Bears' Montez Sweat looking to bounce back from injury-riddled 2024 season, shares early impressions on DC Dennis Allen
The Chicago Bears are set to hold mandatory minicamp this week, followed by a third week of organized team activities to be held the week after. Following that, the team will have a break until training camp picks up in late July.So far, the early impressions of the new coaching staff have been outstanding, as […]
The Chicago Bears are set to hold mandatory minicamp this week, followed by a third week of organized team activities to be held the week after. Following that, the team will have a break until training camp picks up in late July.
So far, the early impressions of the new coaching staff have been outstanding, as has the attendance from the majority of the roster, with everyone expected to be in the building this week.
That includes defensive end Montez Sweat, who's been in the building over the last few weeks after skipping the optional portion of the schedule last offseason.
Seeing Sweat in the building has been an encouraging sign. After skipping OTAs last year, Sweat went on to have a disappointing second season with the Bears. Now, he's locked in to make sure that doesn't happen again.
"I don't think there is anyone in this building working as hard as Montez Sweat right now," general manager Ryan Poles a few weeks back. "He's pushing weight, he's getting strong, he's getting in shape. He's locked in like I've never seen him before."
Part of what slowed down Sweat's production in 2024 was caused by lingering injuries, including foot and shin problems. Sweat still managed to miss only one game and play 61% of the defensive snaps. But, you can tell the injuries bothered him.
"I mean I don't really dwell on it too much. Football is a game where it's not if you're going to get hurt but when," Sweat said last week. "So you've got to deal with those things and just move forward. I'm sure that won't be my last injury. So I'm just going to be ready for that when it presents itself again."
Even still, Sweat led the defense with 5.5 sacks and ranked third with 12 QB hits, while also facing a lot of double team looks. For his standard though, it wasn't enough.
"You definitely use it as motivation," Sweat added. "Knowing that you didn't have as good of a year as you wanted to or could have, so it's in the back of my mind, but I'm sincerely just moving forward, working on what's next."
New Year, New Defense
What comes in 2025 is an entirely new scheme under defensive coordinator Dennis Allen, which is another reason why Sweat has been so involved in the offseason program.
As a veteran defensive mind, Allen runs a "complex" scheme that has led to multiple Top-10 defensive rankings over the last decade plus. A big reason why is because of how aggressive and intricate he is with the defensive line rotation.
"Oh yeah, he's a very complex individual," Sweat said about Allen. "He has a lot of fronts and schemes and things that he can attack the offense with. So yeah, he's a great guy, smart…
"I'm trying to learn a new defense right now so it presents its challenges. Different fronts, different coverages, and things like that. It's just more than I heard to learn in the past I would say. So, he's definitely a little more complex than the DCs I had in the past."
By having a threat like Sweat off the edge and versatile guys like Gervon Dexter Sr., Dayo Odeyingbo, and rookie Shemar Turner, Allen is about to be incredibly complex with how he aligns and deploys his new defensive front.
Sweat is going to be the top piece to get this unit going. And a full offseason under his belt along with the new additions should be plenty enough to get him back on track.
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