Grading the Bears’ trade for DE Montez Sweat

The 2023 season has been brutal for Chicago Bears fans. A 2-6 record combined with an injured Justin Fields is about as close to a doomsday scenario as the most pessimistic Bears fan could’ve imagined.

It’s why general manager Ryan Poles’ decision to trade for Washington Commanders defensive end Montez Sweat at the 2023 trade deadline was a welcome injection of juice and excitement.

The Bears traded their 2024 second-round pick for Sweat, who’s expected to sign a long-term deal to stay in Chicago. Sweat is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season and would’ve been one of the top free agents available in the 2024 free agent class.

Sweat, 27, has been a productive pass rusher since entering the league as a first-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He’s had at least five sacks in each of his first five seasons, including a career-best nine in 2020. He already has 6.5 sacks through eight games this year, he’s on track to set a new high watermark.

Meanwhile, the Bears, as a team, have only 10 sacks … total.

The lack of a consistent pass rush has been the most frustrating failure of coach Matt Eberflus’ tenure over the last two years. In 2022, safety Jaquan Brisker led Chicago in sacks with four. This year, linebacker T.J. Edwards and defensive end Yannick Ngaque are tied for the lead with two. The Bears’ defensive ends have only five sacks — combined — in 2023.

image via Ras.Football

Sweat’s 10 tackles for loss and 11 QB hits is almost as many as all of the Bears’ defensive ends combined, too. Chicago’s edge defenders have a total of just 11 tackles for loss and 13 QB hits.

Week 8’s humiliating loss to the Los Angeles Chargers magnified the Bears’ pass-rush problems. They failed to sack Justin Herbert and hit him only twice in the game. As a result, Herbert dissected Chicago’s defense as if he was playing a junior varsity squad.

That all changes now that Sweat will line up opposite Ngakoue, who, before joining the Bears, never had a season with fewer than eight sacks since he entered the league in 2016. Perhaps, with Sweat helping take some pass-protection attention off of him, Ngakoue will have a chance to keep that streak going.

Remember: Montez Sweat isn’t just a good pass rusher, he’s one of the best defensive ends against the run. He’s a true three-down defender who the Bears can plug into their starting lineup and instantly upgrade every aspect of the defense.

The Chicago Bears didn’t overpay for Montez Sweat

The price the Bears paid to acquire Sweat wasn’t all that steep, either. A second-round pick carries a valuable connotation, but in reality, few second-rounders become the kind of player Sweat has proven to be since 2019. Sure, there’s a chance Chicago’s second-round pick will be one of the first five or six in Round 2, but … who cares? Seriously, who cares?

How many failed draft picks do Bears fans need to endure before realizing that trading some of that draft capital for established quality starters is a good idea? Sweat is one of those established starters.

Think about it this way: if the Bears had a chance to redo the 2023 NFL Draft, and instead of selecting Gervon Dexter in Round 2, they could add Montez Sweat (and his soon-to-be hefty contract), which would you choose?

Sure, I know Dexter wasn’t selected with Chicago’s second-round pick — that pick went to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the awful Chase Claypool trade. But the point remains. The Steelers selected cornerback Joey Porter Jr. He’ll be a good player in the league, but, again, who would you rather have? Porter or Sweat?

The answer is obvious, which is why this trade was a no-brainer for the Bears.

Montez Sweat trade is for 2024 and beyond

The naysayers will tell you that the Chicago Bears’ 2023 season is already over and that making a trade for Montez Sweat — giving up draft assets for a soon-to-be free agent — is silly. The Bears aren’t making a run for the playoffs, and Sweat won’t be a guy who spearheads a midseason turnaround.

They aren’t wrong … except for the silly part.

Here’s the thing: the Bears’ trade for Sweat isn’t about 2023. It’s about 2024. Landing Sweat now allows Chicago to cut the Disneyworld-like line that would’ve formed for his services in March. They have the FastPass, and according to some sources, there’s confidence Sweat will sign a long-term deal very soon.

The Bears’ 2023 season was always about 2024, anyway. This season was meant to provide clarity at quarterback, be a step in the offensive line rebuild, and identify the must-have keepers on defense. Not all Chicago’s goals have been met yet, but again, this year has always been about next year.

Trading for Montez Sweat is a homerun when evaluated with the proper perspective. He’ll be the centerpiece of the Bears’ pass rush in 2024, one that will get additional reinforcements in free agency and the NFL draft.

And the Bears still have two first-round picks, both of which are likely to be top-10 selections.

The Chicago Bears won this trade. And victories have been hard to come by for this team. Enjoy it.

GRADE: A