The Montez Sweat trade took place a week ago. Reactions to it were unsurprisingly mixed. Some loved the Chicago Bears’ aggressiveness to improve the most obvious weakness on their roster. Sweat is in his prime and good for 8-9 sacks every year. Locking him up to a four-year extension ensures they will have him long-term. Others felt the trade was wholly unnecessary. The Bears were 2-6 and nowhere near playoff contention. Smart teams keep their high draft picks to build their roster. GM Ryan Poles was unapologetic about the decision, feeling Sweat was the best pass rusher option he’d likely get looking towards the off-season.
Even those who liked the trade still felt angry because Chicago targeted the wrong one. Chase Young was also available. The former #2 overall pick is three years younger than Sweat and has more pressures this season. He seemed like a far better fit for the Bears’ timeline. Instead, he went to the San Francisco 49ers for a compensatory 3rd rounder. Some experts slammed Poles for the decision. However, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune talked to people in Washington’s building about the trade.
The replies he got back told a different story.
I placed calls to a couple of former Commanders employees to get a handle on Sweat and what they think he’ll provide for the Bears. Donnie Warren retired as a pro scout in June 2022, so he was there for the early stages of Sweat’s career.
“He’s as good of a run player as he is rushing the passer,” Warren said. “Chicago got the best of the football players (Washington traded, alluding to the other defensive end, Chase Young). Montez is an all-out guy. His get-off, his length, he’s got long arms, he’s got long legs. He has been taught well to use his hands in the run game and keep people off him. I like him.”
Montez Sweat has already shown he will be an asset.
While he didn’t record a sack in his first game with the Bears, he was a constant annoyance to Derek Carr and the Saints’ offense. He also showed off his run-stopping ability, helping contain New Orleans to only 87 yards on the ground. The guy had limited knowledge of the defense and still managed to impact the game. It remains clear other problems persist. Their coverage over the middle is a huge problem, as is their interior pass rush. Those can’t be addressed until the off-season.
Even so, having Montez Sweat on the team makes it better. The defense is one step closer to being really good again. They have a young, promising secondary. Sweat gives them one legitimate pass rusher. Their linebackers are improved. Perhaps a more modern scheme will help unlock their full potential. That is a problem for later. It’s at least nice to hear people who knew the situation in Washington validate that the Bears made the correct choice on which player to pursue.
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I think the bottom line here is that middling coaches have a system, and push players to play within that system. Great coaches look at their players and design systems around their player’s strengths. This partly explains the differing levels of success dual threat QBs have in the NFL. Good coaches make dual threat QBs into dangerous weapons. Middling coaches make dual threat QBs into punching bags. Guess which kind of coaches we have in Chicago.
Like the. comments here. Considered and observant.
@Sam K., Totally agree. More man press coverage, which should also lead to more Cover 0 blitzes. Flus jist isn’t creative enough. Therein lies the problem with both he and Getsy; both lack the aggressive mentality that is required to destroy opponents. I love Kevin McConnell’s hire of Brian Flores and Mike Pettine to coach his defense. Notice the difference in that defense’s personality from last season?
Maybe play some press coverage since we have corners with good size and strength, rather than constantlyyyyy playing them 10 yards back off the line of scrimmage. There are CONSTANT 1.5 second throws on quick slants and in routes. Put on some press to make the opposing QB hold the ball a bit longer. Won’t “fix” the pass rush, but would certainly help.