It didn’t take long before the newest Chicago Bears star made his presence felt on the field.
The Bears traded a valuable pick to get their hands on star DE Montez Sweat, and he had a debut for the ages.
According to PFF, with his performance vs. the Carolina Panthers, he became the first Bears player since 2019 to get at least 7 QB pressures in a single game.
Montez Sweat: 7 pressures in Week 10
The last time a Bear recorded more in a single game was 2019 pic.twitter.com/1QUogTtjcL
— PFF (@PFF) November 10, 2023
Granted that the Panthers’ offensive line and quarterback play have been terrible this season, but it was still impressive.
Sweat’s presence gave the Bears defense a lot of freedom, with his teammates clearly being infected by his energy.
The Bears didn’t hesitate to make him a building block of their new defense, signing him to a four-year contract extension with $98 million in new money and almost $73 million guaranteed.
The deal is worth up to $105 million, making him one of the highest-paid players at his position in the league.
The Bears clearly have a lot of things to fix to be competitive, but they addressed several of those by trading for a legit star like Sweat.
The Washington Commanders were unwilling and unable to hold onto him, as they preferred to recoup some draft assets and get some financial flexibility after already having spent plenty of money on their defensive line.
Now, the Bears can make him one of the anchors of their defense while they look to solve their other issues with those top-three picks they’re likely to get in the upcoming NFL Draft, plus whatever they can get for Justin Fields.
The post Newest Bears Addition Is Already Making A Huge Impact appeared first on The Cold Wire.