The Chicago Bears are heading toward the 2026 season with a whole lot riding on Montez Sweat.
That’s the reality when you look at the depth chart and see how much the defense depends on one player to keep the pass rush from falling apart. Sweat is coming off a strong 2025 season, one that included double-digit sacks and steady pressure off the edge.
Nothing in the setup suggests Chicago expects that production to disappear. The bigger issue is how little room there is for error if it does.
Behind Sweat, the Bears are banking on a jump from Austin Booker and crossing their fingers that someone else pops up as a surprise contributor. That uncertainty is part of why Chicago has been mentioned as a possible landing spot for Josh Sweat or Maxx Crosby if either edge rusher were to be traded in the coming months. For now, though, those scenarios look less and less likely as training camp approaches, with both teams seemingly content to keep their stars in place.
That leaves Montez Sweat carrying a load that goes well beyond normal expectations. If he doesn’t deliver, the pressure shifts onto the secondary and the burden starts landing heavily on Ben Johnson’s offense. For Chicago to be a real Super Bowl contender, Sweat either needs to put together another big year or the Bears need to find more dependable help next to him.
It’s an easy detail to overlook with training camp right around the corner, but it matters. Chicago may be using the summer to sort through its young talent and decide whether reinforcements are needed later, but that doesn’t change the current picture. Right now, the Bears need Sweat to be the kind of edge rusher who can consistently get the defense off the field and put the ball back in Williams’ hands.
That makes Sweat one of the most important storylines on the team heading into 2026. Fans should be watching closely, hoping for a big season from him and maybe one more meaningful addition to the depth chart before long.
In Other News...
One Bears Rookie Just Jumped Dillon Thieneman In A Crucial Ranking
The Bears 2026 draft class is already being sorted by how quickly each rookie can matter, and the exercise says plenty about where the roster still needs help. Malik Muhammad sits at the top of that list, which makes sense for a team that spent the spring trying to patch holes in the secondary and figure out which newcomers can handle real roles right away.
What makes the ranking especially interesting is how much it says about the defensive backfield around him, with Dillon Thieneman also expected to step into a major role at safety. The Bears are clearly leaning on this rookie class for immediate answers, and the order of importance hints at which additions could shape the defense fastest once the season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Suddenly Have A Kyler Gordon Problem They Can't Ignore
Kyler Gordon was supposed to be part of the Bears long-term answer in the slot after signing his extension last offseason, but instead his status has become one of the more awkward questions hanging over the roster. The cornerback missed most of last season with a soft-tissue injury, appeared in only three games, and then sat out offseason workouts, leaving Chicago to sort through a nickel spot that was once expected to be settled.
For a defense trying to get its footing, the concern is not just whether Gordon can get back on the field, but whether the Bears can count on him once he does. That uncertainty has forced the staff to at least consider other options inside, with Josh Blackwell and rookie Malik Muhammad among the names in the mix if Gordon is not ready to reclaim the job when camp opens. [Read more 🡒]
Bears Fans Wont Love Where This Edge Rush Debate Is Heading
The Bears edge-rush picture is starting to look less like an area for outside help and more like a test of patience. General manager Ryan Poles has signaled there are no immediate plans to add another pass rusher, which leaves Chicago leaning on the group already in place while the front office keeps an eye on how the season unfolds.
For now, the organization appears willing to let Austin Booker and Dayo Odeyingbo keep working their way into bigger roles, even as the pass rush remains a talking point. The more realistic pivot point may come closer to the trade deadline, when Chicago can reassess whether the current room has enough juice or whether the market finally offers a move worth making. [Read more 🡒]