The Bears acquired a quality pass rusher who can help boost one of the league’s most anemic front fours.
The problem? Chicago is miles from Super Bowl contention and just traded what is sure to be a top-40 pick for a player about to hit free agency.
On Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline, the Commanders sent Montez Sweat to the Bears for a 2024 second-round pick, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
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Sweat, 27, is in the final year of his rookie deal in Washington, throughout which he showed a knack for getting to the quarterback. In four-and-a-half years with the Commanders, Sweat has 35.5 sacks, including 6.5 this season. He’ll immediately become the Bears’ best pass rusher; Chicago has only 10 sacks in eight games. Linebacker T.J. Edwards and defensive end Yannick Ngakooue are tied for the team lead with two.
Bears general manager Ryan Poles has now made two deadline deals in as many years. Last season, he traded away what became the 32nd pick for receiver Chase Claypool, who dressed for 10 games across parts of two seasons with the Bears, totaling 191 receiving yards. Earlier this month, he was dealt to the Dolphins in exchange for a seventh-round pick as part of a late-round swap.
It’s unclear why Poles is acting like he has a contending team. Most teams in the Bears’ position would be selling in hopes of amassing draft capital, shedding salary and positioning themselves for a long-term run built on rookie deals and smart signings.
Instead, Chicago is now without an important pick. While Sweat is a quality player, the Bears could have waited for free agency and then pursued Sweat, at that point only costing cap space instead of a premium selection in the 2024 draft in April.
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- Bears grade: C-
As for Washington, this deal is a no-brainer. The Commanders are getting an early second-round pick for a player who they clearly didn’t feel was going to re-sign. There’s an argument to be made Washington’s front office should have made a better effort to retain Sweat, but if he was going to walk, this compensation was likely the best general manager Martin Mayhew was going to get.
The question now becomes how does Washington utilize this pick? The Commanders need help along the offensive line and now have a need on the edge. They could also continue attempting to upgrade their secondary, something they tried to do in the 2023 first-round with Emmanuel Forbes, who has disappointed in the early going.
