Against the Saints, Bears DE Montez Sweat plays 65% of the defensive snaps in his debut.
Sweat, who made his NFL debut on Sunday against the Saints, is expected to be the team’s best pass rusher in the future.
There was no doubt Montez Sweat would rise to the top of the defensive end pecking order when the Bears acquired him for a second-round choice and signed him to the highest annual average pay in franchise history.
Whose snaps would Sweat cut into between Yannick Ngakoue and DeMarcus Walker?
The Bears rotated the three of them equally in Sweat’s Bears debut, a 24–17 loss to the Saints. Walker, Ngakoue, and Sweat played over two-thirds of the game together despite being the starters. Walker played in 67% of the snaps, Ngakoue in 65%, and Sweat in 65% of them.
Not much changed in Sweat’s debut game with the Bears, who had been starting Ngakoue around 77% of the snaps on average and Walker approximately 70%. Sweat was not far from his customary workload this season, as he was playing about 75% of the snaps with the Commanders.
Sweat’s first practise came on Thursday. According to Bears coach Matt Eberflus, the intention was to use Sweat on third downs and in two-minute scenarios.
About Sweat, Eberflus remarked, “He looked good.” There were a few excellent pressures he faced. He is only getting started; his language and defence methods are different. It was amazing that he could enter and perform in so many plays.
Sweat, 27, was brought in by the Bears to address their primary issue outside of quarterbacking. With just 30 sacks in 26 games over the past two seasons, they have the fewest sacks in the NFL. On Saturday, they signed him to a four-year, $98 million contract that runs until 2027.
