The Chicago Bears are starting to turn a corner this season, and the addition of stud defensive end Montez Sweat has been a big reason why.
Chicago acquired Sweat in a trade with the Washington Commanders, and he was signed to a massive four-year contract extension shortly after. Already, Sweat is proving to be worth every penny (and the second-round draft pick sent to Washington).
The Bears’ defensive turnaround under Matt Eberflus has been sparked by Sweat’s presence, which has turned Chicago into a top-five NFL defense in the past five weeks.
Since Sweat joined the Bears in Week 9, the defense ranks fifth in total defense (272.2 ypg), fifth in pass defense (180.6 ypg), ninth in scoring defense (18.2 ppg) and is tied for second in total takeaways (11), per NFL Research.
They’ve also made substantial gains in sacks, where they have 10 in the past four games (compared to 11 in the first nine games).
#Bears pass-rusher Montez Sweat has a team-high 3.5 sacks in 5 games since joining Chicago in Week 9… while helping the Bears become a Top 5 defense during that time.
A great look, via @NFLResearch: pic.twitter.com/3PXPcRHyF0
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 11, 2023
Coming off a statement win over the Detroit Lions, where Sweat accounted for one of four sacks on quarterback Jared Goff, the fifth-year defensive end reached double-digit sacks for the first time in his career (10.0) — and there are still four games remaining. Sweat has a team-high 3.5 sacks since joining the Bears in Week 9.
Safe to say, the Bears are winning the Montez Sweat trade.