\n Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is looking for a bounce-back season in 2025.
\n AP\n <\/p>\n
We\u2019re counting down the Top 5 Bears players who have something to prove in 2025. These could be veterans who took a step back last year or younger players fighting for a starting spot.<\/p>\n
Players in the NFL always feel like they have something to prove each season. But some years are more important than others for some players, whether it\u2019s because of a contract or playing time.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a look at No. 5 on the list of top Bears players with something to prove.<\/p>\n
No. 5 Montez Sweat<\/p>\n
Position: Defensive end<\/p>\n
Experience: Seventh season<\/p>\n
Looking back: Sweat seemed primed to make a big impact in his first full season with the Bears after general manager Ryan Poles traded a second-round pick for him in 2023 and then signed Sweat to a four-year, $98 million extension. But an injury and lack of support from the rest of the defensive line derailed Sweat\u2019s 2024 productivity.<\/p>\n
Sweat only missed one game against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9 because of a shin injury suffered the previous week. But Sweat didn\u2019t look the same the rest of the season, failing to consistently pressure quarterbacks.<\/p>\n
Although he played in 16 games, Sweat finished with the second-lowest season sack total of his career. He had 5.5 sacks compared to the six he had in nine games with the team in 2023.<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t get much support from the rest of the line either. Teams focused on Sweat since other Bears defensive linemen couldn\u2019t create much pressure.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead: Sweat isn\u2019t playing for a new contract or even at risk of losing his spot on the line as a starter. But he\u2019ll face pressure to prove he was worth Poles\u2019 big investment in him.<\/p>\n
With a healthier year, Sweat will seek a return to a Pro Bowl-level of play with a better supporting cast. Poles signed Dayo Odeyingbo, who the Bears believe has untapped potential, during free agency to play opposite of Sweat. Last year\u2019s fifth-round pick, Austin Booker, will also try to take a big step in his second season, which could open things up for Sweat.<\/p>\n
Sweat should also have better support from the interior of the line. Poles signed veteran defensive tackle Grady Jarrett and drafted Shemar Turner in the second round of this year\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n
Andrew Billings returns after missing the last nine games of the season last year with a torn pectoral muscle while Gervon Dexter will try to take a big step in his third season.<\/p>\n
Sweat will have plenty of chances to get after the quarterback. New defensive coordinator Dennis Allen is known for his aggressive play calling and consistent pressure from the defensive line. Defensive ends like the New Orleans Saints\u2019 Cameron Jordan, who was a three-time All-Pro with Allen as his defensive coordinator, excelled in Allen\u2019s system.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think much has changed,\u201d Sweat said during organized team activities. \u201cFootball is football, I\u2019m just probably playing from another alignment or from another stance. But at the end of the day, I was brought here to affect the (quarterback), that\u2019s what I intend on doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bears defensive end Montez Sweat is looking for a bounce-back season in 2025. AP We\u2019re counting down the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":135713,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2070],"tags":[374,692,391,2493,769,7,6,767,768,9,770],"class_list":{"0":"post-135712","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-bears","8":"tag-bears","9":"tag-chicago","10":"tag-chicago-bears","11":"tag-chicagobears","12":"tag-content-providers","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-pro-sports","16":"tag-shaw-local","17":"tag-sports","18":"tag-sports-leagues"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114695987810859079","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135712"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135712\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/135713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}