Tuesday’s Halloween NFL trade deadline began with a doozy.
The Washington Commanders sent underrated pass rusher Montez Sweat to the Chicago Bears in a move that will have significant ramifications for both organizations. Washington’s trade potentially signals that it prefers the future of fellow defensive lineman Chase Young. In Chicago, the Bears finally have their hopeful franchise pass rusher (though they still have to re-sign him to a long-term extension).
It’s an intriguing situation for both teams and one we’ll have to monitor closely in the coming months. Let’s hand out some initial grades and determine who came out on top of this blockbuster deal between Chicago and Washington.
The details
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, here’s what both teams received in the trade:
The Bears get:
- DE Montez Sweat
The Commanders get:
- A 2024 second-round draft pick
Chicago Bears
For the second year in a row, the Bears are buyers at the trade deadline. This time, they’re hoping Sweat can be their No. 1 franchise pass rusher — a player that will boost a defense with one of the NFL’s worst quarterback pressure and sack rates in 2023. It’s not a bad bet, considering Sweat’s pedigree and underrated reputation.
The Bears have traded a 2nd-round pick for Montez Sweat (per @RapSheet).
Sweat is expected to help a Bears pass rush that has generated a league-low 28.9% pressure rate in 2023. He has recorded 33 pressures this season (T-17th in NFL), 11 more than any Bears player.#DaBears
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 31, 2023
After being drafted by the Commanders in the first round of the 2019 draft, Sweat has amassed a fascinating resume. In 67 career starts, the 27-year-old has accumulated 35.5 sacks and 85 quarterback hits. That is elite production and is undoubtedly the kind of play the Bears are hoping he brings to Chicago on a long-term basis. There are reasonable questions about whether Sweat will be able to replicate such play when he’s not lined up next to Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and Chase Young, but that’s a risk the Bears are clearly willing to take.
The move also makes sense for the Bears from a financial view point. Per Over The Cap, they are slated to hold over $110 million in salary cap space in 2024. Rather than dip their toes into the uncertain free agent edge market or April’s draft, Chicago elected to fill a massive need by taking Sweat now and running. After recent contentious negotiations with Roquan Smith and Jaylon Johnson, it remains to be seen whether the Bears will actually extend Sweat, who is in the last year of his contract. But they would be utterly foolish to use him as a rental for a currently 2-6 team instead of giving him term and security.
That’s a bridge to cross for another day, though. For now, Chicago has to be quite pleased it has a bona fide dynamic edge presence on defense.
Grade: B
Washington Commanders
From the Commanders’ and owner Josh Harris’s perspective, this was inevitable.
There was no feasible way Washington could afford to hand out monster contracts to four separate defensive linemen (Sweat, Young, Payne, and Allen). In a salary-capped league, that is not how you construct a balanced roster capable of competing for deep playoff runs year in and year out. Not to mention that Washington arguably possessing the NFL’s deepest and most talented defensive line didn’t amount to much success for the organization anyway. It’s a credit to general manager Martin Mayhew for finding excellent value in a dynamite player he was likely not going to re-sign.
An interesting question now lies ahead for Mayhew and friends. Unless he’s also dealt at the deadline (unlikely), this means the Commanders will probably roll with Young, their former No. 2 overall pick. Provided Young stays healthy moving forward — no sure thing after the murky start of his career — they likely made the right choice. Theoretically, Young is a more explosive talent with a higher ceiling at his best. In 2023, his return to full-time action, Young has already displayed the game-breaking ability everyone thought he’d show off when Washington drafted him in 2020. But again, Young has to stay healthy, and they have to not trade him for this to be a relevant discussion.
Furthermore, the Commanders still have significant issues up and down their roster. Letting Sweat go leaves them with more financial flexibility to do things like bolster their offensive line and perhaps even address a shaky secondary. By that metric, this was a prudent decision and trade to make — and it still might leave Young on the outside looking in.
For now, the Commanders have recouped a (likely) high second-round selection for a piece they had no intention of re-signing. That is a slam dunk in my book.
Grade: A
