The Chicago Bears have sparked a late-season turnaround following a disastrous start to the 2023 season. And the addition of star defensive end Montez Sweat, acquired in a trade with the Washington Commanders, has been at the center of it. So much so that it’s been dubbed the “Tez Effect.”
“It’s pretty cool,” said head coach Matt Eberflus. “But I don’t really want to take credit for what these guys have been able to do around here.
“Man, these boys have been stepping up. They’re playing their asses off. Credit to them. I’m the one getting the credit now, but it’s really because of those boys.”
The Bears defense has improved dramatically with Sweat’s addition. They went from 28th to 20th in points allowed, 23rd to 12th in yards allowed and from 22nd to third in takeaways, per the Chicago Sun-Times. The Bears were 2-6 without Sweat, and they’re 5-3 with him.
Outside of Sweat’s individual production — which includes a career-high 12.5 sacks, leading both the Bears (6.0) and Commanders (6.5), 13 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, four pass breakups and 25 QB hits this season — his presence has opened up opportunities for those around him.
Guys like defensive tackle Justin Jones, rookie defensive tackle Gervon Dexter and defensive end DeMarcus Walker have benefited from Sweat’s addition, which has reinvigorated the defense.
“Just a big contributing factor,” said cornerback Jaylon Johnson. “Him just coming in, bringing a different energy. Kind of indescribable. We didn’t necessarily know that we needed it until he came, and it’s like, ‘Yeah, this is somebody that we needed.'”
When the Bears made the move to acquire Sweat from the Commanders at the trade deadline, there were questions about whether he would excel without other Washington stars (Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen and Chase Young) around him. Safe to say Sweat put those concerns to bed.
“I remember the first day we got Tez here,” defensive line coach Travis Smith said, “there was a lot of commentary that Tez had Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen [and Young] that are rushing there. All of a sudden, Tez is here, and now it looks like he was the one that’s allowing others opportunities. So maybe he was the part of what was happening in Washington that was allowing those other guys to have success. I think that’s a reflection on him.”
