Matt Eberflus proving team stars aren’t above the rules

By all accounts, the Chicago Bears defense won the day during Saturday’s padded training camp practice, but one defender will want to put that practice behind him.

Pro Bowler Montez Sweat was tossed from the field by head coach Matt Eberflus because he made contact with quarterback Caleb WIlliams.

Eberflus, known for keeping his emotions in check, sounded pretty agitated about the incident when asked during his press conference.

Matt Eberflus threw Montez Sweat out of a drill today for making contact with Caleb Williams. pic.twitter.com/jCmxAmkOMu

— Dave (@dave_bfr) July 27, 2024

Eberflus noted that Sweat is a “superior, elite athlete. He’s good enough to be able to stop and move away, so he’s gotta be disciplined that way.”

Defenders are expressly forbidden from contacting the quarterback at all during training camp, and apparently this was the second day in a row that Sweat had done so. That’s why Eberflus felt the need to sideline his best defender for a minute.

While Bears fans are surely excited about their defense looking like the Monsters of the Midway once again, Eberflus made the right call here. You have to be able to control your body enough to avoid hitting the quarterback. Eberflus said that Sweat would be “sick” if he accidentally injured Williams, and I’m sure the entire fanbase would be, too.

Hopefully, Sweat took the lesson to heart and will be a bit more careful as training camp continues, especially since Williams appears to continue flashing his elite potential in the NFL.