Montez Sweat slowed up on an 11-on-11 rep Thursday morning, then walked off the Chicago Bears‘ practice field under his own power, according to multiple reports from Bears camp.
For a Bears defense that didn’t add a single meaningful edge rusher all offseason, any serious injury to Sweat would immediately become a serious concern, but by mid-morning there were still no further updates on his condition.
Why Montez Sweat Left Practice
Sweat took himself off the field during an 11-on-11 rep and walked into the building with trainer Andre Tucker, according to Bears reporter Zack Pearson. Sweat was moving on his own power the whole way. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic described the same sequence, saying Sweat appeared to slow up before pulling himself out. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune confirmed it, noting Sweat’s exit came not long after left tackle Braxton Jones had already left the same practice.
Michal Dwojak of Bears Insider and Sean Hammond, also of the Tribune, backed up the reporting in real time. ESPN Radio’s Courtney Cronin described the session itself as unusually physical, with tempers boiling over during 9-on-7 work, the kind of practice that tends to produce injury scares.
As of Thursday morning, the Bears hadn’t released any information on the nature or severity of Sweat’s apparent injury. All information remains preliminary, coming from beat writers at a practice facility, not an official update.
Montez Sweat’s Impact on the Bears’ Defense
Sweat is the key to the Bears’ pass rush, and arguably, he is the entire pass rush. He started all 17 games last season and piled up a team-high 10 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 18 quarterback hits and three forced fumbles, according to Bears Wire‘s 2025 edge review. He added five passes defended and a fumble recovery, and continued producing in the playoffs.
Chicago acquired him from the Washington Commanders at the 2023 trade deadline, sending a 2024 second-round pick the other way, and locked him up days later with a four-year extension worth roughly $98 million in new money, according to CBS Sports.
Around $72.9 million of it is guaranteed, with an average annual value near $24.5 million. He’s under contract through 2027.
The Bears went through an entire offseason without adding a proven edge rusher via free agency, trade or the draft, leaning instead on Austin Booker, a still-recovering Dayo Odeyingbo and depth pieces like Shemar Turner to round out the room, according to Essentially Sports‘ offseason breakdown. Odeyingbo is still working back from a torn Achilles that limited him for most of 2025. Booker showed real growth late last year, but he’s not at Sweat’s level which earned the defensive end a Pro Bowl selection three years ago.
Take Sweat off the field for any real stretch and pressure rates drop. The secondary holds coverage longer than it should. Every unproven piece behind him inherits reps it isn’t ready for. None of that is confirmed to be in play Thursday morning, but that’s what the Bears are quietly contemplating until somebody in Lake Forest says otherwise.
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