Edge rusher Montez Sweat is in his first full season as a member of the Bears and the good feelings that accompanied his move to Chicago last year haven’t faded.
Sweat was acquired from the Commanders in a midseason trade and the Bears signed him to a long-term deal before watching him record six sacks in nine games with the team. The Bears finished with a losing record, but went 5-4 in those games and enter this year with high expectations after overhauling their offense and that’s a big change from Sweat’s days in Washington.
Sweat said the losing the Commanders did while he was there took “a toxic, heavy toll” on him and the weight that put on his shoulders has been lifted in Chicago.
‘‘I definitely made a transition to a better spot for me,’’ Sweat said, via Jason Lieser of the Chicago Sun-Times. ‘‘This was my first Pro Bowl and first double-digit sack year and all those types of things. I reached some accolades that I always had aspirations of getting but never reached in Washington. You could definitely say it worked out better for me.’’
The atmosphere around the Bears has been pretty bleak in recent years, but Sweat is one of several reasons why sunlight has broken through the clouds. The coming months will let everyone know if that’s a mirage or not.