30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Montez Sweat (No. 8)

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for an exciting 2025 NFL season, which features some new faces within the organization poised to get the franchise back to its winning ways. That starts with the hiring of Ben Johnson as head coach, as well as overhauling the interior offensive line, adding pieces on defense and a potenital impactful rookie draft class.

Every day from now right up through training camp, we’re counting down our 30 Most Important Bears for the 2025 season. We’ll recap their 2024 season, look ahead to 2025 and tackle the biggest question facing them this year.

At No. 8 is defensive end Montez Sweat, the go-to pass rusher on the defensive line who needs a bounce-back season in 2025.

Background

Position: Defensive end

Age: 28

Experience: 7th season

2025 cap hit: $25 million

2024 recap

The Bears got a head start on addressing their pass rush woes during the 2023 season when they acquired Sweat from the Washington Commanders at the trade deadline. After signing him to a lucrative four-year extension, Sweat became the anchor on the defensive line and had high expectations placed upon him after a stellar initial stretch in Chicago. Unfortunately, he failed to meet those expectations during a frustrating season. Sweat's production dipped across the board as he finished with 5.5 sacks, 32 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. Injuries did play a role, as he was banged up for much of the year and did his best to play through any lingering issues, and he was a primary focus for offensive lines, but he wasn't the same player Bears fans saw at the end of the 2023 season.

2025 outlook

Many returning Bears players would like to forget the 2024 season after all that went down, and Sweat is no exception. He's already off to a good start, as general manager Ryan Poles singled him out for his constant offseason work and preparation inside Halas Hall. Sweat also has the chance to shine in defensive coordinator Dennis Allen's system as a bigger defensive end, and the hope is he can take advantage of more one-on-one blockers with the additions of Dayo Odeyingbo and Grady Jarrett. There's a chance Sweat also lines up across the line in unique packages to take advantage of mismatches, which could lead to an increase in production. Regardless, Sweat is a pivotal piece of the defense.

Big question: Is Sweat an elite pass rusher?

Since coming into the league, Sweat has been one of the better all-around defensive ends in the league. He's averaged over 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss throughout his career. But 2023 was the only season in which he proved he's a true difference maker. That begs the question if Sweat is truly one of the best defensive ends in the NFL or simply a good one who is paid like a great one. With a change in scheme, we'll see just how good Sweat can be in 2025. If he bounces back and produces like he did in 2023, the Bears defense should excel. If he has another year that fails to meet expectations, Sweat will be seen as one of the more overpaid players in the NFL, and his contract will start to become a problem.

30 Most Important Bears of 2025

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: 30 Most Important Bears of 2025: Montez Sweat (No. 8)