Sweat excited for fresh start in Chicago: "Ready to get to work" |
CHICAGO - By far, the Bears have the least amount of sacks out of any team in the NFL so far this season with 10. In all of last season, they only had 20 sacks. To help solve this problem, on Halloween, the Bears traded for edge rusher Montez Sweat from the Washington Commanders who has had 35.5 sacks in his four and a half year career. Wednesday was Sweat’s first official day as a Chicago Bear, and he spoke to the media in Halas Hall.
“I think I’m a very strong, hardworking, tenacious player,” Montez said. “Just very (want) to get better every day and I know I still got a long way to go. But, I’m happy to play where I am.” For a number of seasons now, there have been rumors swirling about this talented rusher getting traded. It never came to fruition until now. He has also taken on a new role as the top member of the defensive line, so he will have to step up more now than ever before. This is something he is looking at positively because he can finally get a fresh start in the league. “It definitely feels like a new beginning. It’s a fresh start for me, meeting new people, meeting new coaches, creating new relationships,” Sweat said. “But, the NFL is a week-to-week business. You see good teams go down, you see bad teams have good wins. So, it’s a week-to-week business.” Getting a player like Sweat can help not only the defense, who has been struggling greatly to get pressure since Matt Eberflus became the head coach, but also the offense. Especially like week against the Los Angeles Chargers, the offense was under a lot of pressure because the defense was unable to stop the Chargers, creating a 17-0 not even quite halfway through the second quarter. Currently, the Bears are without starting quarterback Justin Fields, who has dislocated his thumb. The last full game Fields was able to play in was against the Commanders, Sweat’s old team, and Fields made an impression on him. Further, the history of the Chicago Bears franchise is something Sweat is excited about. “I know this is one of those historical franchises that fans are great. So, I’m just happy to be here,” Sweat said. “(Fields)’s a dynamic quarterback, guy that can move on the run … He’s a challenging player.” Sweat was a highly-sought after player during the trade deadline, with other teams, such as the Atlanta Falcons, going after him. It ultimately came down to the fact that the Bears wanted him the most and they made it happen. So, Sweat is happy to come to the Bears and that Chicago wanted him as a player, not just a pass rusher, to fit into a slot. “Pass rusher is a prominent position in the league. A lot of teams want a pass rusher. So, it doesn’t necessarily boost my ego,” Sweat said. “They might not necessarily been looking for me. They might just been looking for a good edge rusher, and I maybe stepped into that place.” While it is not confirmed that Sweat will be able to play this Sunday against the New Orleans Saints (Noon / CBS), but when you make a trade for a player like him and give up a second-round pick, which will in all likelihood be a bit of a higher pick, you want to get him on the field right away.
