Montez Sweat doing things Chicago Bears’ coaches haven’t seen before

The Chicago Bears have much more than a player who’s only interested in personal gain when it comes to defensive end Montez Sweat. Acquired last season in a trade with the Washington Commanders, the five-year veteran has not only made a difference with his own play, but he’s helping to elevate the play of the Bears’ offensive line as well.

Bears’ defensive coordinator Eric Washington stated Wednesday that Sweat has gone over to the offensive line in practice recently to explain how he sees protection concepts and also to help them defend against moves that Sweat has been successful with against them.

The reason Washington hasn’t seen this type of behavior is likely because of the cut-throat nature of the game in terms of players only looking out for themselves. With players fighting for starting jobs and for leverage for their next contract discussion in terms of salary, it’s no wonder why so many have a “me-first” mentality.

But Montez Sweat is a different breed. Sweat wants to win, and he knows it will take more than his own personal efforts to get that done. He’s already taken on a leadership role on this defense despite only being in Chicago since last October. He’s been outspoken in his support for rookie defensive end Austin Booker, publicly displaying how impressed he is with the youngster multiple times this offseason.

In an April interview on the “Green Light” podcast, Sweat told former NFL edge rusher Chris Long that the often one-sided rivalry with the Green Bay Packers has already been eating at him. “I’m letting you know right now, man, I’m not losing to Green Bay this year,” Sweat said. “I can’t do it, I can’t do it, man. I’m not losing to Green Bay this year. We’ve created a real rivalry over there.”

What’s somewhat funny about Sweat’s genuine disgust towards Green Bay is that he’s only lost to them once as a Chicago Bear. Either Sweat knows all the right things to say to endear himself to Chicago Bears fans, or he’s fully bought into being a Bear. Based on what I’ve seen with Sweat helping his teammates on the offensive line and building up young players on the team, I’m going with the latter.