The Chicago Bears made a bold move by trading the Washington Commanders for Montez Sweat. They are sitting at 2-6, so it is not like they are going to compete this year. The move has long-term implications, but the long-term status of so many in the building is supposed to be murky. What is the status of some big names in the future if they are making moves like this?
3. Did the Chicago Bears trading for Montez Sweat show that Ryan Poles job is safe?
The Chicago Bears adding Montez Sweat should tell fans a lot about the status of Ryan Poles moving forward. He still has full control over the roster, and he is still the man in charge of the building. That will be true this year and will remain true next year no matter how things break.
The Chicago Bears would not trade a second-round pick in back-to-back years if they did not believe in Poles and what he is doing. They are trusting him to continue to build the roster, even if this year is not breaking the right way.
There are huge negatives for Poles, like the lack of understanding of positional value, and not adding adequate depth to the offensive line. Still, Poles was dealt a bad hand and his first year was a teardown. Even when the build-up has not gone as planned, he did have huge hits like D.J. Moore, Darnell Wright, and the acquisition of the Carolina Panthers draft pick, which may end up being franchise-altering.
Fans do not trust Poles with that franchise-altering pick, but he did well in the top ten this year, and he is the reason they are in that spot. The owners trust him more than the fans, and the owners let him risk the future once again, proving how much they trust him.
2. Will the Chicago Bears stick with Matt Eberflus after this season?
Ryan Poles is trading future assets that could be used to build out the rest of the roster. He has assurance. Does Matt Eberflus have the same? It feels like he is on more of a trial basis. The Bears adding Montez Sweat gives him one less excuse if he does not turn things around here. It is easy to say that the offensive line has shuffled a lot, and Justin Fields is hurt. Even on the defensive side of the ball, he has lost so many secondary members.
Still, the defensive side is his side, and it needs to be a strength the rest of the way. He wanted DeMarcus Walker because he could move him inside. However, he did not have the edge depth to do this. We better see the best of Walker, or Ebeflus is wasting assets on specific roles. The run defense looks much better, but with Sweat, there should be even more improvement.
Can he get Sweat to have a ripple effect and make the others better? If the defense does not improve, and the Bears keep losing like they did against the Chargers, he is gone. However, Ryan Poles did give Matt Eberflus a lifesaver in trading for Sweat because if the defense does finish strong, it may be harder to move on.
1. The Chicago Bears have to extend Montez Sweat
This one is pretty clear. The Chicago Bears have to extend Montez Sweat at some point. By making this trade, Ryan Poles may have ensured his job for 2024, but he may have made life a little tougher when that time comes as well. Sweat is a free agent, and his agent is telling him that the Chicago Bears traded a top-40 pick for him on a wasted season. If they lose him in free agency, maybe Ryan Poles will get fired.
So, Sweat has a great chance to hold out for the most money possible. If he does not sign for well above what he is worth, the Chicago Bears will have to franchise tag him. Sweat is good, but the franchise tag is big money. It is the top five salaries on average at his position. Is he that good? It also sets a floor for his salary. If the tag is $20M, why would he ever take a deal less than that?
He knows that is his salary for one year and would thin that he could play to make it go higher the next year. So, the Bears are in a spot where they need to try to extend him under the franchise tag before having to franchise tag him. Montez Sweat may make the Bears look bad, but he will be here for the next few years.