Too often with the Bears, they want everyone to believe something without seeing it. Whether that’s the great practices they have before getting blown out on game day or the behind-the-scenes work coach Matt Eberflus does to hold things together amid a string of losses, they’re usually asking for trust that they haven’t earned yet.
They need concrete results that everyone can see, and new defensive end Montez Sweat already is delivering.
Questioning the price general manager Ryan Poles paid, first by trading a second-round pick to the Commanders that’s currently slotted at No. 37 overall and second by signing Sweat to a four-year, $98 million contract extension, is absolutely fair. But even if there’s a concern on that front, at least Sweat is clearly good.
Sweat “most definitely” had some apprehension about how quickly he’d adjust after the unexpected relocation, but he already has boosted a pass rush that definitely needed it.
“Finding out how I belong in the defense was definitely a question of mine,” he said after practice Thursday. “But I fit in pretty well.”
He’s a vastly better fit than Poles’ previous deadline acquisition, wide receiver Chase Claypool. The hype over Claypool last season quieted quickly after just four catches in his first two games, and the Bears constantly tried to plead for patience and project optimism. Claypool never produced, and they traded him to the Dolphins for next to nothing last month.
While it’s funny that Eberflus seems to be trying to trademark the “The Tez Effect” or “The Tez Factor” whenever he discusses Sweat, at least it’s a real thing.
In just two games, he has helped the Bears make headway on one of their biggest problems. They had a season-high 11 pressures in the win over the Panthers, and their three sacks was their second-best game of the season.
Nonetheless, that did not vault them out of the basement. The Bears are still last in the NFL with 13 sacks in 10 games.
Sweat didn’t have any sacks against the Panthers, but had eight pressures — the most by a Bear in nearly three years. Three of those were quarterback hits. He drew an extra block on a sack by defensive tackle Justin Jones and chased Panthers quarterback Bryce Young into defensive end Rasheem Green’s reach.
Young is a rookie who has struggled all season, but the Bears held him below his average in completion percentage, yards per pass and passer rating.
“You could feel him forcing those incomplete passes,” Eberflus said.
The Bears went all of last season and the first half of this one without a pass rusher who commanded attention the way Robert Quinn and Khalil Mack used to. Sweat forces opposing offenses to plan around him and dedicate extra blockers, whereas before his arrival, opponents could count on single blocks being effective enough.
Now the Bears will test their reinvigorated pass rush Sunday against a Lions offensive line that Pro Football Focus ranks the best in the game. Three of their five starters were first-round picks, and the other two were third rounders. They’ve allowed just 16 sacks, and their rushers are averaging 4.5 yards per carry.
“It definitely makes it just a little bit more fun,” Sweat said. “You get a chance to go out there and go against the best of the best. That, along with the Eagles, is one of the best o-lines in the league.”
What the Bears need this week, and in the big picture, is a partner for Sweat. That’s something Poles should address in the first round of the upcoming draft, but for now the answer must come from within Halas Hall. If Yannick Ngakoue or DeMarcus Walker steps up, the Bears could establish a daunting pass rush.
