Bears' Montez Sweat turning in best season of his career

LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears defensive line coach Travis Smith was walking through a Soldier Field tunnel following his team's win over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 10. As Smith made his way toward a celebratory locker room, defensive end Montez Sweat ran up to his position coach to deliver news he'd waited years to be able to share.

Chicago's defense had battered Lions quarterback Jared Goff all day, and it was Sweat's third straight game with at least one sack. That brought his season total between the Washington Commanders and Chicago to 10, topping double digits for the first time in his career.

"That's always been a goal of mine ever since I got in the league," Sweat, the 26th overall pick in 2019, told ChicagoBears.com. "It's a cool thing to have on your resume, but I mean, I want to be a generational guy. I always want to be a Pro Bowler, I want to be an All-Pro and eventually be a Hall of Fame guy.

"But, yeah, that's a start."

Smith also viewed it as just the beginning.

"I said screw double digits, now it's your second contract," Smith said. "The whole goal for us is a third contract."

Sweat signed his second contract after the Bears acquired him in a trade-deadline deal on Oct. 31. They quickly extended him with a four-year, $98 million contract.

So far, Sweat has made good on the investment. In addition to his team-leading six sacks with the Bears (12.5 total), the edge rusher has 13 quarterback hits, forced a fumble and broke up three passes in seven games with Chicago.

"Keep stacking them," Smith said. "You start getting to 20 pieces, that's when you talk about -- never putting a ceiling on a man -- but when you start going 20 pieces, then you're really talking about All-Pro, Hall of Fame, all that kind of stuff, which we don't worry about right now.

"But why settle at double digits?"

The Bears gave up a second-round pick to acquire Sweat and change the trajectory of their defense. A struggling unit has become among the NFL's most feared with 12 sacks, 30 quarterback hits, nine interceptions and 14.8 points allowed per game over Chicago's past four games.

"I see him as a multiplier," general manager Ryan Poles said after trading for Sweat. "He's going to allow everyone to play better, our entire defensive front, our corners, our safeties."

Sweat's impact transcends his sack numbers. His 39 pressures rank fifth among all defenders while his 11 hurries and 12 knockdowns are the sixth and fifth, respectively.

Bears coach Matt Eberflus has dubbed Sweat's impact as the 'Tez Effect.' His addition has changed how Eberflus is able to call the Bears defense.

"It allows you to play more coverage," Eberflus said. "And then when you do pressure, it certainly adds that effect to it."

Chicago's pass rush struggled to generate pressure before Sweat's arrival. Even with offseason additions like Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker, something was missing up front.

And in the win over Detroit, Ngakoue suffered a broken ankle and was put on injured reserve. It was a disappointing season (4.0 sacks) by Ngakoue's standards, but the potential of what Ngakoue and Sweat could produce together was evident.

"Yannick would collapse the pocket, 'Tez would come around the corner," defensive tackle Andrew Billings said. "If the quarterback avoided [Sweat], Yan was right there to clean up. If the quarterback avoided Yannick, Tez was right there to clean up.

"It's really what elevated everybody. The addition of 'Tez just made us a more cohesive unit."

Sweat's ability to quickly become a team leader was fueled by those who saw how his impact could affect all of their games.

"I think the biggest thing that us as a defense wanted to do was allow him to come in and be comfortable," cornerback Jaylon Johnson said. "The biggest thing is just communicating with him outside of football, him coming in and being confident and comfortable around the guys, so when we go out there, it's not like he's in a locker room full of guys he doesn't know.

"I feel like it's hard to play the game like that when you, in a sense, feel alone. I feel like we did a good job welcoming him in and him feeling comfortable, allowing him to be able to talk, communicate with us so we're all on the same page."

Since Sweat's arrival, Chicago has gone from 22nd to 11th in takeaways, 23rd to 12th in yards allowed and 28th to 21st in points allowed. The turnovers, sacks and ability to set the tone with his defense is a high mark for Eberflus, who gets to deploy his scheme to the fullest of its capabilities.

It's a win for the players who have benefitted from the pressure generated up front In the form of interceptions, namely Johnson, Stevenson and linebacker T.J. Edwards, who each has two picks since Sweat's arrival. Tremaine Edmunds has three while the Bears overall have 12 interceptions since acquiring Sweat.

It's a win for Poles, whose big swing has already yielded significant results.

And it's a win for Sweat, whose change of scenery has sparked his best season to date.