Bears DE Montez Sweat showing why Chicago wanted him

NEW ORLEANS -- Ryan Poles' confidence was not without merit.

Three days after the Chicago Bears general manager expressed optimism in being able to quickly execute an extension for pass-rusher Montez Sweat, the 27-year-old defensive end agreed to a four-year deal worth $98 million less than 24 hours before his debut with his new team.

Chicago sent a 2024 second-round pick to Washington at the Oct. 31 trade deadline in exchange for the former first-round defensive end. The aggressive process of bypassing free agency allowed the Bears to secure Sweat as he enters the prime of his career while making him the fifth-highest paid edge rusher at $24.5 million per year.

During an appearance on ESPN 1000's pregame radio show, Poles equated negotiations with Sweat's representatives to an interval workout. There were intense periods and then moments of quiet, "a lot of gas then it hits the break and you gotta wait it out," Poles said. The Bears' goal was to get Sweat paid so he could play without worrying how the nine remaining games of his 2023 season would affect his future earnings.

"It gives me another sense of security for me to go out there, and if I get injured, I know I'm protected," Sweat said. "But that's not really what I'm worried about. I'm worried about getting dubs, getting production."

After generating 6.5 sacks in his first eight games with Washington, Sweat posted a season-high pass rush win rate of 25% in his first game with the Bears, which was tied for second-best by any edge rusher in Week 9.

Despite a second-half turnaround by the defense, Chicago lost its seventh game of the season, 24-17, to the New Orleans Saints. It wasn't as if Sweat took over in his debut, and for a second time this season the Bears didn't register a sack in back-to-back games (the first time being against Tampa Bay and Kansas City), but his impact showed the potential this defense can have once he gets acclimated.

"He looked good," coach Matt Eberflus said. "He had a couple of good pressures there. He is getting his feet wet, different style of defense, different style of terminology. For him to come in and play that many plays was cool."

The Bears' plan was to play Sweat on third downs and when the Saints went into their two-minute offense while rolling him in on occasional first and second downs. The defensive end logged 42 snaps against the Saints with his biggest play arriving after he got to Saints quarterback Derek Carr on third-and-8 to force an incomplete pass and make New Orleans settle for a 55-yard field goal in the third quarter.

His modest stat line credits Sweat with two tackles and one pass defensed. His impact, however, is already being felt by those he's rushing with.

"A guy who came in excited to work," defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. "Every new guy isn't on the same page. He came in on the same page from day 1."

Poles felt that in order to get a fair evaluation of this defense, he had to add an impact player up front. Since the start of the 2023 offseason, the 37-year-old general manager had poured resources into bolstering the defensive line. He brought in defensive ends DeMarcus Walker, Yannick Ngakoue, Rasheem Green and signed Billings (who inked a two-year extension last week) before drafting rookie defensive tackles Gervon Dexter Sr. andZacch Pickens.

None of it has paid off the way Poles had hoped. Sweat gives Chicago's defense better chance for growth now and in the future, the same way the addition of DJ Moore is expected to help quarterback Justin Fields and the Bears' offense take the next step.

The move certainly doesn't come without risk from a financial standpoint. The Bears paid a premium for a pass-rusher who has never registered double digit sacks in a season since entering the league in 2019, nor has he been to a Pro Bowl. Sweat's deal creates a new market for players who have yet to hit either of those thresholds.

From a timing standpoint, the deal doesn't just benefit the Bears by not having to wait until free agency to begin negotiations. Sweat's representatives got him paid before his value was likely to drop as the season went along given the players he's rushing alongside and the struggles the Bears defense has had getting to the quarterback all season.

"It's extremely important," Eberflus said of Sweat's extension. "When you add a pass-rusher to your defense and to your franchise, that's a big deal of us going into the future."

For the Bears, it's a worth-it gamble. It will undoubtedly take Sweat time to learn how to play off the linemen he's rushing with. The pressure is now on him to get up to speed quickly and adapt to a new defense and produce.

"It wasn't enough," Sweat said. "I've got to get there (to the quarterback) more. I've got to get more production."