Even with the Commanders spiraling yet again and the promise of a new start and life-changing money with the Bears, defensive end Montez Sweat was furious about getting traded last year.
Not only was the team that drafted him bailing, but the upheaval of uprooting on short notice to a destination he didn’t choose frustrated him. While there was ample speculation about him getting dealt, he didn’t believe it, and the trade at the deadline caught him off guard.
It was a whirlwind week last October with Sweat getting traded on a Tuesday, arriving for practice Wednesday, signing a four-year, $98 million deal on Saturday and making his Bears debut on Sunday in New Orleans. It was rushed and abrupt, and understandably, it took a while for him to settle into his new reality.
Eventually, though, he saw he had upgraded. While the Bears were on their way to a disappointing 7-10 finish, their trajectory was promising. They also had a good plan for Sweat, who was good with the Commanders but seemed like he still hadn’t reached his potential.
Between his buy-in and their efforts to maximize him, Sweat is primed for a huge season when the Bears open next week against the Titans. Both sides see him exceeding the career-high 12 ½ sacks he put up last season.
“I definitely made a transition to a better spot for me,” he told the Sun-Times. “[Shoot], this was my first Pro Bowl and first double-digit sack year and all those types of things. I reached some accolades that I always had aspirations of getting, but never reached in Washington. You could definitely say it worked out better for me.”
It’s crucial for the Bears and their playoff ambition that their highest-paid player dominates. They need a big return on that investment, and their pass rush has a lot of question marks after Sweat.
Their next-most accomplished option is Darrell Taylor, who arrived Saturday after they sent the Seahawks a sixth-round pick. Bears general manager Ryan Poles first tried to swing a deal for four-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Matt Judon, but the Patriots traded him to the Falcons instead.
Taylor was buried on the depth chart in Seattle, but was an immediate starting candidate for the Bears. He had 21 1/2 sacks in three seasons, including 9 ½ in 2022, and their only defensive end with more is DeMarcus Walker with 23 in seven seasons.
Theoretically, whoever the Bears play as their other defensive end will get ideal opportunities because of the attention Sweat draws.
“He’s made his mark and continues to make his mark, so I’m excited to get to rush opposite him,” Taylor said. “Race to the quarterback. That’s what it’s all about.”
Sweat, who turns 28 next week, is aiming to make the leap from Pro Bowl to All-Pro and establish himself as one of the NFL’s elite pass rushers alongside superstars like T.J. Watt and Khalil Mack. If he gets there, his $24.5 million average annual pay — currently sixth in the league at his position — will look like a bargain by next year.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles and coach Matt Eberflus envisioned that growth when they traded a second-round pick (No. 40 overall) for him.
Teams often don’t fully know what they’re getting when they trade for a player, as the Bears recently learned the hard way with wide receiver Chase Claypool, but they hoped Sweat would be motivated to level up. They saw room for him to further develop, and the combination of their training program and defensive scheme has made Sweat better.
“With this defense, you can move around a lot, and there’s certain plays imposed for me to create a mismatch,” Sweat said. “It definitely opened up my game a little bit.”
When asked if his conditioning, which was a concern at times last season, Sweat said, “For sure... Flus is gonna work.”
Sweat also is embracing a more significant role in the locker room. He was relatively quiet with the Commanders, focusing mostly on trying to launch his own career rather than step forward as a leader, whereas now he’s more capable of it as a sixth-year veteran.
Plus, there are certain responsibilities that come with that enormous paycheck. He seemed to defer to other players like linebacker Tremaine Edmunds when he first arrived at Halas Hall, but for the first time in his career, Sweat will be looked to as one of the voices of the defense — both in the facility and publicly.
“I’ve grown into a leader,” he said. “I used to always like to lead by example, but lately I’ve felt myself talking more, encouraging guys more and just being that vessel for those guys to get some confidence.”
Sweat’s stature also means he needs to take ownership of where the team is headed, not just his own performance.
No one needs to say that to him, though, after what he endured with the Commanders. In his 4 ½ seasons, they went 28-45-1 and finished last in the NFC East three times.
“It was a toxic, heavy toll, just losing and people around you being kinda OK with losing,” said Sweat, who makes his return when the Bears visit the Commanders in Week 8. “It could sometimes rub off on you. You’ve gotta stay hungry and know that you want to win.”
That shouldn’t be the case with the Bears, and Sweat said there has been “a great atmosphere” in the building. Nonetheless, this team missed the playoffs last season, too, and hype is hollow.
“We’ve still got something to prove,” Sweat said. “We’ve still gotta win.”
He’s got huge goals for himself and the team at large, but makes no assumptions. There’s a lot left to be earned, and that’s exactly the mentality the Bears hoped Sweat would have.
