The Chicago Bears have acquired edge rusher Montez Sweat in a trade with the Washington Commanders, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
The Bears are sending a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Commanders as compensation.
It’s a rather surprising move for Chicago, which fell to just 2-6 after its Week 8 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. What makes it even more jarring is the fact that Sweat will be a free agent at season’s end, meaning that the Bears will have to pay a rather hefty price tag to retain him.
Obviously, Chicago thought all of this through before swinging a deal for the pass rusher, and the Bears are projected to have massive cap room in the offseason. So, it’s entirely possible that the front office already has a plan in place to re-sign Sweat.
Sweat, who played his collegiate football at Mississippi State, was originally selected by Washington with the 26th overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Since then, he had been one of the most consistent producers along the Commanders’ defensive front.
He had an impressive rookie campaign, registering 50 tackles, seven sacks and a couple of forced fumbles. He then followed that up by totaling 45 tackles, a career-high nine sacks (which still stands to date), an interception, a pair of forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown in 2020.
Sweat ended up missing seven games due to injury in 2021, finishing with 24 tackles and five sacks. Last year, he bounced back by recording 46 tackles and eight sacks.
The 27-year-old is enjoying a very productive 2023 campaign, as he has already logged 32 tackles, 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles through his first eight contests.
Montez Sweat has also been a durable player for the vast majority of his career. Aside from 2021, he has played full campaigns in each of his other seasons.
The Richmond, Ky. native should be of significant help to a Bears defense that ranks last in the NFL with just 10 sacks after eight weeks.
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