent or Brett Rypien.
That would explain why head coach Matt Eberflus was incensed when Sweat struck Williams’ arm during an 11-on-11 team period. It was the second time in back-to-back days the defensive end committed this act. As a result, Eberflus kicked him out of the drill, lecturing him that such recklessness could lead to an injury that sinks the team’s entire season before it begins. While it is great to see Sweat doing so well in every drill, he must learn to control himself until he gets to face actual opposing quarterbacks.
He’s already in midseason form, so the pass rush should be viable for the defense as long as he’s healthy. The bigger concern is the offensive line. They haven’t had the best start to training camp. Not only has Williams been under lots of pressure, but they’ve also committed too many pre-snap penalties. This is likely a byproduct of installing a new system under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron. That and an uncertain situation at the center position between Ryan Bates and Coleman Shelton.
Still, there is a long way to go. The offense has more than a month to iron out the kinks, which should be enough time. Meanwhile, Montez Sweat can continue wreaking havoc on the practice field until actual games start being played. The big question is whether anybody else can match his effectiveness. Gervon Dexter has the best shot after what many believe was a great summer getting in shape. This front four could be a lot better than people think come September.
